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Looking for ways to protect your identity? Two options to consider are fraud alerts and credit freezes. But what’s the difference? A fraud alert makes companies verify your identity before granting new credit in your name. Usually, that means calling you to check if you’re really trying to open a new account. Placing a fraud alert is easy – you contact any one of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and that one must notify the other...

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When it comes to creating your budget for the year, a vacation allowance is not typically considered an important expense. But maybe it should be, especially if you have little ones in your household. Planning and saving for a vacation is a great way not only to create life-long memories but also give your children the tools to learn how to create a budget and instill saving at a young age. Where do you start? The most important lesson you can teach your children is conceptualizing money and...

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Last year, the ‘ghost’ tax preparer scam was the newest attempt to hoodwink taxpayers into paying con-artists instead of the IRS. When tax season approaches, most individuals are looking to bring home their tax return. Sometimes, we get overzealous and turn a blind eye to scams hoping that they’ll increase the size of our refund. To make sure you don’t fall victim to a tax scam this year, here are some easy tips: Keep yourself educated Knowing exactly how scammers are...

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It’s 2020, so this should be the year that provides clarity for you to look at your personal finances with an eagle eye. Be honest with yourself, did the holidays cause you to go into debt? Because it’s a new start to the year, we want you to start the year strong and achieve financial stability before next December. Untangle yourself from all the debt you’ve accumulated over the years with these simple tips: Cut up your credit cards immediately The fourth biggest cause of...

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Gift-giving during the holiday season can be overwhelming. We often consider this the single chance we have during the year to spoil our loved ones and remind them of how special they are to us. Before you know it, your holiday gift list goes beyond one page and you’re spending a small fortune – just because. In order to stay on track this holiday season, here are three mistakes that many fall victim to amidst the holiday hype. Not setting a holiday budget Did you sit down this...

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Holiday season is quickly approaching, which means that your pocketbook is going to feel strained these next couple of months. In fact, financial experts anticipate that holidays sales, purchases made between November 1 until December 31, will rise this year to more than $730 billion. This is nearly a $3 billion increase from the year before, according to the National Retail Federation. With a large percentage of your earnings being spent on family dinners and gifts for loved ones, it’s important...

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As we think about Halloween costumes and trick-or-treaters, Falcon National Bank is focusing on the “treats” that set community banks apart and keep customers coming back for more. Here are a few reasons we stand out in the community: Personal Service When you bank locally, you get a sense that you are a part of a family. We know you by name and can offer more personalization in the services we offer. Community banks traditionally have lower rates of turnover, which means you are...

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Credit is important for pretty much all facets of adult life. Credit can be impacted by a number of different things. If you’ve been turned down for credit or you’re looking to buy a house, credit is pretty important. It could be that you just don’t have enough of it or maybe you made some poor financial decisions. Poor credit can be embarrassing, stressful, and expensive. In fact, poor credit can actually cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest over time on a mortgage....

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If you’re considering building your dream home instead of purchasing an existing house, you’ll need financing. The whole thing can be confusing and more than a little intimidating. Do you need a mortgage? A personal loan? It’s hard to know where to start. What’s tricky is that you’re asking for financing for something that doesn’t actually exist yet. It requires something different than a traditional mortgage. Trying to find land, a builder, and all the other...

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Did you know… The average FICO score in America is 695 and the average Vantage score stands at 673. [source] Less than 1% of the population has a perfect credit score of 850. [source] Only 41% of Americans understand that a credit score measures your risk of not paying a loan, according to a joint survey from the Consumer Federation of America and VantageScore. Credit is important for pretty much all facets of adult life. Credit can be impacted by a number of different things....

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