Home Buying 101

Becoming a homeowner for the first time is no easy task! You have probably heard horror stories from friends about overpaying or missing a crucial piece of information before committing to an offer. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for buying your first (or next) home, so you feel confident in the home you choose to buy! 

Most parents understand that they should teach their kids about money. Knowing where to start, on the other hand, is another story.

Fortunately, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently released a guide to help families raise money-smart kids. In it, the CFPB discusses practical ways to build and measure financial capability in children.

Here are a few important takeaways from the guide paired with our own tips for making your child financially capable:

It is the question that every household asks. What can I do to cut my monthly costs? And it is a great question! No one wants to spend unnecessary money when there are mouths to feed and basketball uniforms to pay for. While you can tighten the budget by setting strict guidelines for yourself, your experts here at American First Credit Union have a few more realistic ways to lower monthly bills. 

At first glance, planning meals ahead of time...

Think back to how you formed your financial habits. Did you learn everything you needed in school? From your parents? If you could go back and talk to your younger self, what financial pitfalls would you tell yourself to avoid? If you have children of your own, you may be wondering how and when to start teaching them smart financial habits like saving early and spending responsibly.

Younger kids enjoy the process of learning and earning rewards, while teens will be motivated to learn...

Tax time is just around the corner. Wouldn’t a big fat tax refund come in handy? Well, here are steps you can take now to boost your tax refund when you file after the first of the year.  

The standard deduction is $12,400, so it’s tempting to claim it rather than tracking down receipts and tax forms so you can itemize your deductions. But itemizing might be worth it if you are a homeowner with a sizeable mortgage, gave money and “stuff”...

What a year 2020 has been! New Year’s celebrations were barely over when the coronavirus turned things topsy-turvy. But one bright spot for 159 million people was the $1,200 Economic Impact Payment that appeared in their mailbox or checking account. 

If you didn’t receive a payment, you may be wondering, why? And if you did, you may be wondering, what’s the catch? American First is here to help put your mind at ease, so let’s tackle your questions, one by...

Besides the obvious positive of having constant access to your bank account on your very own device, online and mobile banking bring various benefits to the table. If you haven’t downloaded our mobile app yet, keep reading to find out why you should. 

Save yourself a trip by depositing checks from the comfort of your home. It’s an easy process! All you do is endorse the check...

According to IdentityForce.com, about 1 in 15 people were victims of identity fraud in 2019. As technology continues to grow, the risk will only get higher. That’s why protecting yourself from this kind of crime is more important now than ever! 

The first step in prevention is recognizing what identity theft is and why it’s dangerous. Identity theft is a crime in which an individual’s personal and/or financial...

When we called Dale M. to let him know that he was one of our lucky Big Prize Savers, he was thrilled to hear the news. When he found out that he had won the GRAND prize of $50,000, he couldn’t contain his excitement. Could you?

How did he win? Dale has been a member for over 40 years, but his veteran status isn’t why he won. He simply won for saving smart.

After opening his Big Prize Savings account at American First Credit Union...

Social media is growing and expanding each day, with nearly 3 billion people on Facebook and over 2 billion on YouTube. These platforms along with Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and more require usernames and passwords to have some level of security, but there’s always the unfortunate chance that your account is compromised. We’re here to provide you with a few simple tricks you can do to further protect your...