Credit & Coffee

All the glitz, glamour, gatherings and good tidings over the holidays can easily make you forget your disposable income has limits.Who wants to think about overspending when the jingle bells are rocking, the mistletoe is beckoning, peace and goodwill to men abound and the gifts are flowing like sweet, rich hot chocolate?As long as you plan ahead, you should be able to enjoy your fair share of the season’s best offerings without experiencing buyer’s remorse once credit card statements make their appearance. Listen in to learn the 5 tips that can keep your celebrations merry but manageable.

If you’re part of Gen Z, you’ve probably heard enough of grumpy Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials grumbling about how lazy the kids are these days or how the younger generation doesn’t have a work ethic or has a sense of entitlement.Yes, it’s true the older generations, who grew up at a time when college cost a fraction of what it costs today and renting an apartment in the cool part of the city didn’t drain two paychecks, love to talk about how easy young people have it.With rising home prices and huge student loans, it can be hard for Gen Zs to get a financial foothold in this world. However, credit is widely available, and if used wisely, can be a tremendous help.  Listen in to learn 5 biggest mistakes others have made, so you can avoid them.

Owning a home is the cornerstone of the American dream. There’s nothing like having a permanent plot of land you can call your own.But, if you’ve hit a rough patch with your credit score, this dream might feel like it’s out of reach. However, finding a suitable mortgage with a “less than perfect” credit score is still possible.  Listen in to learn how. 

If you’re a tween or teen trying to earn money or save for a goal, it can be hard to sort out the mixed messages about money you hear from the media, your friends — and even your family. Sometimes parents don’t like talking about money matters, or they may not always practice what they preach.How can you be smart about your own money?  It's never too soon to teach yourself effective money management skills that will serve your future.  Listen in to learn 5 ways to build good money habits. 

One of the most significant developments to hit consumer pocketbooks is the requirement that they begin repaying federal student loans after payments were deferred during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way of providing financial relief.  Payments and interest on Federal Student Loans re-started on September 1, 2023. The Biden Administration has also introduced a number of programs aimed at helping consumers make these payments. In some cases, these programs change the payment amount due in order for it to be less burdensome on a person or family’s monthly budget.Listen in to learn more about the top 10 student loan questions and answers.  

Credit scores have become a ubiquitous and valuable component of lending and borrowing.  They revolutionized underwriting by streamlining the process and permitting centralized lending, where a policy can be deployed with ease across a bank’s entire network of branches. But the one question that lenders that use scores, or consumers who are trying to improve theirs rarely asked is, “What is a credit score actually designed to do?”Listen in to learn more.

Are you “invisible” when it comes to getting the credit you need?According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) there are approximately 45 million people in the U.S. who can’t get the credit needed advance their lives. These people are disproportionately from minority groups and are often people living in low-income neighborhoods with few banking services.  But there is good news. Establishing and maintaining credit is possible, even if you don’t have it now.  Listen in to learn more.