An image illustrating preparing and planning financially for college - a stack of coins supports a graduation cap in front of books and eyeglasses.

College Planning 101: 5 Tips from BALANCE

posted on

May 15, 2025

College Planning 101

Most parents have already heard the bad news: a college education has never been more expensive. Many, in fact, are still paying off their own student debt and would like their children to avoid that burden. The good news is that there’s a lot parents can do to help their children and make the costs of college more manageable.

Invest in a Tax-Advantaged 529 Account

The 529 account is an education savings account and it’s a fantastic deal to save for education expenses for a child, grandchild, or even yourself. Though contributions to 529s are not tax deductible, the account’s earnings are not taxed when you use the money for qualified education expenses – things like tuition, books and even room and board. Start automatic deposits from your paycheck when your child is young and you could have a substantial nest egg when she’s ready for college.

Apply for Financial Aid

You have to be poor to receive financial aid for college, right? Wrong! While many scholarships and grants are needs-based, many other financial aid opportunities are merit-based. So, if your child does well academically, or meets other specialized criteria, she may qualify for assistance even if you are affluent. For example, many colleges and universities have endowments and use this “institutional aid” to attract promising students – and not just athletes – to their programs.

When exploring your options, keep an eye out for scammers. While there are reputable college financial planners, no legitimate scholarship program will require students to pay to apply for aid. And, of course, be wary of any college funding strategy or investment that sounds good to be true!

Explore Local Community Colleges

Academically-speaking, community colleges offer a phenomenal value for meeting almost any degree program’s general education requirements. Plus, students at community colleges often benefit from close teacher-to-student ratios, while many university and four-year college GE classes aren’t even taught by full-time faculty. There are also huge savings on room and board when a child attends a local institution and can continue living with mom and dad. Just remember to investigate requirements for transfer students to ensure that preparatory coursework will be accepted by the student’s chosen degree program.

Borrow Sensibly

Even with financial aid and parental support, many students will still need to take out loans to pay for college. The key is to limit borrowing to an amount the student can reasonably be expected to pay back in ten years or less. The lower the loan amount, the better, but a good rule of thumb is to borrow no more than the expected first year’s salary.

Let Your Child Have Skin in the Game

If the money’s there to pay all of your child’s college expenses, it’s all good. However, parents who skimp on critical goals — like saving for their own retirement – to pay for a child’s education, may never recover from the financial hit. Remember, your child can pay for college with a combination of student loans and work earnings, but you can’t get a “retirement” loan to pay expenses when you’re no longer working!

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors for advice. Membership required. SRP is federally insured by NCUA.

Article Credit: BALANCE

An image illustrating building financial security for retirement - two wooden figurines representing an older couple stand next to a piggy bank.

10 Tips for Financial Security After You Retire

posted on

May 1, 2025

Not that long ago, people looked forward to retirement as a time of relaxation and leisure when one might travel the world or take up a new hobby. Increasingly, however, people preparing to retire are doing the math and realizing that the future doesn’t look so bright financially.

The following 10 guidelines will help you enjoy a more comfortable retirement even in an uncertain economy.

1. Have a Plan But Stay Flexible

Retiring successfully takes planning. Take an honest inventory of your assets, savings, investments, and set some goals for your retirement. Consider what you’d like to be doing, where you’d like to live, who you want to be near, and what kind of lifestyle you prefer.

While you need a plan you also need to be flexible and open to unexpected changes. Keep yourself informed about the latest developments in areas such as the cost of living, tax laws, investments, real estate trends, and other areas that are likely to have an impact on your life.

2. Watch Your Spending

Overspending is a common mistake for many retirees. The paradox about not working is that you have less money coming in but more time to spend your money. It’s natural to want to fill up all your free time with eating out, shopping, traveling, and other leisurely pursuits. It’s important to set a budget and stick to it. You don’t have to cut out all entertainment and treats. However, make sure you don’t spend beyond your means.

3. Find New Sources of Income

It’s an unfortunate fact that people in the United States and many other countries are postponing retirement because they can’t afford to stop working. Some employees, meanwhile, are forced into retirement. There are, however, alternatives besides working full-time and complete retirement. Here are a few possibilities.

Get a part-time job. This can actually be good to keep you active as well earning money.

Start a business. There are many businesses you can start from home, from selling items on Amazon or eBay to providing freelance services.

Make money from your property. If you have extra space, you might rent out a room or set up an Airbnb.

4. Get Out of Debt

Reducing or eliminating debt is one of the best ways to improve your financial situation. Debts are especially draining after you retire. Do whatever you can to cut down on what you owe, especially high-interest debts such as credit cards.

Paying off debt provides two main benefits. On the one hand, it reduces the burden of making high payments when your income may be decreasing. Additionally, you have a chance to improve your credit score which is useful if you want to apply for a mortgage, business loan, or another type of loan in the future.

5. Don’t Touch Your Retirement Account Early

Withdrawing money from your retirement account early may be tempting but it’s seldom a financially wise decision. You also incur tax penalties if you take money out of an IRA or 401K before retirement age (currently 59.5). If you’re thinking about raiding your retirement account, make this an absolute last resort. You’ll be glad you held out a few years from now.

6. Downsize Your Lifestyle

For most people, mortgage, rent, utilities, and other home-related costs are their costliest expenses. Consider how much space you need and whether it might be practical to downsize. If you have your own home, you could sell it and buy a smaller one or relocate to an area with a lower cost of living. Renting or moving to a condo helps you cut down on home maintenance costs. An extreme way to reduce your cost of living is to retire to a country with very cheap living expenses such as Ecuador or Panama.

There are other ways to downsize and simplify your lifestyle aside from housing. Consider moving to a location where you don’t need a car. With ride-sharing services and short-term rental options, more people are finding that owning a vehicle is an unnecessary expense.

7. Take Care of Your Health

Medical expenses are one of the biggest reasons people fall into financial difficulties later in life. Aside from getting regular checkups, pay attention to your habits and lifestyle. If you smoke, drink heavily, use drugs, or don’t exercise, consider transforming your lifestyle.

Bad habits tend to catch up with you when you can least afford it. Eating a healthier diet, exercising regularly, and avoiding harmful substances will cause you to feel better while also saving you money on health care costs. You can also manage health expenses by researching the most advantageous health insurance options.

8. Invest Wisely

It’s never too late to start investing or to improve your investing strategy. As a general rule, you should invest more conservatively as you approach retirement.

Diversifying your holdings is the best strategy. Spreading investments between small and large-cap stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real estate trusts increases your chances of reaping steady returns. An annuity can provide you with predictable payouts after you retire. If you need help, consult with a CPA or investment counselor.

The other side of the coin is to be wary of dubious investments. Older people are often targeted by scam artists selling fraudulent “investments.” Even legitimate investments that are highly speculative such as futures, Forex, cryptocurrency, and others carry significant risks. Make sure the bulk of your holdings are in more stable assets before you start speculating.

9. Don’t Be Overly Generous

Many older adults are victims of their own generosity. As younger people face rising housing and education costs, they sometimes turn to their parents and grandparents for help. While it’s great to help your kids buy a home or pay for your grandchildren’s college tuition, make sure you don’t overextend yourself. Before you give away large sums, look into the future and ask yourself how this will impact you 5 or 10 years from now. Sometimes you just have to say “no” even if it’s painful.

10. Take Advantage of Senior Discounts

There are many financial advantages to being a senior (though the exact definition differs depending on the situation; it may be 55, 60, 62, or 65). If you’re not a member of AARP, join now and learn about more benefits. Your local public library is also another good place to learn about programs. Before spending money on anything, from healthcare to travel to transportation, find out if you can get a discount based on your age.

These are some ways to help you manage your finances when you retire and even before. It’s important to look at your situation and devise a workable strategy. People get into trouble when they live day-to-day and ignore impending problems.

Article credit: BALANCE

"Three Reasons You Should Always Pay More Than The Minimum" next to a hand using a mock credit card on a card reader.

Three Reasons Why You Should Always Pay More Than the Minimum

posted on

April 15, 2025

Credit cards are a valuable financial tool for both individuals and businesses–but they come at a price.

You get purchasing power on the spot, and the creditor only requires you to pay off a small amount of the total every month, i.e., the minimum amount due. However, it’s important to remember that the minimum is calculated in the best interest of the creditor, which puts you at a disadvantage.

Here are some important reasons why you should always pay more than the minimum due on your credit card.

1) Save money

When you only cover the minimum every month, you end up paying more in interest. The minimum payment exists to ensure that interest fees are covered, with only a small amount going toward the actual balance.

For example, suppose you have a $3,000 balance with a 14 percent APR (Annual Percentage Rate). Your minimum payment would be around $65. By the time you pay it off, you will have paid an additional $1,332 in interest.

On the other hand, if you were to pay $100 every month instead of $65, you would only pay $713 in interest.

2) Get to debt-free faster

The more you pay, the quicker you’ll be debt-free. Using the same example, it would take 67 months to pay off the original $3,000 balance, along with all that extra interest. That’s 5.5 years!

Paying $100 per month instead would clear the debt out in approximately 38 months, which is just over three years. Of course, this is provided you’re not adding additional charges to the card and that your APR remains at 14 percent.

3) Raise your credit score

The ratio of your balances to your credit limits is called “credit utilization.” This ratio actually accounts for 30 percent of your entire credit score.

For example, a credit limit of $2,000 with a balance of $500 would mean that you have a credit utilization of 25 percent. A lower ratio is better because it shows that you’re using only a small amount of the total credit that has been extended to you.

If you’re only paying the minimum, your balance remains high relative to your total credit limit. This will cost you some points on your score. Naturally, this also means that when you begin making higher payments that quickly bring down your balance, you’ll likely see an increase in your credit score to reflect this change.

So what’s the solution to avoiding the minimum payment trap? Whenever possible, pay off your balances in full every month.

APR = Annual Percentage Rate. This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors for advice. All loans subject to approval and rate may vary depending on individual's credit history and other factors. All Credit Union loan programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change at any time without notice. Membership required. SRP is federally insured by NCUA.

Article Credit: BALANCE

Three Mortgages Every Home Buyer Should Know

posted on

April 1, 2025

Because of the high cost of most real estate, very few people can purchase a home with savings alone.

Therefore, if you are like the vast majority of people, you will be borrowing money from a financial institution to purchase the property you want. Called mortgages, these loan products can be quite complicated. Knowing the basics of how mortgages work can help guide you to the loan that is most appropriate for you.

Mortgage Terms

How long is it going to take you to repay the loan? That depends on the term of your mortgage. A term is the number of years that you agree to pay back the amount you borrow.

The term also affects the cost of your mortgage payments. Shorter repayment periods mean higher monthly payments but less interest you pay over the life of the loan, while longer terms will give you lower payments but will cost more over the long run. The traditional mortgage term is 30 years, but they have ranged from ten to 40 years.

Types of Mortgages

There are several types of mortgages available, with the most common being fixed-rate, adjustable, and interest-only.

Fixed-rate mortgages come with an interest rate that remains constant over the life of the loan. 30-year mortgages are the most common, but you may also choose a 20-year, 15-year, and even 10-year fixed-rate mortgage. In certain high-cost areas some mortgage lenders were even offering 40 year-loans. Though the mortgage interest rates tend to be higher than for other loan types, the rate is fixed and your payment won’t change. This stability makes them the most secure type of mortgage for buyers.

Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) have a period of fixed interest, but after that the payment changes with whatever index the loan is based on. The period of fixed interest may be three, five, or seven years. With a 5/1 (the first number stands for the number of years in the initial fixed period, while the second indicates how often the new rate will adjust) ARM, for example, the initial interest rate remains fixed for the first five years, and then adjusts annually for the remaining term.

There are several types of caps that may apply to an ARM: an overall cap limits how much the interest rate can increase over the life of the loan; a periodic cap limits the amount the interest can increase from one period of adjustment to the next; and a payment cap limits the amount the monthly payment can increase at each adjustment.

While ARMs are less secure than fixed-rate mortgages, they tend to have lower initial rates and therefore lower monthly payments. They can be a good option if money is tight in the early years, as long as you are confident you can meet future interest and payment increases.

Interest-only mortgages are loans that allow you to pay just interest for between three and ten years. Once that period is over, the payment rises to include both principal and interest. While qualification can be easier and the monthly costs can be lower than other mortgage types, they can be a gamble. A downturn in housing prices could mean that you end up owing more than you own, and an interest rate hike could put the payments beyond your reach.

Certainly there are benefits and drawbacks to each mortgage type. Long before you borrow, consider each option carefully to know which is most appropriate for your situation. With so much money at stake, making the best mortgage decision is important.

This article is for informational purposes only. All loans subject to approval. Actual rate and terms may vary depending on individual’s credit history and other factors. Membership required. SRP is federally insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Lender. NMLS ID #612441.

Article Credit: BALANCE

A calculator, pen, and clock next to a sticky note that reads, "Tax Time!"

The Tax Man Cometh: Quick Tips From BALANCE

posted on

March 1, 2025

Since we all know what the other certainty in life is (death), maybe we shouldn’t be all that upset about the onset of tax season, right? And while it may seem that the tax code gets more complicated every year, the good news is there are also a lot more tools now than ever before to streamline the process of tax preparation and make sure you complete your return correctly. Here are a few quick tax tips to dial down the pain.

Tax Software

You’ve probably heard of Turbo Tax. It’s the market leader in tax prep software, but it’s not the only option. If your adjusted gross income is $84,000 or less, you may qualify for free software to file your federal return. Go to the IRS website’s Free File page to learn more.

Different companies have different eligibility criteria to get the freebie. You’ll be asked to answer a few questions to match you with the right commercial tax software. And remember, not all of the IRS’ partner companies offer free state tax returns, so check those details before proceeding.

IRS Mobile App

Some filers may also qualify for free tax preparation assistance. You can use the IRS mobile app (IRS2GO) to find IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites.

You can also use IRS2GO to:

Subscribe to tax tips from the IRS.
Follow the IRS on social media.
Connect to other online tools from the IRS.
Check your refund status.

Report Everything (yes, everything)

Finally, few things will trigger an audit faster than failing to report all of the income that’s been reported to the government under your Social Security number. You’re not likely to forget income noted on the W-2 you get from your employer, but be sure to also include other sources of income throughout the year, like freelance work, unemployment compensation, scholarships, and prize winnings such as gambling and lottery winnings.

Article Credit: BALANCE

A heart-shaped cake on a plate next to text that reads, "Frugal Date Nights."

Frugal Date Nights: Keep Your Partner and Wallet Happy

posted on

February 14, 2025

When you and your partner are focusing on paying down debt, it’s easy to put relationship fun on hold. After all, dining out is a sure-fire way to blow the budget. Expensive vacations? Entirely out of the question! But you can still keep the spark alive with regular frugal date nights.

First, schedule the time on your calendar. Often, busy couples find that if it doesn’t get scheduled, it doesn’t happen. If you have young children, consider coordinating with another family to swap babysitting duties. This way, each set of parents gets an evening out without paying for a babysitter.

Now that you’ve got the date set and the sitter lined up, here are some frugal date ideas so you and your partner can make great memories without spending much money.

Go on a hike

A hike (or a leisurely walk) in a beautiful location is a great way to spend some distraction-free time with your spouse. Enjoy the scenery, get some fresh air, and get your blood pumping. Apps like AllTrails and Hiking Project are good free resources for local hikes.

Play Tourist

If a friend or family member was coming to visit your city, where would you take them? Often, the most impressive or entertaining spots get overlooked by locals. Pretend you’re just visiting the area and hit up some of the top tourist destinations and local landmarks. The local Chamber of Commerce is an excellent resource for inspiration.

Star Gazing

You don’t need a telescope to take your honey stargazing! It’s best to choose a night when you’ll have clear skies and a new moon. Pack up a blanket and some snacks and head out of town to a place with dark skies and little light pollution. Spread out the blanket, look up at the stars, and bask in the awe of a starry sky.

Eat Cake

If you miss going out to restaurants while you’re tightening the budget, you can get that restaurant enjoyment without having a full sit-down meal. Coffee and dessert at your favorite restaurant still feel like a splurge. Who said you can’t have your cake and eat it, too?

Have a Picnic

A picnic doesn’t have to be a fancy (read: expensive) affair. A lunch sack will do just fine if you don’t have a dedicated picnic basket. Cheese, crackers, fruit, and your favorite drinks require almost no prep and taste even better at a local park or wilderness area.

Visit a Farmers Market

You might be amazed at how much is happening at your local farmer’s market! Of course, you’ll find farmers selling their freshly grown produce, but there’s likely also baked goods, meat and eggs, crafts (like handmade candles and soap), and ready-to-eat food. Wandering around the farmer’s market is a great way to spend a few frugal hours. You might even come home with local produce and inspiration to try a new recipe.

Hit up the Yard Sales

If you like the thrill of the hunt, it’s worth getting up early on a Saturday morning and hitting the yard sale circuit. Decide how much money you’re willing to spend ahead of time and bring it in small bills. This helps to ensure you stay within your budget. You never know what you might find at a yard sale—and sometimes you’ll come home empty-handed! Not knowing is all part of the fun.

Gather Fruit

Nearby orchards or berry farms can make for great frugal dates. The “u-pick” fruit farms are typically less expensive and tastier than the comparable fruit at the grocery store, and you get to spend some quality time outside with your partner. Make sure to research the right time to go for ripe fruit and bring some containers from home.

Wrapping it Up

Date nights are so important in relationships. Taking the time to talk without the day-to-day stressors and sharing new experiences help keep the romance alive. These things don’t have to be expensive. Keep your budget on track with frugal date nights and watch your relationship and savings account grow.

This article is for informational purposes only. Membership required. SRP is federally insured by NCUA. Article Credit: BALANCE

College Planning 101: 5 Tips from BALANCE