Saving money can be difficult. It’s easy to have self-control at home, when you’re setting up your budget, but it can be much trickier to have that same self-control when you want to grab dinner out after a long day. Or maybe you see a sale on sneakers and your old ones are just getting so ratty and you think you’d definitely exercise more if you had good sneakers. And just look at them, they’re amazing!
3 min read
Year-End Retirement Savings Strategies
Whether your retirement unfolds as a beautiful dream or a scary nightmare depends largely on the financial decisions you make today. But if retirement planning is brand-new to you, you're not alone. The average working household has very little cash saved for retirement and about 45% of working-age households have no retirement savings at all, according to the National Institute on Retirement Security. However, you still have time this year to start building a retirement fund and gain a tax advantage in the process.
Topics: Retirement Savings
1 min read
Saving Up a Down Payment
Tips for Saving up a Down Payment for a Home
As you’re doing your research into what it takes to become a successful homebuyer, you’re likely starting to realize how big of an impact the down payment has on the home loan process. In addition to the down payment, you also have to consider closing costs and other fees you may not have anticipated. To bring yourself a few steps closer to your dream of becoming a homeowner, check out some tips for saving up your down payment.
Open a Down Payment Savings Account
Start a savings account with Wasatch Peaks Credit Union specifically for your down payment. Opening an account at Wasatch Peaks makes it easier for you to transfer funds back and forth from your checking account. Having a separate account for your down payment also means there’s less chance of you accidentally spending the money in that account.
Start a Budget
If you don’t already have a budget, now is a great time to change that. Budgeting lets you know how much money you make in a month and how you’re spending that income. Once you make a spreadsheet of your income and expenses, try to see if there are any areas where you can tighten up your spending so you have more money to funnel into your down payment account.
Check Out Your Interest Rates
Before you start applying for easy home loans, take a look at your current interest rates for your credit cards, car payment and other banking accounts. If you make on-time and complete payments, call up your credit company or lender and see if there’s any way they’d be willing to lower your interest rate. You can also see if you can refinance your auto loan to a lower interest rate. The money you save can be used to build your down payment.
Saving up your down payment doesn’t have to be a complicated task. Use these tips and other smart saving methods to reduce the cost of your home loan.
