Summer is a time for fun and excitement, but it can also be super expensive. Summertime can be a season of major life changes like household moves and weddings; purchasing that boat you’ve been eyeing and let’s not forget those dream vacations! Before you start swiping the plastic for everything under the sun, Belco Community CU recommends considering a personal loan to stay within your budget. At, Belco Community CU, the application process is smooth and quick, and, as a member, you don’t need flawless credit to qualify for a great rate. We also offer fantastic terms, with interest rates on loan payments. When you use a personal loan instead… read more »

Q: I need to get some money together in a hurry. Help! What can I do? A: There’ll always be times in your adult life when you find yourself in need of a sizable amount of money without enough savings on hand. Maybe you’re drowning in debt, or you just spent some time in the hospital, or your car started to breathe fire. Whatever the case, you need that money pretty quickly. For times like these, consider a personal loan. A personal loan is a loan of any amount of money, typically ranging from $1,000 to more than $50,000, which is not secured with collateral — that is, there’s no… read more »

Q: The last few months have been really tough on my finances, and I’ve been forced to use my savings for getting by. My emergency fund and savings account are basically zero. Now that my financial situation is starting to improve, I’d like to start building these up again, but it’s all so overwhelming. Where do I begin? A: Watching savings that took you years to build up disappear in just a few months can be disheartening, but it’s important to remember that you’ve made the right choice. Using emergency funds to survive prolonged unemployment, an unexpected large expense or a medical emergency is the best way to make it through a… read more »

If you’ve been paying off your current mortgage for a while, it may be a good idea to refinance. By refinancing, you pay off your current loan and replace it with one that (ideally) has more favorable terms. However, it’s important to know whether it’s worth it to refinance your mortgage. During refinancing, you’ll go through the entire application and approval process over again, so it should at least balance out the costs in the end. The Best Times To Refinance A Mortgage Typically, the best times to refinance a mortgage are those that will net you large savings over the life of the loan. These circumstances include: Market rates… read more »

Purchasing your first home can feel like a rite of passage. It’s a part of the American dream that you might have always imagined as part of your future, so once you’re ready to make it a reality, you want to do it right.  There’s a lot that goes into buying a home, whether it’s your first, or you just haven’t owned a home in a while, but having the best resources and information will help you have a successful experience.  You can use this First Time Home Buyer Guide to help you through the process of purchasing your first home. Who is a First Time Home Buyer? When you… read more »

As the coronavirus continues spreading across the country in waves and peaks, every state is making bold moves toward reopening under a strange new set of circumstances dubbed the “New Normal.” Face coverings are de rigueur. Floor markings have been slapped down exactly 6 feet apart near checkout counters in retail stores. Shoppers are weary, cautious and careful. And, as the country moves forward and adapts to the new realities, scammers aren’t far behind. Watch out for these trending scams as the country reopens: Account Takeovers Even as retailers work toward reopening, shorter hours and percentage-capacity rules mean many consumers are still shopping remotely. Retailers are also busier than ever… read more »