Financial and Lifestyle Resources for Vermont

Now that the holidays are over and you’re left cleaning up from all the fun and catching up with those who couldn't visit, you may be wondering how you can decrease the debt you’ve acquired over the holidays. Debt is an age-old problem, but fortunately there are solutions to help you recover and pay off debt after the holiday. 

The latest $900 billion relief package includes a second stimulus check for Americans. Here’s what you need to know!

Although you may be thinking mostly of what gifts you’re buying this year and how to teach grandma and grandpa how to use Zoom, it’s never too early to start thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions. So often, those considerations are relegated to the 5-day liminal space between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. Let’s face it; 2021 is not the year to get a gym membership. So, why not try improving your financial wellbeing?

The modern world is filled with convenience that would have been nearly unimaginable twenty years ago. From where I sit in Montpelier, I can have food delivered from five different grocery stores within two hours. I can place an order online at a local store, have my items gift wrapped, and sent to my family on the other side of the country in only two clicks. Unfortunately, our modern world can also have its drawbacks. Much of the convenience we experience every day relies on putting our personal information on countless websites, order forms, phone trees, social networks, and mobile apps. The more places our information is stored, the more we open ourselves up to fraudulent activity. Luckily, there are some simple ways to reduce risk and keep your information private without sacrificing convenience. 

With the holidays coming, you’ve probably already pulled out the credit card and are ready to wield it in whatever way necessary to put smiles on the faces of your family and friends. With the pandemic ongoing and winter creating greater challenges for shopping, you may be considering shopping online as a general rule. But whether you choose to shop online or prefer to brave the stores, I’ve got some solid advice you can use to protect your card and your finances this holiday season.

Starting September 4, tenants will be protected from eviction until the end of 2020. This new government order comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and applies to renters who make less than $99,000 (or $198,000 for joint filers).

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.