It’s that time of year again! The holidays are fast approaching, and that means it is shopping season for you AND identity thieves. The modern-day Scrooge is waiting to strike. Are you prepared? Here at United Bank, we offer customers Credit Monitoring and Identity Theft Restoration Services through ID TheftSmart.

We've all heard it...Give up your lattes. Cut up your credit cards. Save 12% of your income. These are the types of tips and tricks to get you on a path to good financial health, right? But not many of these "easy" suggestions seem to be really effective for most people. Why do you think that is?

How many times have you been overwhelmed by your finances? It happens to all of us. However, there is a way to combat this stress: budgeting.

You might think a banker has all the financial answers and knowledge already, but the truth is...we don't. Just like with any industry, finance is always changing. That's why it's important to have resources we love, where we can learn new tips, tricks, hacks and best practices to share with our customers. The resources we're talking about here are all pretty focused on budgeting, saving, and personal finance. If you'd like to know what other resources we use for a different financial subject - let us know on our Facebook page!

Hi! I’m Casey. The Marketing Coordinator for United Bank. When I’m not at the bank or writing blog posts, you’ll typically find me in my car or at my home listening to a podcast or audiobook. Self-development and true crime are my topics of choice (I know that’s an oddcombination).

What could possibly be more exciting than creating an emergency fund? Well, training to run to work when your car breaks down would be more exciting, as would taking on a temp job as a dog walker if your company decides to downsize. When you’re ready for your life to be more stable and a bit less exciting when it comes to balance-shattering catastrophes, it might be time to bite the bullet and start that emergency fund after all.

I hate to carry cash. I don’t know why exactly. Maybe because trying to dig the exact amount of cash I need out of my wallet seems inefficient in the world of the debit card. So, when I started trying to find an easy way to budget my money and someone suggested that I use the cash envelope system, I cringed and immediately shot the idea down. 

Deciding to be more responsible with your money doesn’t have to mean creating a crazy strict budget or putting half your paycheck into savings. Create small goals that are easily achievable to improve your financial habits. Then, those small financial successes will help propel you forward to eventually setting and achieving larger financial goals in the future. 

Creating an emergency fund has a ton of benefits, most of which you’ve probably heard before… it reduces the amount of money you have to put on credit when you get hit with a big bill for an unexpected expense, it’s there in case you’re suddenly out of work, it gives you peace of mind... the list goes on. (I’ll link some articles to why you need an emergency fund here, here, and here.) But, when you’re living pretty paycheck to paycheck and have very little money to spare, how do you find money to put into savings? 

If you’re like most people, when you are considering a landmark purchase like a new home,
car or even a business, it is necessary to think first about taking out a loan. Applying for a loan can be confusing, especially if it is your first time. Knowing the factors that lenders take into account when considering your loan will help you understand and be better prepared to have your ducks in a row before turning in your application. Let’s take a closer look.