Back to school shopping season is already here, and experts are predicting spending to increase this year. Preparing for the new academic year doesn’t have to break the bank. Plus, involving your child in planning and budgeting is a great way to teach them about money through example.
What Are Federal Student Loans? Federal student loans are loans established by the federal government and provided to students for college and graduate school.
If you have qualifying children under the age of 18, you may be able to claim a child tax credit. (You may also be able to claim a partial credit for certain other dependents who are not qualifying children.) The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 makes substantial, temporary improvements to the child tax credit for 2021, which may increase the amount you might receive.
Lifestyle creep, or lifestyle inflation, happens to the best of us. As your standard of living improves, your non-essential discretionary purchases gradually increase. You might even start to think your “wants” are “needs.” Some creep is natural and to be expected, but excessive creep can derail your finances.
Do you use others for the barometer of what you should have or deserve to have? Constant exposure to your friends’ vacations, experiences, dining out, luxury purchases, new cars, and house upgrades on social media amplifies “FOMO (fear of missing out)” and the desire to “keep up with the Jones’s.”
Download I’m a Credit Union Saver, a fun activity book filled with coloring pages, puzzles, and more! I’m a Credit Union Saver is an introduction to credit unions and saving money. Check out more fun online tools to teach kids about money. ...
Practical money management skills learned at an early age can have a lasting impact on the rest of your child’s life. In fact, this is one of the most important areas where you can truly change the course of their life. Educating your children about financial wellness will help them build healthy spending habits for the future.
You can, but it isn’t your best option. Your 401(k) plan should be dedicated primarily to your retirement. There are two primary drawbacks to using your 401(k) for college funding. First, if you withdraw funds from your 401(k) before you are 59½, you will owe a 10% premature distribution penalty on the withdrawal.
The U.S. Department of Education has designated February as Financial Aid Awareness Month, and this year there’s a lot to talk about. On December 21, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, another relief package in response to the pandemic. Included in the bill were several provisions related to education, including many changes to financial aid. Here are some key highlights.
Download Be Cybersmart, a fun activity book filled with coloring pages, puzzles, and more! October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and being cyber smart is important for the whole family.
SESLOC Credit Union is thrilled to introduce the Instant Funds loans, a new short-term, small-dollar loans program designed to support individuals in need of emergency financial assistance. Keeping the credit union philosophy of “people helping people” in mind, we are introducing this product to ensure there is financial support for the underserved and underbanked in the Central Coast community.
We’re partnering with News Channel 12 to honor nonprofit volunteers who make our community thrive. Each month, we’re choosing a different nonprofit and asking them to select a valuable volunteer to receive the SESLOC Cares for Community Award. We’re thrilled to introduce Ray Segovia, from the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center.
For a fifth year in a row, SESLOC held a fundraiser for the SLO Food Bank and Food Bank of Santa Barbara County this past May. With the support from employees and members, SESLOC raised $12,061.89.
On Friday, May 24, over 120 student leaders participating in the Week of Welcome (WOW) program were enriched by a financial wellness workshop hosted by SESLOC at the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) campus in San Luis Obispo. The purpose of SESLOC and Cal Poly providing this workshop was to educate WOW leaders in practical and relevant financial education
On Monday, May 20, SESLOC Credit Union hosted a hands-on, real-world living and budgeting simulation event for 70 students at Central Coast New Tech High School in Nipomo. For this event, SESLOC partnered with Bite of Reality, an app that presents real-life scenarios of maintaining a budget, to improve the financial health and wellness of the Central Coast.
