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

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Financial Basics Get off on the right foot with the right financial tools. 13 Topics

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Best Personal Loan Rates in North Carolina If you live in North Carolina and are looking for a personal loan, your local First Bank can help. We have over 100 locations in North Carolina that offer highly competitive personal loan rates. We make choosing a personal loan easy with flexible terms and personalized service. Personal Loans from First Bank Just as personal loan rates can vary, so can the options associated with the loan. First Bank is proud to offer a variety of personal loan options with competitive rates, such as: Personal line of credit Home equity lines of credit (HELOC) Personal credit card with rewards Auto loan Boat loans Learn more about First Bank’s personal loan options. How are Personal Loan Rates Determined? As you shop around for the best personal loan rates in North Carolina, you might begin to wonder why the rates can vary from one place to the next. So what gives? As illustrated by Loan.com, there are four primary factors that affect personal loan rates. In North Carolina, there are scores of First Bank locations that offer personal loans so your options are plentiful. Here are three things that affect personal loan rates. Credit score. Simply put, the better your credit score, the better personal loan rate you are likely to get. Loan options. There are a number of different types of personal loans and each come with their own factors of interest rates. National prime rate. Set by the Federal Reserve to control the supply of money in the economy, this rate can have a direct affect on your personal loan rate. The best way to find the most competitive personal loan rates with some of the most flexible loan options is to simply locate your nearest First Bank and speak to one of our friendly loan representatives. Loans subject to credit approval. 2 min read

5 Tips for Safely Managing Your Finances Online Online banking is not completely without risk. Here are a few simple tips to help you safely manage your finances online. 2 min read

How To Make A Budget The best way to save money and gain control over your finances is to make a budget. Follow these simple steps to make a budget that will save you money and bring you peace of mind about your spending. Making a Budget People often set their budgets according to a monthly schedule because most living expenses are based on monthly billing cycles. As such, it won’t hurt to spend one full month making your budget. That way you’ll come up with the most accurate data possible. Record All Your Expenses Keep track of everything you pay each month. This includes: Rent/mortgage Car payments Car warranty Utility bills Student loans Cell phone bill Gas Groceries Insurance (car, health, or any other type) Home warranty Memberships to gyms or clubs Charitable donations Many of your monthly expenses are fixed amounts. But others, such as gas and groceries, will fluctuate from one month to the next. Round slightly up for these as it’s better to come up a little short of the intended number than to go over it. Also, some payments such as car insurance might be quarterly or yearly. Figure out how much it equates to per month and factor the payment in that way. Record Your Income The next step is to tally up how much money you’re bringing in each month. If you have a job that pays hourly or by commission and each paycheck varies a little, round slightly down. It’s better to bring in a little more money than what you intended as opposed to coming up short. Do the Math Now that you know what’s going out and what’s coming in, do the math to determine how much is left over. If the difference is positive (you’re making more than you spend): Great! You have extra money that can be put in a savings account, vacation account, or to be used for fun spending money. Or, use it to chip away at those student loans or car payments. Remember, the faster you pay those off, the less you’ll spend in interest in the long run. If the difference is negative (you’re spending more than you make): You’re operating in debt and the sooner you can curb the momentum, 4 min read

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New Construction vs. Existing Home: Points to Ponder if you’re weighing the pros and cons of buying a new versus an existing home, you won’t make a decision based on aggregate data. You’ll be comparing specific options. Here are some factors to consider. 3 min read

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