Three Ways To Make Your Money Work Harder For You

While the theme of this week for many will probably focus on turkey, giving thanks, and finding deals on Friday, we want to spend some time to focusing on making your life easier so you have more time to think about those things and not your money!  Here are three ways you can effortlessly make your money work harder for you:

1.  Start Saving!  It sounds simple, but the first step is always just to start.  Elect to have your paychecks automatically deposit a certain amount in to your savings account so you don’t have to think about it.  You won’t even miss the money because you won’t see it from the beginning in your checking account and it will just start adding up in your savings!

2.  It’s Your Change! Honor’s "It’s Your Change" program could not make it any easier to both balance your checking account AND add a little extra in your savings account each month.  "It’s Your Change" automatically rounds each purchase up to the next dollar and transfers that change into your savings account for you!  You will be surprised how doing something this simple can add up over time!

3.  Take Advantage of Interest Rates!  Perhaps the easiest way to make your money work harder for you is by letting it earn interest.  Accounts like Honor’s Benefits Checking let you use your checking account like your busy life requires AND get 5% APY on your first $5000!  Or if you are interested in more of a savings account that will pay you interest, check out our CD special that will give you up to 2.22%! You can find out all the details and requirements for both of those accounts and more at www.honorcu.com!

The goal is always to get more for your money while working less, and your local credit union can help you do that!  You can listen to Honor's CEO Scott and 97.5 Y-Country's Wild Bill talk about their tips to make your money work harder for you on this week's Mason Jar Monday! 

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter @honorcu and let us know what you want to hear about next week using #askhonorcu! 

Three Tips To Save On Holiday Shopping

There’s only 9 days left until the biggest shopping day of the entire year!  Whether you are planning on braving the Black Friday crowds bright and early or sleeping in and wait for the crowds to disburse a little bit, here are three tips to save your wallet this holiday shopping season!

1.  Plan ahead and stick to your mission!  The aisles and displays at stores are meant to draw you in and inspire you to fill that cart fuller.  Avoid impulse buys that you don’t really need by making a solid plan of what you want to accomplish beforehand and stick to it!  Along these lines means making and sticking to a budget, too!  Online budgeting tools, like Honor’s MoneyDesktop, can help you figure out what your budget is and help you stay disciplined in sticking to it!

2.  Price-Match!  More and more stores are willing to match prices, but you’ll never know unless you ask!  Take advantage of that smart phone in your pocket and do a quick search of items you find in the store you are currently in to make sure it’s not cheaper elsewhere.  If it is, show the cashier your smartphone and see if they will match it!  The most they can say is no!

3.  Coupons! Coupons! Coupons!  All that mail that you typically put right in the recycle bin or emails you usually swipe to delete before opening might be worth a second look this time of year!  Paying attention to who is having the sales will help you create your plan and stick to your mission like we mentioned in tip #1!  The dollars that some of those coupons can save you collectively can really add up meaning extra money that stays in your mason jar!

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter @honorcu and let us know what you want to hear about next week using #askhonorcu! 

Source - http://www.bankrate.com/financing/saving-money/jean-chatzky-4-holiday-shopping-secrets/?ic_id=News4

Easy Ways To Protect Yourself From Holiday Fraud

Did you know that according to many recent news outlets, November is the most active month for card fraud?!  As holiday shopping and spending ramps up, so do the bad guys that aim at ripping people off.  Don’t let this stop you from going about your holiday shopping routines, though.  With a few simple precautions, you can stay a step ahead of fraudsters.

• When paying for a purchase with a debit card, opt for credit vs. debit.  Signing is safer than entering your pin at the checkout!
• Monitor your accounts for transactions that you don’t recognize
• Take only the cards you will need for shopping
• Put your card away after each use.  Don’t put it in your pocket
• Completely fill out receipts, don’t leave blank space on card receipts
• Hide your card from others.  Believe it or not, there are people who stand in line at checkouts and memorize others card numbers

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter @honorcu and let us know what you want to hear about next week using #askhonorcu!  

Did you miss this week's Mason Jar Monday?  No worries!  You can listen to 97.5 Y-Country's Wild Bill and Honor CU's Scott talk about holiday shopping card safety right here!

Credit Unions Shouldn't Be Confusing - Clearing The Air On Some Common Credit Union Questions

What is a credit union?  If you were thinking an institution that is here to help you manage your finances and improve your financial position you are right on the money.  While a lot of people can probably tell you that, there still seems to be a few things that are confusing.  Here are a couple of those questions and their answers to clear the air:

Who can join a credit union? – Yes, credit unions are special, but you do not have to be in a special club to join one.  While years ago, you may have been more limited based on where you worked, now most credit unions are community based.  The amazing financial services and benefits that credit unions can provide are available to just about everyone!  For example, anyone in the State of Michigan can join Honor CU!

Not for Profit Status – what does this even mean? Not for profit means that profits made by the credit union are reinvested back to the members in the form of better rates and improved products and services.  Not for profit is nothing but a positive thing and should set your mind at ease when you decide to join a credit union.  You can sleep a little easier knowing that your money is in a safe place that has your best interests at heart.

How can I access my money? – A lot of people think that they are limited in the places they can access their money, like ATMs or credit union locations.  The really convenient thing about credit unions is the nationwide reach of accessible ATM’s and shared branches!  You can see the over 35,0000 nationwide affiliated ATM’s that you can access through your Honor CU account on our website!

But credit unions don’t have all the high tech stuff that banks do, right? – WRONG!  Just because some credit unions are physically smaller than the big banks, doesn't mean we don’t have cool and convenient tech products to make your life easier!  Between Honor’s mobile app, online banking, remote deposit capture, and text banking there are multiple ways you can access your money 24/7 from anywhere you are!  Credit unions aim to make your life easier while putting you in a better financial position and using technology is just one of the ways we are able to do this!

Now that some of those concerns have been cleared up, you are completely prepared to talk about how great credit unions are with all of your friends and family, right?  Join a credit union today, and see how much you can save!

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter @honorcu and let us know what you want to hear about next week using #askhonorcu! 

Listen to the 97.5 Y-Country's Wild Bill and Honor CU's Kaylee talk about their misconceptions about credit unions on this week's Mason Jar Monday!