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Personal Finances Articles

From personal finance to paying off debt, credit score insights, and more — you’ll find everyday financing basics here.

Learn About Everyday Finances

Understanding how to manage your money is the first step to financial health. To help our communities, we’ve compiled articles with helpful tips for stretching your hard-earned dollars further. For a deeper dive on financial topics below, you can also check out our financial wellness courses.

All Budgeting and Goals Credit: Score and More Family Finances Fending Off Fraud Invest, Invest, Invest Paying Off Debt Personal Finance 101 Homeownership Retirement Filing Your Taxes For Teens
Smartphone with First Bank's MyMoney app running in online banking. New Year, New Budget It’s a great time to make sure you have a solid budget in place and a good plan for how to move forward with your finances. 3 min read
Image for tile. Have You Heard of Smishing? It Sounds Ridiculous, But It’s a Real Threat Over the past year, there has been a huge increase in scammers using text messages to pose as banking institutions alerting you to possible fraud. This has been a wide-spread issue that has affected the banking industry, but we wanted to address it directly to make sure you have the tips and resources you need to stay safe. 4 min read
Infographic header financial wellness journey It’s Never Too Late to Start Your Financial Journey A little financial education can go a long way to help your employees manage their money and plan for the future. This infographic below, lays out some startling facts about why now is the time to boost financial savvy. 1 min read
Man holding baby smiling at camera Are You a Financial Wellness Wiz? Take our quick quiz to find out! Create your own user feedback survey If you got: 1-2 points: Good start! We’re here to talk you through the basics and to help you plan for the future. Also be sure to check out our free financial basics course. 3-4 points: Well done! You’ve got the basics down; but if you need help planning for a big purchase or life event, we can help. Start with our free course: Major Life Events. 5 points: Look at you go! Capitalize on all that great financial savvy with the right mix of tools and products you need for your plans. No matter your score, we’re committed to helping you achieve your dreams (big and small!). Visit your local branch today, or give us a call. Let’s start something amazing together. 2 min read
Image for tile. The Startling Cost of College There’s a startling financial truth for those enrolled in college and recent graduates: a higher education almost always comes with a significant price tag–and debt. Here, we take a look at the numbers. 1 min read
Image for tile. Why Having the Latest is the Greatest: Update Your Browser Today We’ve got a secret weapon in the fight against the fraudsters who are trying to steal the data off your computer or mobile phone: having an up-to-date web browser. 2 min read
Image for tile. Happy National Financial Literacy Month! April, like any month of the year, is the perfect time to take a look at your spending habits and build better behaviors to hit your long-term savings goals. But what makes this month especially ideal is that it’s National Financial Literacy Month! 1 min read
Pencil laying on 1040 tax form 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
lock and credit card Equifax Breach: FAQs and Resources A collection of helpful tips and FAQs in the wake of the Equifax breach. 3 min read
State of the Housing Market 4 Common Costs Of Renovating An Older Home You’re on the market for your first home, and a great deal comes across on an older home. You love the potential it has, but then a question comes to mind: how much will it cost to renovate this house? 5 min read
Image for tile. Hold That Line: Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud We asked our skilled team of fraud detection experts in the BankCard department for the best steps to follow if you receive an unexpected but somewhat convincing call about fraud on your card. 2 min read
Image for tile. How Your Healthy-Eating Resolution Saves Calories and Money To get tips on mindful eating and spending, we talked with Jessica Thiefels, a full-time blogger and ACE Certified Personal Trainer, as well as an NASM Certified Fitness Nutrition specialist and the owner of her own personal training business, Honest Body Fitness in San Diego. If you made a resolution to eat healthier this year and need a boost to keep going, get excited because it turns out you’ll save a lot more than a few extra calories. You Eat Out Less Often The top expense for most people is eating out. In fact, 2014 data reveals the average American spends $232 per month eating food prepared outside the house. When eating healthy, however, a restaurant is the worst place to be. With no idea of how much salt, butter, dairy, and oil goes into a dish, you could be eating double or triple the amount of fat you should have in one day. You soon come to realize that eating in is not only less stressful because you control the ingredients and portions, but that it’s saving you hundreds of dollars a month. Planned Eating Cuts Down on Food Expenses When eating healthy, it’s important to plan your meals and snacks in advance so that when your 3 pm craving rolls around, you can reach into your trusty stash of almonds nearby to avoid hunting for sweets instead. This healthy eating strategy helps you save at the grocery store. When you know what you need, you can buy just that. All too often we buy more than is necessary and end up tossing it. This is a nationwide problem, with 40% of food in the United States going uneaten. This means we throw away the equivalent of $165 billion dollars each year, according to the National Resources Defense Council. By planning your healthy meals for the week, you waste less and save more. Vegetables Are Versatile Vegetables are not only some of the cheapest items in the grocery store, but they can be used in so many ways. Save money and time by buying them when they’re fresh and freezing some for future meals, or by simply buying them frozen to begin with. “Frozen vegetables are a lifesaver and can 4 min read

Explore Courses to Grow Your Personal Finances

Illustration of car and house. Major Life Events Big life events don’t have to mean big financial headaches. 13 Topics
Illustration of books and money. Paying for College Study up on ways to pay for that diploma. 10 Topics
Illustration of a piggy bank and smart phone. Starting Out Take smarter first steps into personal banking. 5 Topics
Illustration of a piggy bank with an umbrella above it. Building Financial Resilience Learn how to bounce back from financial setbacks. 11 Topics
Illustration of password field, lock, and fingerprint. Identity Protection Safeguard your identity and your financial future. 6 Topics
Illustration of clipboard with charts, a credit card, and a calculator. Family Financial Planning Bring the family together to talk about a financial plan. 7 Topics
Illustration of charts and account notes. Financial Basics Get off on the right foot with the right financial tools. 13 Topics
Illustration of buildings and houses. Financial Caregiving Learn what you should know about handling another person’s finances. 6 Topics
First Bank personal credit card with rewards attached to a clipboard. Get rewarded for qualified everyday purchases View Credit Cards
Smartphones showing First Bank MyMoney financial charts. Discover the joy of financial clarity with MyMoney View Features
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