Three Benefits of Reading That Can Also Benefit Your Budget

Did you know March is National Reading Month?  Just as important as being financially literate is being literate in general.  Reading is important, no matter how old you are.  Here are three benefits of reading that can also benefit your budget:

1. Mental Stimulation – Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.  Studies have even shown that just as exercise can help prevent physical ailments, reading can slow the progress of (or even prevent) some mental illnesses such as Alzheimers or Dementia*.  A sharp mind can approach life and finances with a more focus.  Help your mind and your pocketbook and pick up a book instead of turning on the TV tonight.
2. Stress Reduction – Stress is present in so many different areas of our lives, including for many their finances and budget.  A well written story, be it fiction or non-fiction, can have the power to drain the tension from your body and relax.  When you approach your budget with a calm mind, you may be able to make better decisions and see your long term goals come to life.
3. Memory Improvement – Brains are marvelous things and can remember things with ease.  Reading helps you forge new memories with every page or article you read, which actually contributes to strengthening existing memories, assisting in short term memory recall and stabilizing moods*.  A sound memory will help you make and stick to your monthly budget as you go about your busy day to day. 

Honor Credit Union understands the importance that reading can provide to our communities.  Next Tuesday, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day!) we will be teaming up with United Way of Southwest Michigan and dozens of other volunteers to read to kids throughout Berrien & Cass counties with Reading Day of Action 2015!  We know the power that reading can have not only on life in general, but specifically financial success, and we can’t wait to share how exciting and fun reading can be with kids K-5^th grade next Tuesday!

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 97.5 Y-Country's Wild Bill and Honor's Scott talk about the benefits that reading can have on your budget in last week's Mason Jar Monday! 

* http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-reading-why-you-should-read-everyday.html

Clearing The Air On Credit Card Balance Transfers….Benefit or Waste of Time?

Odds are you have probably received a mailing or two talking about credit card balance transfers.  If you’re anything like us, a lot of those mailings end up in your junk mail pile.  Some of them should stay there, but others could truly put you in a better financial situation regarding credit card debt.  Here are a couple of reasons you should look twice at credit card balance transfers, especially when they are with your local credit union, like Honor!

• Consolidate Your Debt – If you are like a large number of people, there is probably more than one credit card in your wallet that has a balance on it.  This is where doing a balance transfer to pull all your credit card debt into one card at your local credit union can really help you.  You will save time when it comes to making your payments each month because you will have a one stop shop, and you will be able to make a plan to pay off your debt faster when it is all under one roof!  At the end of the day, the best loan is a paid off loan and a balance transfer can get you set on that path!
• Save on interest – This is where reading the fine print on some of those flashy pieces of mail you get regarding balance transfers comes into play.  Not every one of them will truly save you money.  Look for balance transfers that offer a reasonable lower interest rate, like offers from your local credit union!  For example, Honor CU can help you look at all of your credit card debt and then tell you exactly how much we can save you in interest if you were to do a balance transfer to one of our Visa’s!
• Local Member Service – Have you ever had to call the 1-800 number to sort out the problem with XYZ credit card that ends up connecting you to a huge call center that’s not even in this country?!  If you have then you know how frustrating this can be, and if you have multiple cards that means multiple 1-800 numbers and call centers.  Balance transfers to your local credit union allow you to call one number or stop in one local branch and talk to a real person about whatever your issue or question may be.

So overall, you can see there are numerous benefits to a balance transfer, when you choose the right one.  Do your homework and make sure that whatever offer you select will actually put you in a better financial position.  And when in doubt, just pop in to your local Honor branch or give us a call and we can take a look and help you evaluate all of your options with the ultimate goal of saving you the most money and helping you achieve financial success!

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 Honor' Scott and 97.5 Y-Country's Wild Bill talk about the benefits of balance transfers on Mason Jar Monday! 

Three Lessons Your Credit Union Can Teach You About Dating

I’m going to guess that when you think your dating life, looking to your credit union for advice didn’t cross your mind!  Well, there is actually a lot that you can apply to your relationship by just looking at your relationship with your local credit union!  Here are three lessons that your credit union can teach you about dating:

1.  Every relationship is unique!  You may ask your buddies or group of girlfriends advice when it comes to dating, but at the end of the day you know that only you and your significant other really know the ins and outs of what makes your relationship tick.  The same goes with your finances.  No two people’s financial situation is the same, and your local credit union, like Honor, understands that!  Credit unions look at each member’s finances individually to get you in the best situation for your unique situation in life.

2.  Be yourself!  Your credit score doesn’t lie.  When your credit union looks at your financial situation it’s best to present the entire picture as it really is so that they can help you get in the best financial spot possible! The same applies for dating. Don’t present yourself to be someone you’re not just to attempt to impress someone.  Be yourself, and they will like you for all the right reasons and never be disappointed when the picture you have painted them fades away.

3.  Beauty is on the inside!  So much about dating is based on that first impression, but it’s what inside that really counts!  It sounds corny and cliché but it’s true…it’s always best to get to know someone’s personality before you make a judgment call.  Your credit union does just that.  Credit unions value every member the same, regardless of what you look like or dress like.  We want to help make your financial situation as beautiful (on the inside!) as it possibly can be, because that’s what you are going to appreciate in the long run and that’s what is really important!

Just like your soul mate is out there waiting somewhere for you (or maybe you’ve found them already!), there is a financial institution match out there for you, too!  If you haven’t found your credit union soul mate yet, check out a local credit union, like Honor, today to start the beginning of a healthy financial relationship!

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

Honor's Kaylee joined Y-Country 97.5's Wild Bill for Mason Jar Monday this week!  Listen to their conversation on dating tips from your credit union here!

Ways To Impress Your Valentine On A Budget

Did you know that Valentine’s Day is the most commercialized “holiday” in the entire world, and it’s not even a federally recognized holiday!  Whether your Valentine’s day will be spent with your significant other or a family affair, there are ways that you can make this coming weekend special without breaking the bank!

• Don’t buy a card, MAKE one!  More than 1 billion cards are sent each Valentine’s Day, just in the United States, estimates the U.S. Greeting Card Association!  Save the generic sayings and pictures and send (or even better – hand deliver) a card that means more.  Whether you are crafty and artsy or not, it truly will be the thought that counts.  Include an inside joke or saying that means something special to your unique relationship.
• Cook dinner at home, together!  We’ve talked before about the intense mark up on both food and beverages at restaurants.  Of course, there is always that factor of not having to prepare or clean up after the meal, but sometimes both of those things can be more fun when done together in the comfort of your own home!  Decide what fancy feast to cook together as a couple or a family and do it together!  You may be surprised at not only how much money you will save by staying home, but also how many laughs you can have together cooking a meal together from scratch! Rent both of your favorite movies to top the night off from the front row seat of your own couch. 
• DIY a thoughtful gift!  If you really want to do something a little above and beyond the traditional chocolate or flowers, find a gift that means more and you can make yourself!  If just the thought of trying to find a gift to hand-make leaves you dumb founded, get on Pinterest or a DIY craft site for ideas that are affordable AND come with step by step instructions!  Maybe you still go the route of flowers, but you give them in a vase that is customized by you!  

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

Three Apps That Will Help You Save Money

There are literally thousands of apps available for download (and a lot of them are free!) on smartphones or tablets.  A lot of them help us do a lot of useful things, like pass the time beating every level of Angry Birds or dominating your friends in Words With Friends.  As fun as apps like that are, there are quite a few other apps that can do something even more powerful…they can help you save money!  Here are three types of apps* that you need to check out -

1.  Retailer’s Apps – Instead of keeping all those junk emails with coupons, or actually using scissors to physically cut coupons out keep them all at the swipe of your finger!  So many retailers have their own app that will let you select your main location and will even push coupons to your phone and notify you when they are available and when they are about to expire so you don’t miss out on any savings!

2.  Gift Card Apps – I can’t count the times that I have been searching through my wallet or purse looking for that gift card I just KNOW I have in there somewhere to finally give up and end up paying with cash or credit because there’s a line behind me.  Save the room in your wallet and stop missing out on gift card balances by keeping them in your phone!  The app holds the balance, so even if you break or lose your phone (gasp!) you won’t miss out on the money you had left on the gift card because it’s stored in the app!

3.  Honor MobileApp (last but certainly not least!) – Gone are the days when you could only access your account inside your local credit union branch.  Honor’s gone mobile, and a lot of other financial institutions have to!  Having your account at your fingertips via your smart phone or tablet will allow you to keep better tabs on your account balance and your spending.  Plus, through Honor’s app, you have access to features that the website doesn’t offer – like mobile deposit that lets you deposit checks without having to come into the branch!  New features are on the way, too like P2P and Apple Pay!

Honor's Kaylee stopped in to chat with 97.5 Y-Country's Wild Bill about her favorite apps to help you save money in 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!  

*Source: Click Here

Three Ways To Trick Yourself Into Saving More Money!

I think that we can all agree that at times, we are our own worst enemy.  Don’t let that be the case when it comes time to starting to build your savings!  With these life hacks to trick yourself into saving more money, your savings will start building before your eyes!

1. It’s all about physics – that topic you covered in high school science called inertia can work to your benefit with savings, too!  Set your plan in motion using automated tools that take the thinking out of it and watch your savings continue to roll and move all on its own!  When you add the manual aspect of transferring money into your savings every month, the consistency can start to slack which is the opposite of what you want to happen.  One really great tool that Honor has to make this part a piece of cake are “It’s Your Change” where every purchase you make gets rounded up to the next dollar and that change automatically put into your savings!  We can also set up an automatic transfer from your direct deposit into your savings so you don’t even have to think about it.

2. Keep looking ahead – goals, goals, goals is what it’s all about.  Keep your sight set on the future and the goals that you set for yourself and it will make those thinner months where you really, really want to dip into that savings easier to avoid.  If you’re a visual person, post a picture of your dream state (whether that’s your ideal retirement destination, your next vacation spot, or that new car) on the fridge or someplace you will see it every day.

3. Get a raise? Use it wisely – Don’t slip into the pitfall of a spending spree with 

that next raise or bonus!  Redirect that addition to your monthly income directly into your savings and keep your budget the same, almost like you’re pretending you never got the raise to begin with.  This may sound weird, but the direct raise you will be giving your savings every month will really add up!

HINT!! – There may be a giveaway coming up this week!  If you want included in the fun (and a shot at $50!) be sure to keep up with Honor on Twitter @honorcu!

Listen to Honor's Scott and 97.5 Y-Country's Wild Bill talk about their tips to trick yourself into saving on this week's Mason Jar Monday! 

Source - http://time.com/money/3658298/how-to-save-more-money/#money/3658298/how-to-save-more-money/

The Three "T's" of Tax Time

After the New Year’s resolutions have been made and the grand plans for 2015 have been laid out, it’s time to get down to business.  One of the first line items for many is getting those taxes filed!  Employers will be sending out W-2’s over the next couple of weeks, and if you’re eager to find out what your tax return might be you might be one of those early filers that is able to check your taxes off your list early!  Before you jump right in, make sure you know the three “T’s” of tax time to get you started!

1.  Take Your Time!  Filing your taxes is definitely not something that you want to feel rushed doing.  Gather all the documents that you will need before you sit down and make sure you have the time you need to start and finish all at the same time.  You don’t want to miss something or make a mistake because you got interrupted half way through!

2.  Tally Your Deductions!  Even if you are using a tax professional to help you, do some of your own research and tally the deductions you think you qualify for in advance.  This will help make sure you have the supporting documents for those deductions ready and available.

3.  Take Advantage…of your resources, that is! If you’re approaching filing taxes without the help of a certified tax preparer, take advantage of programs that will help you along the way, like TurboTax!  You can find a discount and link to TurboTax from Honor’s website, and here’s some inside information….follow the link through Honor’s website to get to TurboTax and not only will you receive a discount when you file, but you will also be entered to win cold hard cash!

Did you catch Honor's Scott live on the air with 97.5 Y-Country's Wild Bill?  You can listen to their full conversation from Mason Jar Monday about the Three "T's" of Tax Time here! 

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