As the first flowers of spring start to blossom, people are opening up their homes and breathing fresh life into projects that may have been put on the back burner during the colder months. While you’re busy cleaning out closets and otherwise shaking off the effects of winter on your home, it’s also a good time to give your finances a freshening.
If you haven’t done so already, one good place to start is with our Online24 service. You’ll not only be able to check all of your account balances in one convenient place, you’ll also be able to transfer funds, view your account histories, make loan or VISA® payments and even receive monthly statements online.
Another service we offer to facilitate your financial spring cleaning is Bill Payment and Presentment. It only takes a few minutes to enroll and it’s a great way to make sure your bill payments are handled automatically. Better yet, both online features reduce paper waste in your home and they’ll save you money that you would normally spend on stamps and checks.
And remember, when reviewing your monthly statements, it’s important to be vigilant in spotting inconsistencies that could be the result of identity theft or credit fraud. It is much easier to restore your good name and credit rating if theft is caught and corrected early.
This is also a good time to make sure your credit rating is in the best condition possible. You are entitled to receive free credit reports once a year from each of the three major credit bureaus. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com to view your credit reports online. You can use this site to help identify and dispute any errors, such as eliminating accounts that are not yours and erasing negative marks that are older than seven years (ten years for bankruptcies).
Your credit reports will also show you the number of credit cards you have with outstanding balances. If you have a number of high-interest cards, you can probably benefit from consolidating them into one low-rate credit card. Bronco offers a variety of VISA® cards with low, fixed-interest rates and no annual fees.
The winter holidays have a tendency to strain credit cards and savings accounts, so spring is an excellent time to renew your commitment to stashing away money. Develop a plan to pay off debts as quickly as possible and then use that same money to start “paying yourself” via savings and money market accounts.
During the cold winter months, we all have the tendency to spend money on things like going to the movies, dining out, and/or buying video games to keep us occupied indoors. As warmer weather opens the door to outside recreational activities, make sure you’re not still spending money on amusements you may not need.
Taking a little time now to give your finances a freshening is a satisfying way to provide yourself with peace of mind and maybe even a little extra cash at the end of each month. Then you can tackle more pressing issues… like painting the house or replacing those garage doors!
