Family Financial Planning

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Major Life Events Big life events don’t have to mean big financial headaches. 13 Topics

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Identity Protection Safeguard your identity and your financial future. 6 Topics

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Calculate your Balance Transfer If your current credit card isn’t meeting all of your needs, consider switching to a First Bank credit card. First Bank now offers the option to transfer your balance from your current credit cards to a First Bank credit card with no fee.* We even have a balance transfer calculator on our website so you can find out exactly how much money you will save by switching to a First Bank card. Save Money with a First Bank Card First Bank’s MasterCard credit cards feature awesome benefits such as: Rewards for making every day and monthly purchases.* Credit card access benefits like online customer service and 24-hour access. Security benefits like zero liability and ID theft resolution. Convenience benefits like a 26-day grace period and MasterCard Global Service®. Shopping benefits like price protection and extended warranty. With a First Bank credit card you can: Consolidate all your debt on to one card, with one easy payment. Save money when you transfer the funds from your old card to your First Bank MasterCard. Avoid the fee other credit card companies charge for each balance transfer. Calculate Your Savings Whether you are a current First Bank customer or a customer of another financial institution, you can save money by transferring your credit card balance to our First Bank MasterCard. We offer MasterCard credit cards for qualifying individuals and business owners. You can even use our balance transfer calculator to calculate just how much money you will be saving by transferring your credit card balance to a First Bank card. All you have to do is input your current credit card balances and rates, and we’ll tell you your new cost per month and your savings per month. *Credit applications are subject to credit approval. See our Disclosure Summary for complete details on rates and fees. ——— Sources: Nolo: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-credit-card-grace-period.html Investopedia: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/z/zero-liability-policy.asp Mastercard: https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/consumers/payment-technologies/id-theft-protection.html Mastercard: http://www.mastercard.com/sea/consumer/global-services.html 2 min read

Money and Marriage: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly A marriage merges 2 hearts, 2 lifestyles, and in some cases, 2 bank accounts. Expert opinions vary on whether couples should maintain separate accounts or combine their finances. Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of each option. 6 min read

First Bank Loans Between banks and online lenders, you have a lot of options to choose from when you need a loan. But not all loans are created equal, and First Bank loans are a step above the rest. If you are in need of a loan, visit your local First Bank. We offer a variety of loan options, from personal loans to mortgage loans, with highly competitive rates. Loans Available at First Bank First Bank loans come in a variety of forms, each with competitive rates and flexible terms: Personal loans. Gain instant borrowing power with a personal credit line or use the equity in your home to secure a home equity loan. Business loans. Use a credit line, lump-sum business loan, or construction loan to finance your business. Credit cards. Take advantage of no annual fees and competitive interest rates to complete personal or business transactions today and pay for them tomorrow. Mortgages. Conventional, government, jumbo, commercial, and professional loans are all possible with a First Bank loan. Applying for a First Bank Loan Applying for a loan is simple with First Bank. For a business loan, talk to one our experts during a small business financial consultation. An application for a mortgage loan can be filled out online. For personal loans or credit cards, just contact your nearest First Bank and speak to one of our associates. Whether it’s building a business or moving into your dream home, a First Bank loan can help you with some of life’s biggest purchases. Loans subject to credit approval. ——— Sources: Investopedia: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/overdraft-protection.asp?ad=dirN&qo=investopediaSiteSearch&qsrc=0&o=40186 Investopedia: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/interest.asp?ad=dirN&qo=investopediaSiteSearch&qsrc=0&o=40186 2 min read

Tips to Freshen up Your Budget First Bank Clients: Are you using your MyMoney tools in online banking? MyMoney Manage your budget, track your spending, and modify your debt payback plan - all from your First Bank online banking account. Learn how Start with your (e)mail. Do you have a system for keeping your mail organized and sorted? Credit card and loan statements, bank statements, bills, and receipts can pile up quickly. An organized mail area in your home is the first step in keeping track of your bills and expenses. Bring that cleaning momentum into your email inbox and organize your e-statements too. If your email inbox is piling up, it might be time to clean it out. Here are a few email cleaning suggestions. Tally up your monthly expenses. You can use paper and a pencil, a spreadsheet, or budgeting software. Choose a method you are most comfortable with and get started. If you search for budgeting templates in Google, you’ll find a seemingly endless number of options. A template similar to this option from Microsoft is a good starting point for logging your expenses in a spreadsheet. Check in with your automatic and recurring transactions. Many utility providers, subscription services, and credit cards offer automatic payment options. Autopay enrollment is a great way to ensure you won’t miss a payment, but it can become easy to lose track of where your money is being spent. If you like the convenience of automatic payments but want to keep a better eye on those transactions, consider enrolling in Bill Pay. At First Bank, our Bill Pay system allows you to manage all of your payments from one place. Learn more about First Bank Bill Pay here. Predict your variable expenses. Examples of variable expenses are food, gas, clothing, pet care, prescriptions, etc. that change each month. These are more difficult to pin down, but there are a number of ways to do it. You can either look into the past and add up expenses from each spending category, or you can track those expenses moving forward in real time. Whichever your preference, having a strong understanding of how much you should be spending on non-fixed expenses each month will give you a more accurate picture of your discretionary spending. For a list of common personal budgeting categories, click here. Refine your debt repayment and savings goals. It’s hard to choose between prioritizing debt repayment or saving for the future. While you want to avoid paying unnecessary interest and penalties on your debts, it’s also important to have an emergency savings fund so that you’re less likely to incur more debt when unexpected expenses arise. Many experts recommend having enough saved to cover 3-6 months of expenses. First Bank offers a number of savings account options so that you can keep that money separate from your checking account. Did you know that First Bank credit cards offer $0 balance transfer fees? Here is a helpful calculator to see if a First Bank credit card is right for you. If you’re struggling with making your debt payments, you’re not alone. Our bankers understand that circumstances can be tough and everyone has a different financial story. We want you to feel comfortable talking about you finances and confident in creating a successful path forward. Please reach out to your local First Bank and we’ll do what we can to help you get back on track. Use your discretion. With recent cost of living increases, your typical discretionary expenses are most likely also increasing and could be throwing off your budget. Depending on your debt and savings goals, you might want to readjust your discretionary spending to allocate more for debt payments and savings deposits. MyMoney: Your First Bank Advantage If you’re a First Bank client, log in to your online banking account and explore the Financial Tools section (also known as MyMoney). This service will create a budget snapshot for you. To ensure accuracy, you’ll want to link all of your active banking accounts and customize your spending categories. Find MyMoney instructions here. One of our favorite ways to use MyMoney is to select the ‘Trends’ tab and view your monthly trends by category. You’ll have a nice breakdown of each expense category with the amount spent shown per month. 4 min read

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