Financial and Lifestyle Resources for Vermont

When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in April that everyone wear cloth coverings to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, many Vermonters dusted off their sewing machines to make their own or pulled out their winter balaclavas. If your homemade mask is looking a little ragged and you are hoping to buy something professionally made, several Vermont businesses have stepped up to the challenge and are make comfortable, long-lasting face masks! With COVID-19 very much an ongoing public health crisis and the Vermont Department of Health recommending all Vermonters wear cloth face coverings when outside of the home, now might be the perfect time to buy yourself a new mask.

If you receive a debit card in the mail claiming to be your COVID-19 stimulus payment, don’t throw it out! While over 140 million Americans have received their Economic Impact Payment from the federal government by direct deposit or as a check in the mail, a third form of payment may be arriving for those of you still waiting.  On May 18, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS announced that roughly four million Economic Impact Payments will be sent in the mail as a prepaid debit card, often referred to as an EIP card.  

COVID-19 has brought financial uncertainty to many, and even as we edge closer to recovery, the impacts of COVID-19 will be felt by many Vermonters for months to come. I sat down with Yvonne Garand, our senior vice president of marketing and business development, to talk about personal finance in the age of COVID-19.

We've received a number of inquiries from our readers about the COVID-19 economic impact payments (aka stimulus payments) since we originally posted this blog. Within those inquiries, we’re noticing a few common myths that have arisen, so we decided to post a follow-up article to clear up some of these myths. If you haven’t read the original blog, make sure to take a look if you don’t find the answers to your questions below.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has provided more information about the IRS stimulus payments they will distribute within the next three weeks, also referred to as Economic Impact Payments or COVID-relief checks. Those who filed their taxes in 2018 or 2019 do not have to do anything to receive their check. There are a lot of details to this stimulus package, so we've compiled everything you need to know, including when you can expect to receive your stimulus.

As Vermonters hunker down to stop the spread of COVID-19 and lessen the burden on our healthcare system, we all have to adjust to this strange new normal. With the Governor’s "stay home, stay safe" order, all non-essential businesses have closed their doors, and most events have been canceled or postponed indefinitely. Thankfully, many businesses have modified their services to be accessible remotely. Vermont musicians are turning to livestream platforms to replace the concerts they would have previously headlined. Yoga studios are using video conferencing software to continue holding classes. Online delivery services from big and small companies alike are ramping up their shipping capability to serve the ever-increasing demand for online orders. Even grocery delivery has been made possible across Vermont.

I sat down with our CFO and senior vice president of finance, Terence Field, to discuss how to keep you and your money safe during the coronavirus (COVID-19). With so much going on right now, it was wonderful to have an engaging conversation with Terry about everything we are doing to keep our staff and members safe. This was streamed live on Facebook on March 18.

After many years of renting small apartments, my wife and I decided to take the plunge and buy our first house. As any new homeowners would, we have been nervously, excitedly, painting walls and undertaking little projects to make our home perfect for us, but the first big project now looms on the horizon—the heating system.