Education Articles

Payment Apps Are Convenient, But Storing Money There Poses Risks

According to a recent Motley Fool survey , about 75% of Americans trust digital payment apps more than, or as much as, traditional payment methods like cash or cards. The apps’ convenience and wide availability as payment options have made it increasingly easy to perform peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions like splitting a check, requesting funds, o...

Your Financial Checklist for Traveling Abroad

Your trip of a lifetime is almost here. Your passport is up to date and ready for some new stamps. You know what you need to pack—and how to make use of every square inch of luggage. You’ve learned about the culture and all the exotic food at your destination. You’re ready to travel across the international dateline. But are you financially read...

Digital Banking Upgrades: Making Your Day-To-Day Even Easier

We’re always looking for ways to improve your digital banking experience, and thanks to member feedback, we have a number of updates that will make it easier to do your banking digitally. Read on for an overview of the latest enhancements. Please note: If you don’t have automatic updates enabled on your mobile device, be sure to update the SELCO...

Financial Wellness Planning: Reviewing and Tweaking

Step 10 of 10 Steps to Financial Wellness The foundation is set for your path toward financial wellness. The key now is to not get complacent. Take each step intentionally, adjust your plan when needed, and stay true to your vision. Here’s a quick overview of what brought us here: Step 1: Tracking your spending Are you regularly tracking your...

Financial Wellness Planning: Start Investing for Retirement

Step 9 of 10 Steps to Financial Wellness You’re now ready to start saving—and growing that savings—for a comfortable retirement. And the longer you allow your savings to grow, the bigger your nest egg will be when it’s time to cash in on your funds. In other words, the earlier you can start saving, the better. For step 9 of your financial wellne...

Financial Wellness Planning: Building and Maintaining an Excellent Credit Score

Step 8 of 10 Steps to Financial Wellness Establishing and maintaining a healthy score is a crucial part of financial wellness. What’s a healthy number? Most lenders consider 670–739 to be an indication of stability and reliability. As such, benefits of such a score include: Better interest rates on credit cards and loans. Improved chances of...

Financial Wellness Planning: Knowing When and How to Indulge

Step 7 of 10 Steps to Financial Wellness At this point in your financial fitness journey, you might be wondering if it has all become a little too restrictive. You’re saving whenever you can, you’re mindful about your spending, and you’re sticking to your budget. But what if you want to cut loose once in a while? Living a life of true financial...

Financial Wellness Planning: Paying Yourself First

Step 6 of 10 Steps to Financial Wellness Every ounce of work you’re putting into earning, budgeting, saving, and investing helps you “look out for number 1.” And you’ll want to stay on this path by learning how to “pay yourself first” by prioritizing your personal savings above other discretionary expenses. For step 6 of your financial wellness...

Financial Wellness Planning: Practicing Mindful Spending

Step 5 of 10 Steps to Financial Wellness In this day and age, every impulse buy is just a swipe or tap away, making it more challenging than ever to rein in your spending. You may not be able to avoid spontaneous purchases completely (nor should you), but you can prevent an occasional indulgence from becoming a bad habit. For step 5 of your...

Financial Wellness Planning: Having the Money Talk with Your Partner

Step 4 of 10 Steps to Financial Wellness Your spending and budget are on track and a debt-elimination plan is in place. So, what’s next? It probably isn’t high on anyone’s list, but now’s the time to have a serious talk with your partner about money. If one of you is from Venus and the other from Mars (financially speaking), this conversation...