Education Articles

Renting as a College Student

For many college students, renting off-campus is a major part of the college experience. Exciting, too. I, for one, couldn’t wait to live with friends. We were looking for something affordable, sure, but what we wanted most was an awesome place to throw parties. And while a great space to hang out for a reasonable price is important, there are...

Knowing Your Home Improvement Options

As spring turns to summer, Oregon's natural beauty is in full view. Is it time to spruce up your home to match that splendor? Depending on the scope of the project, home improvements can be both time-consuming and costly. And many use their home’s equity to acquire the funds needed to complete the project. Home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) ,...

Friendly Warning: Tax Season Is ‘Fraud’ Season

Tax season fraud and malware campaigns have a seemingly endless number of ploys, often using flagrantly aggressive tactics, like applying threats and an extreme urgency to act or face fines, imprisonment, or legal action. Not surprisingly, a big focus in fiscal year 2021 (spanning October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021) was again COVID-19-relate...

Unexpected Expenses of Owning a Pet

If you own a pet, you already know that budgeting is just part of the deal—just like walking the dog or scheduling regular vet visits. If you’re starting to look for your own “man’s best friend,” it might be time to start thinking about all the expenses that go into owning a pet. Before taking a trip down to your  local shelter  or pet store,...

Mentally Prepare to Ace That Job Interview

It’s the night before the big interview. Your outfit is laid out, your résumé is hot off the press, and you’ve Google-Mapped your route. You’re sufficiently prepared—and yet, you’re still nervous. Although we’re generally pretty good at anticipating and preparing for external challenges, it’s those pesky internal challenges that tend to come up...

What Does Credit Union Membership Mean?

When credit unions profit, so do you. There are more than 4,500 credit unions in the United States, yet doubt continues to creep into many people's minds about whether their structure and services (including digital tools) can stand up to larger banks. SELCO and other credit unions continue to gather momentum—and set themselves apart from...

Protect Yourself From Financial Burden

Simply put, Payment Protection helps safeguard your loans. If an unexpected life event leaves you at risk of defaulting on a major loan, Payment Protection could help you and your family when you need it most. If you’re thinking, “That sounds a lot like life insurance,” you’re partially right. But Payment Protection and life insurance are intend...

10 Financial New Year’s Resolutions

Hard to believe, but the time has come to make—or to start making good on—your annual New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps you’ve already gotten to work on eating healthier, organizing your garage, or learning a new language (congratulazioni!). How about getting your “financial house” in order? If you haven’t developed a definitive plan for the new...

Buying a Home During Winter

Spring and summer are the most popular seasons for house-hunting. But winter has its upsides. But that shouldn’t stop you from looking for your dream home as the temperatures drop. Though icy driveways and snowed-out open houses can be less than thrilling, there might be some surprising benefits to purchasing a home during the coldest time of...

7 Savvy Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund

In the late 1960s, Stanford University conducted a now-classic psychology study called the Marshmallow Test. In it, children were offered a choice between eating one marshmallow immediately or two marshmallows if they could wait a few minutes. You can watch kids deal with this agonizing dilemma here . Resisting an immediate reward for a greater...