A good credit score is much more than simply paying your bills on time. Those with the best credit tend to have overall healthy habits, like only buying necessities and keeping luxuries to a minimum. They also make smart decisions when making big purchases, carefully maintain their belongings, and live a fiscally responsible lifestyle.

Most financial institutions offer both debit and credit cards. Debit cards (also called bank cards) are typically tied to a checking account and are an alternative to writing paper checks.  When you pay for something using your debit card, the entire amount is taken directly from your checking account. For that reason, it’s important to make sure you have the money in your account to cover the payment.

CONSIDER THIS: College graduates are finishing school with high hopes, bright futures—and decades’ worth of student debt.

Student Loan Hero estimates the average 2016 college graduate has $37,172 in student loans. All that money can take a decade or more to pay off. The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau considers a standard payment term on a student loan to be about 10 years, although borrowers with more than $30,000 in federal student debt could be eligible for payment plans up to 25 years. A Pew Research Center survey found 16 percent of adults report having outstanding student loan debt left over from funding their own education. Of those respondents, 22 percent are between the ages of 30 and 44. Another 7 percent are ages 45 to 59. Overall, Americans owe more than $1.48 trillion in student loan debt, according to Student Loan Hero.

Are you having trouble paying your bills, getting notices from creditors or worrying about losing your home or vehicle? Many people face some type of financial challenge at some point, whether it’s related to a health crisis, job loss or other factors. However, help is out there, though you need to proceed with caution. Let’s take a look at some of these options.

If you haven’t thought about refinancing yet, maybe it’s time to look into it. According to Mortgage Professional America (MPA), American homeowners are missing out on $5.4 billion by not refinancing as mortgage rates have dropped. There can be a lot of benefits to refinancing your mortgage, but how do you know if it’s a good idea for you? To help you make that decision, let us fill you in on the different types of refinances and the questions you should ask yourself to determine if you are ready.

Buried in credit card debt? You're not alone. According to NerdWallet, in 2015 the average U.S. household with debt had $15,762 in credit card debt at an average 18% interest rate. Annual interest alone was $2,630, or more than $50 a week.

Here are nine tips on how to climb out. Remember, though, there are no magical solutions.

Winter break is almost over and soon many Nevada college students will head back to school for new classes, new teachers, and maybe even a new budget.

College is one of the fastest changing times of our lives and often the first time living away from home. Being on your own can be fun, though it can also lead to more stress if you don’t know how to keep your finances in order while keeping your grades up at the same time. Here are a few tips to help keep you on track.

Being that I’m the only person in my group of friends that works in banking, I frequently get asked financial advice and recommendations to help with any given situation. I have one friend who is a 21-year-old college student who is relatively new to the work force. He has no credit to his name and had asked me why having credit was so important in the first place.

For many people, buying a new car is one of the most exciting purchases they make, while how to finance that vehicle can be one of their most important decisions.  Since Americans tend to hold on to their cars for about six years, it’s important to not only to choose the right vehicle at the right place, but to also get a loan that’s affordable. Before you buy, understand your options and the simple ways to make that monthly car payment way more budget friendly.

We all encounter obstacles throughout life which can affect our finances, and when our finances take a hit, so can our credit score. A low credit score can affect you in many ways, including your ability to borrow money or even rent a home.

So how does one get their credit score back on track? Here are some simple and effective ways:

We all remember last holiday season when Target’s systems were breached, exposing millions of customers’ credit card data. Since then Home Depot, Kmart, and Neiman Marcus have all been added to the list of retailers who have been compromised. Over the past year, the world has become a lot scarier for shopping. Luckily, even though hackers have become a lot smarter so have retailers and financial institutions, so that shoppers can have a safer and more merry holiday. As the VP of E-Commerce and former Manager over the Risk Management Department, it is my job to keep our GNCU members and their information as safe as possible, whether it be online or in stores.
 
 ‘Tis the season to be jolly so in order to help keep the holidays bright, I’ve decided to answer questions that our members have been asking on how to best keep your money and information safe this shopping season and security improvements slated for 2015.

We’ve talked quite a bit on this blog and on our website about safeguarding your financial and personal information to protect yourself from identity theft. By now, hopefully, you’re careful about web sites you shop on, shredding your bills, monitoring your accounts and all that. But today let’s discuss a type of fraud threat that may not even be on your radar: child identity theft.

The goal of this blog is to provide information that will help you Live Greater financially. Sometimes banks and credit unions take it for granted that consumers understand all of their financial lingo, but I know from personal experience that’s not always true. So this week I am going to address a question some of you may have about a commonly used term: home equity.

The recent Target card breach, has, like famous card breaches before it, shone a spotlight on the possibility of debit card fraud for many Americans.

Credit Score is an ominous term. Advertisements for credit score websites are always trying to sell you something to fix it, while payday lender advertisements tell you it doesn’t matter because you’re already approved. If you’re in Generation X your credit score probably took a beating during the recession, and if you’re a millennial, like me, you probably have no idea what your credit score is, let alone what it should be.