Financial Education

Helpful, easy-to-understand articles to guide your financial wellness journey at every stage.

Categories

Dear 3Rivers: How Important is My Credit Rating, Really?

Essentially what your credit score tells lenders, landlords, and dealerships is whether or not you’ll be a monetary risk to them – whether you’ll be able to pay back your debt to them on time, or at all. While a low credit score might not stop them from letting you borrow money or lease from them, it will very likely cause them to raise the rate of interest you’ll owe for their own security, as opposed to someone with a better credit score.

Date:

BlogCategories Credit Score
3 Rivers OG image

Money Minutes: Line of Credit

A line of credit is an "arrangement between a financial institution . . . and a customer that establishes a maximum loan balance that the [financial institution] will permit the borrower to maintain.

Date:

Personal Finance

Christmas in July: 5 Steps to Paying Off Holiday Debt

So, you saved up, created a holiday budget, given affordable gifts, and celebrated the season frugally, but you still ended up with far more holiday debt than you'd like. It's no fun to kick off a New Year with financial stress and feeling totally broke. Here are some ways you can get rid of that December debt as quickly as possible.

Date:

Debt Management
3 Rivers OG image

Christmas in July: 20 DIY Holiday Gift Ideas Under $20

Once you've come up with a holiday-focused savings plan and created a holiday budget, it's time to start thinking about gift-giving. While you'll likely make several purchases in-store and online for your loved ones, DIY gifts are becoming increasingly common, and really do feel a little more special (to give and to receive!)

Date:

Personal Finance

Christmas in July: How to Create a Holiday Budget + Stick to It

Preparing yourself to get through the holiday season without going deeply in debt can be done. Start thinking about these steps (and acting on them ASAP) and you'll come back home from holiday shopping madness with a little more leftover in your wallet!

Date:

Personal Finance

Christmas in July: Save $1,000 by December

It might seem a little early to be thinking about the holidays, but once the first of December rolls around and you're scrambling to decorate, think of unique gift ideas, and round up the money to pay for those many, many holiday expenses, you'll be muttering, "I wish I would have started all of this months ago."

Date:

Personal Finance Checking & Savings

Student Life: The REAL Cost of a Student Loan

The average American who takes out student loans will have accumulated just over $24,000 in debt by the time they graduate. However, that is not the amount they will be paying back to the financial institution that they borrowed it from over those 5-25 years of repayment. The real cost of a student loan can be complex and difficult to grasp, but I am here to try and break that down for you today.

Date:

Student Loans