According to the IRS, the average tax refund for 2012 was $2,803. With tax season just past and the majority of Americans having received money back, what can you do to wisely manage this influx of cash? Pay down debt This is not how most consumers want to spend their...
Looking for a new banking relationship? Choose wisely. Financial institutions are not “one-size-fits-all.” Ask yourself: What are you looking for in a bank? Dig deeper. What services are important to you? Most all banks offer similar products and services. But that’s...
New Year’s Resolutions are made to be broken. We resolve to save more. Spend less. Quit smoking. Get fit. Instead of sticking with those lofty goals, we stink at them. Half of us make resolutions. But a week after the ball drops in Times Square, a quarter of us have...
The car dealership that intimidates you throughout the year is more like Santa than the Grinch during the holidays, gifting the ride on your wish list at a big discount courtesy of manufacturer’s rebates and hard-to-pass-up finance deals. But does this wisdom ring...
Did you hear the dismal forecast? The vaunted Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a torturous mix of above-normal precipitation and below-normal temps this winter. Is your home ready for the frigid onslaught? It’s estimated 30 percent of your heat and, in turn,...
A number of online savings calculators demonstrate how much your savings will be worth in the future. Just plug in your current savings, how many years you plan to save, and average annual gains and -- thanks to compounding interest -- you see how your savings grows...
Our efforts to save $$$ on groceries -- from racking up points on our loyalty cards to clipping coupons -- may be futile, unless we know the tactics employed by retailers to get us to part with our hard-earned dollars. When we’re aware of these tactics, we respond...
You don’t have to take couponing to the extreme like the shoppers featured on several reality television shows may, in order to save money. In 2010, the average savings per coupon was valued at $1.44, so you can easily see how even a few coupons per week could add up....
We as a country spend more on our “fur babies” than we do on ourselves, dropping a monthly average of $83 per cat and $130 to $150 per dog on basic needs (licensing, food, crates, litter). These conservative ASPCA estimates are two to four times more than we as...
Our utility bill$ have reflected what has been an unseasonably cool spring so far. And there may be no sign of relief (from Mother Nature) as an unseasonably balmy summer may be around the corner. But relief from these costly bills is closer than you think … and you...
We’d love to see your smiling face in person, but we know that your banking needs happen 24 | 7 | 365. Feel free to bank from your couch, your office or a beach somewhere warm.