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Family Financial Planning Bring the family together to talk about a financial plan. 7 Topics

Financial Caregiving Learn what you should know about handling another person’s finances. 6 Topics

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What Are All These Fees? You expected that buying a home would mean paying principal, home insurance, taxes, interest, and maybe mortgage insurance. But what are all these other fees you’re getting hit with on closing day? 3 min read

Basics of Estate Planning Planning for your future? You don’t have to do it alone. We talked to wealth management expert Russell Sugg to understand, at a high level, how to think about an estate plan. 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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Ways to protect yourself against check fraud Check fraud is on the rise. Here’s what you can do. These days fraud is everywhere, and fraudster methods are always evolving. A growing number of methods are targeting your checkbook. Did you know that checks are now one of the least secure forms of payment? Criminals are combining old-school methods of theft with readily available technology to steal checks, impersonate account holders, and sell to the black market. Arm yourself with the knowledge to protect your identity and checking account. How is check fraud committed? Lifting ink: Lifting ink from a check, or “check washing”, can be done using chemicals as readily available as nail polish remover. Criminals can remove your intended payee’s information and replace it with theirs while also increasing the dollar amount. They then deposit the fraudulent check into their account. Targeting mailboxes: Once mail is stolen from a residential mailbox or a USPS blue box, criminals sift in search of checks that can be washed and forged. The frequency of mail theft is directly correlated to the spike in check fraud. Selling check images on the dark web: There is a growing network of darknets and encrypted communication platforms that criminals use to sell check images. Criminals can use the personal information from your check and your banking information to commit identity theft scams. Consider these check-writing alternatives and services. If you can, try to avoid placing checks in the mail. First Bank offers a number of alternative options for mailing checks like BillPay, Zelle, External Transfer services, and more. Bill Pay: This free service lets you avoid the hassle of writing checks or visiting multiple websites to stay on top of your payments. See how convenient it is to manage your payments from one place. External Transfers: For those who support their kids in college or if you’re constantly writing checks between your First Bank account and one at another bank, First Bank’s External Transfer option makes it quick and easy to securely transfer funds. If you own both accounts, learn how to set up a transfer here. Zelle®1 : In your First Bank mobile app, you have access to Zelle®, a fast, safe, and easy method to send money directly from your bank 4 min read

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