Teach Teens to Save: Banking Tips For A Financial Future

We know learning may look a little different these days, so we’ve put together a guide to help boost your teen’s knowledge of banking.

In this guide, you and your teen will find information on:

Working their way around a check – Yes, they still exist!
Setting up a financial future – Start sooner than later.
Life hacks on saving time and money – Who wouldn’t want that?

Get your teen thinking about their financial future, and download this free guide today!

For additional resources, check out these interactive courses on Starting Out, Financial Basics, and Paying for College.

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Calculate Your Monthly Mortgage Loan Payment (with Taxes and Insurance) A mortgage loan calculator with taxes and insurance can help prospective homeowners prepare for the financial responsibility of owning a home. Purchasing a home may be one of the biggest decisions you ever make, so it is important to know how much your mortgage payment will be each month after taxes and insurance are added, so you can know how much house you can afford. How Much House Can I Afford? First Bank* provides a mortgage loan calculator with taxes and insurance for potential homebuyers who want to estimate their monthly payments before applying for a loan. Before you use the calculator, you will need to gather the following information: Loan term in years Purchase price Percentage down Interest rate Annual tax Annual insurance Once you have all of the necessary information, you can click here to calculate your potential monthly mortgage payment.** Applying for a Home Loan Now that you’ve calculated how much house you can afford, you may be ready to apply for a mortgage loan. You can get the homebuying process started by visiting First Bank’s online Mortgage Center. Our Mortgage Center provides you with tools, tips, and tricks to help you find a loan that meets all of your needs. Whether you are a first-time home buyer or ready to build your vacation home, we can structure a loan to meet your needs. First Bank offers a variety of home loan options*** with competitive interest rates, including : Conventional loans Government loans Professional loans Jumbo loans Construction loans Dream It, Own It loans The path to quickly finding an affordable home loan starts at First Bank. When you’re ready to apply, all you have to do is start an online application or visit your local branch to speak with one of our home loan experts. *Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. NMLS #474504. **Determining exact rates and payments can be a complex process. Your exact rates and payment amounts will depend on a number of factors including geographical location and personal financial information. This tool provides you with an estimate of payments based on the information you put in but does not guarantee them. Loans are subject to credit and collateral approval. ***Loans subject to credit approval. 2 min read

The Right Age to Buy a House Although buying a house for the first time is a big decision, it turns out there is no perfect age to do it. When it comes to taking the plunge, it’s more about individual readiness. 3 min read

Staying Safe from Tax Scams We received the following very handy and timely article from the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) in regards to staying safe during this season of numbers crunching and record keeping for taxes. As always, if you have any specific tax questions, be sure to consult a tax prep professional. Watch out for these scams Unfortunately, much of your personal information can be gathered from multiple locations online with almost no verification that the right person is receiving the information. Criminals know this and use the information to file a fake tax refund request! If a criminal files a tax return in your name before you do, they will file it with false information to get a large refund, forcing you to go through the arduous process of proving that you did not file the return and subsequently correcting the return. Once they have your personal information, criminals can continue to commit identity theft well beyond the tax season. Another favorite technique used by criminals during the tax season is sending phishing messages indicating that a new copy of your tax form(s) is available. These emails often impersonate state, local, tribal, and territorial government comptroller or IT departments. If you fill out or attempt to login into the phishing website, the criminals will be able to see your login name and password, which they can then use to try and compromise your other accounts. The more information they gather from you, the easier it is for them to use the information to file a fake tax return in your name. Lastly, tax fraudsters also impersonate the IRS and other tax officials to threaten taxpayers with penalties if they do not make an immediate payment. It is important to remember: The IRS will not initiate contact about payment with taxpayers by phone, email, text messages, or social media without sending an official letter in the mail first. The IRS will not call to demand immediate payment over the phone using a specific payment method such as a debit/credit card, a prepaid card, a gift card, or a wire transfer. The IRS will not threaten to immediately notify local police or other law-enforcement agencies to have you arrested for not paying. 4 min read

Refinance Your Mortgage with These 5 Tips Over time, the mortgage market fluctuates and creates new opportunities for homeowners to revise the terms of their mortgage. This is known as refinancing. When refinanced, a mortgage can include lower interest rates, home equity credit, and a restructured loan duration. Homeowners will refinance for many reasons: to get a cash out, to buy out someone on the title, to consolidate their debt, for a low-rate bridge loan, and more. Test out this Refinance Mortgage Calculator, and then see if the following tips can save you time and money in your search for the perfect home loan. 5 Tips to Refinance Your Mortgage Lock in a Cost-Efficient Rate. Ultimately, it is a good idea to lower your monthly payment and re-structure the length of time it will take to pay off your loan. If you are purely looking for a lower rate, according to the Federal Reserve Board, the interest on the mortgage needs to be 1-2% lower than their current mortgage loan rate. Keep in mind that a lower rate isn’t always possible during a refinance, depending on your reason for doing the new loan. Evaluate the Terms. When it comes to mortgage refinancing, you should always read the fine print. Some lenders may offer lower rates, but with much longer terms. To determine if a loan is worthwhile compared to your current mortgage, multiply what you are currently paying (principle with interest, but not escrow) by the number of months left. Do the same for the refinance option and compare to determine if it is a good fit. Consider the Benefits of a New Type of Mortgage. If you are looking to refinance your mortgage, a great tip is to check out the variety of loan types lenders offer. Each may have advantages and disadvantages, and one may be a better fit for your situation. For example, if your financial assets have grown or changed, you may benefit from switching to an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) or a fixed-rate mortgage (FRM), depending on your unique needs. Don’t forget about property taxes and escrow accounts, which can also significantly impact your monthly payment amount. Shop Around. The financially savvy homeowner is aware of the many options available for mortgage refinancing. Ask a lot of questions. 3 min read

Teach Teens to Save: Banking Tips For A Financial Future

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