Financial and Lifestyle Resources for Vermont

When I began to consider writing about economic recession, the pandemic crisis was in its beginning stages and preparing for a recession was a largely theoretical conversation. Fast forward four months, and we are in a recession that surpasses the Great Recession of 2008. Downturns to both the state and national economies have caused a level of financial hardship most of us have never experienced—unless you were alive for the Great Depression from 1929 to 1941. Rather than heighten your concern or cause you despair, however, my goal is to answer some frequently asked questions and provide you with a framework to better understand the current economic recession and what we might expect moving forward.

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.

In the last month, 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment due to the coronavirus. Here in Vermont, unemployment has jumped from 2.2 percent to an effective unemployment rate of over 20 percent, with more than 80,000 claims to date for unemployment insurance due to COVID-19. The economy is slowly restarting, as certain industries are reopening with social distancing parameters in place, but many Vermonters remain unemployed or worried about job security. If you or someone you know is out of work, here are eight things you can do to survive being laid off (or furloughed).

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.

Now that the holidays are over, how is your credit card balance looking? This is often the time of year when people take stock of their debt and begin to despair. If that’s where you’re at, take a deep breath and keep reading for some simple tips that should help you get a good, quick start on getting rid of your balance(s).

A payday loan is a short-term loan that is intended to be paid off with your next paycheck. Payday loans are often used by people who are short of cash to pay for emergency expenses. They are prohibited in many states because they are considered predatory loans that charge unreasonably high interest rates and fees, which make them very hard to pay off. Because they’re so hard to pay off, they can trap people in a cycle of debt for years. How can you avoid these loans when you really need the cash now? Keep reading.

If you’re in the market for a new home, it’s time to review your credit report. The information in your report helps your mortgage originator determine your creditworthiness (whether you’re likely to pay back money loaned to you).

If an image of your credit card immediately comes to mind when you hear the words “holiday shopping,” you aren’t alone. Some people do it the right way—saving throughout the year so they don’t need to buy on credit. The rest of us mere mortals start thinking about the holidays when they’re a couple months away and do the best we can to cover costs. If you’re a mere mortal, like myself, here are some holiday credit card habits that will help you make it through the season with your finances intact.