Education Articles

Signs You Might Be Living Beyond Your Means

In an age of plastic spending and mobile payments, living within  your means can easily slide into living  beyond  your means. And many of us fall into this trap without realizing it. Getting out of this trap can be “easier said than done,” said Nick Manley, Financial Advisor for SELCO Investment & Retirement Services. “Living within your means...

Demystifying Mortgage Terms, Part II

Now that some of the  common loan-approval terms  are embedded in your brain, it’s time to explore other head-scratchers that come up over the life of a mortgage. The following is a short list of terms describing anything from mortgage insurance to the various types of loans. By the time you wade through this list, you’ll be good and ready to bu...

Demystifying Mortgage Terms, Part I

Here’s an understatement: The financial industry is full of confusing terms. The mortgage world, especially, is saturated with head-scratching  words and acronyms . What’s an LTV, for example? You’d be forgiven if your first thought went to some sort of off-road vehicle. If you’re buying a home for the first time, a lot of terms will be thrown a...

Looking to Consolidate Debt? Try a HELOC.

What would you rather have—several hundred dollars in monthly payments spread across all your credit cards or one smaller payment over a set number of years? If you’re a homeowner, a home equity line of credit (HELOC) may be what you need to reel in that pesky debt. Aside from being fun to say, a HELOC (hee-lock) can be more than just a means of...

5 Steps to Getting a Small Business Loan

If it’s time for your startup to start going up, a small-business loan may just be what you need. The process of applying for a small-business loan can be confusing, but we’re here to help guide you through the process. Below are five manageable steps to securing funding for your business needs—whether that’s for expansion or handling the...

Crypto May Be Hot, But These Investment Options Are Safer

If you haven’t heard, cryptocurrency is the flavor of the month in the investment world. More than 20 million Americans own some form of  cryptocurrency . With Bitcoin leading the way, the  global market capitalization  of crypto is hovering around $2 trillion. El Salvador became the first country to  adopt Bitcoin as legal tender . Crypto was...

SELCO Digital Access: Secure, Quick, and Simple

Now's the time to take advantage of SELCO Digital Banking. SELCO offers numerous user-friendly, one-stop-shop tools for securely managing your accounts without leaving the house. In fact, our online and mobile resources are like a virtual branch—you can do most everything online that you’re accustomed to at a branch. It's more important than eve...

5 Misconceptions About CDs

A certificate of deposit (CD), similar to a certificate at credit unions, is a safe way to invest money for a fixed period of time at a specified interest rate. There’s a lot CDs have to offer (and not only for those with money to burn). Interest rates have been on the rise as of late, so there’s no time like now to consider this investment...

Planning Your Spending for the Holidays

The holiday season may be joyous for most, but it is still a stressful time for many of us. To no one’s surprise, much of the anxiety is caused by the sheer expense of the holidays. Gift-giving, entertaining, attending celebrations, decorating the house in cheer, and traveling to spend the season with family and friends all make the season...

Fall: The Sleeper Season for Home Buying

The real estate market is typically a frenzy of activity from April to September. The weather is ideal for sellers to put their homes up for sale and buyers to look at them. Families tend to relocate during the summer months as they change jobs while getting their children settled before the upcoming fall school term. That’s what happens in a...