Education Articles

One-Stop Financial Shopping

If you’re like most shoppers, you’d rather make as few trips as possible when checking off the shopping list. Retailers have met this demand by providing a more diverse selection of products than ever before—we’ve long become accustomed to setting dog food, running shoes, and organic produce in the same shopping cart (both the physical and onlin...

Passing On the Story of You

Legacy planning can ensure your wishes (as well as your wealth) live on through your heirs. Sometimes, the best things in life aren’t … things. And that’s where legacy planning comes in. Legacy planning goes well beyond leaving your wealth to loved ones. It incorporates the elements of  estate planning  and then some, allowing you to pass on you...

6 Steps to Prepare for Your (Financial) Future

Small steps and helpful tools—like the right savings account (they’re not all made equal)—can help you get ahead. For those closer to the start of their financial journey, planning for the future can seem daunting, or maybe even unnecessary. But wherever you are in life, it's never a bad idea to take stock of your finances with an eye toward...

Demystifying Financial Terms: APR & APY

For better or worse, acronyms and initialisms have become commonplace in normal conversation. When was the last time someone said they watched the game on the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN)? Or was asked for their Personal Identification Number (PIN) or Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) code? In financial circles, you’ve likely...

Understanding VA Loans

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers many financial benefits to military veterans. One of the more significant benefits is a VA mortgage loan. How does a VA loan work? And how is it different from a conventional mortgage? At its base level, a VA loan allows veterans and their families to purchase a home at a lower interest rate...

Your College Buying Guide

Simplify the transition to dorm life. After a year of virtual learning, most universities will resume in-person classes this fall. But don’t wait till the week before to gather all of the essentials you’ll need for your new college life. This guide will help you with that essential packing/purchasing list, giving you plenty of time to gather wha...

Debt Snowball vs. Debt Avalanche

Ever noticed how much easier it is to fall out of shape than to get into shape? The same can be said (albeit the exact opposite) about getting into (too easy) and out of (pretty hard) debt. There are many ways to dig out of debt—some extreme and unlikely, like winning the lottery or inheriting a pile of money. Chances are pretty low that either ...

Protect Yourself from Unemployment Scams

The figure is staggering: Nearly 47 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic—a number greater than the combined population of 23 states. Piggybacking this crisis are scammers lined up to take advantage. According to a recent report from the Inspector General of the U.S. Labor Department,...

6 Apps To Help Kick-Start the School Year

There are many apps available to help get your children's year off to a great start. Schoolwork organization apps With the help of organizational apps, your life might just be a little easier if everything is orderly. myHomework  (iOS, Android).  It’s not always easy to keep up with assignments, projects, and scheduled tests from different...

4 Ways To Watch Your Savings Grow

Remember the days of pedaling to the local bank and depositing your lawn-mowing or paper-route money into a savings account? Life is more complicated now (as are our finances), but the idea remains the same: We want a safe place to store our money and, ideally, watch it grow. SELCO has been around since the throes of the Great Depression,...