Financial and Lifestyle Resources for Vermont

If your house were a human, the attic and roof would be its head—that part of the human anatomy that loses the most heat. Just as you would wear a hat in the winter, you want to make sure your attic and roof are protected against the elements.

When you pay off debt, you open up options for yourself. You improve your cash flow, so you can stop living from paycheck to paycheck; you free up money so that you can buy the things you need and want to live a more productive and engaged life; and you put yourself in a position to save more money for a more comfortable retirement.

If you’re not sure if you can afford to improve the energy efficiency of your home, you’re in good company. Lots of people wonder not only about how to pay for home improvements but also about what upgrades make the most sense. The good news is that you can get help about both concerns. At Efficiency Vermont, it’s my job to give objective advice about lowering energy use within any budget. One of the ways that many people are able to make their dream of an efficient home a reality is with a low-interest energy loan.

You may be able to save a lot of money by refinancing your car, but is it time? If you’re asking yourself that question, read on to learn some good reasons for refinancing and some things you should consider as you get started.

Life experiences fall into three categories: cognitive (thoughts), emotional (feelings) and physical (physiology and actions). Though interconnected, one of these three has a disproportionately larger impact on your decision-making when it comes to finances—emotions. Emotions are volatile and can be stimulated by many triggers, whether it be a new raise, a death in the family, or fluctuating market conditions.

When you’re just starting out in business, it’s hard to know how much you should spend on marketing.  If you’re like most small business owners, you don’t have much budget to spend, so you’ve got to get by on what you’ve got. The biggest mistake you can make is to spend too little on marketing tactics, thus limiting the exposure people have to your products or services.  

Your vehicle has served you well – it has shuttled you safely to work, toted your belongings and groceries with care, covered the distance between you and your loved ones—but it hasn’t been working so well lately. You just had the brakes fixed and the motor is now making a strange clunking sound. Each visit to the shop seems to cost a little more and you know that some other (and possibly more expensive) repairs are looming. You just don’t know when to buy a new car.  

There are many ways to save and invest your money, whether you’re putting away for a special occasion, a purchase, retirement, college, or something else. While you’re saving, it’s good to remember that your money can make you MORE money while it’s in savings. It does this by accruing interest or dividends (depending on whether you work with a credit union or a bank).