Education Articles

Generation Z and the Minefield of Online Scams

Today's teens and young adults are popular targets for online scams A woman meets someone on a popular mobile app, and the two forge a relationship through online chat rooms. Soon, she’s transferring a few hundred dollars to help him “get by,” then a few thousand, ultimately being scammed out of more than $35,000 by a criminal suspected of fundi...

Fall: The Sleeper Season for Home Buying

The real estate market is typically a frenzy of activity from April to September. The weather is ideal for sellers to put their homes up for sale and buyers to look at them. Families tend to relocate during the summer months as they change jobs while getting their children settled before the upcoming fall school term. That’s what happens in a...

Bridging the Insurance Gap as an Older Worker

Losing your job is never an enjoyable experience. It’s especially challenging for  older workers approaching retirement age . Not only has the job market become increasingly competitive, but finding health insurance after being displaced can add another element of stress. Fortunately, there are options for securing what, hopefully, will only be ...

Is Your Home as Efficient as It Could Be?

Drafty windows. Leaky faucets. Inefficient light bulbs. Energy-sapping appliances and electronics. Just a few causes of decreased energy efficiency and higher utility bills. But by exercising a little due diligence, those problems can be tempered significantly. Making your home more efficient can seem like an overwhelming—not to mention costly—t...

Start Saving Now for Your Child’s Education

It should come as no surprise that college tuition costs are rising, but the extent to which these costs are outpacing inflation can be alarming. In the past 30 years, the  average cost of tuition  at public four-year institutions has more than tripled. And this doesn’t even account for costs of housing, books, meals, etc. If the trend continues...

Are Extended Vehicle Warranties Worth the Cost?

To buy or not to buy an extended vehicle warranty? That is the question—and a quandary that pits  extra expense against peace of mind . Are you willing to roll the dice and hope for minimal repairs after the factory warranty expires? Or do you purchase coverage you might never need and rest easy knowing that many types of maintenance will be...

What to Do About Those Annoying Robocalls

Like any cyber virus out there, robocalls have found a way to evolve. Early on, they were easy to detect and ignore—the calls came from an area code you didn’t recognize. But the scam has become far more sophisticated with the rise of  Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)  dialing and  call “spoofing”  (faking a phone number). It’s become...

How To Pick the Right Student Loan

College isn’t getting any cheaper. And worse, with so much competition for scholarships, funding is far from a sure thing (no matter how qualified you are). Even college-bound students who do receive funding typically discover it’s not enough to cover the cost of a degree. But don’t let this sway your decision whether you attend college. Between...

Your Personal RV Buying Guide

Are you craving the open road? Recreational vehicles, which come in many shapes and sizes, are a popular choice to hit the road. Depending on your tastes and budget, the options range from practical yet stylish to truly luxury-class accommodations. But buying an RV is a big decision—if your largest assets are the house and car, this purchase lan...

Time to Rethink Your Savings Strategy

If you’re like many Americans, chances are in recent years you have put saving on your back burner. The personal savings rate across the nation dipped to 2.4 percent of disposable income earlier this year, the lowest rate since 2005, and that trend is certainly alive and well in Oregon. The low savings rate sounds alarming. In context, though, i...