Financial and Lifestyle Resources for Vermont

I’ve worked in the financial services industry for over thirty years and I’ve seen the industry change in dramatic ways. People often ask “What is the life lesson that has impacted you the most in your profession?” The following story is my answer to that question and the bedrock for my interactions with others throughout my career:

Overdraft fees out of control According to an article at Time.com, businesses and households spent over $32.5 billion on overdraft fees charged by banks in the U.S. for the fiscal year 2015. That’s a lot of cash and over the years, I have worked directly with many people who were financially and emotionally affected by the fees charged by their financial institution. One in particular comes to mind…

Life Happens - Be Prepared The car breaks down, and you have a car crisis. The furnace hiccups and you have a furnace crisis. You lose your phone and you have a phone crisis. Compounded, you now have a financial crisis on top of the car crisis, furnace crisis, and phone crisis, which can add stress to an already overworked and busy life. What do you do now? Short-term borrowing will add an additional expense (interest) to your already frayed budget, so that won’t work.

Mark Kelley is a Program Manager with Efficiency Vermont, where he focuses on energy efficiency financing efforts, in partnership with area lenders like VSECU, to help Vermonters invest in energy saving improvements in their properties. Vermont businesses are cutting overhead, improving the value of their facilities, and creating better environments for customers and staff through cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades to equipment and buildings. Thanks to services from Efficiency Vermont and creative financing from local lenders like VSECU, business operators are making energy saving upgrades that can result in a positive cash flow, a solid return-on-investment, and savings for years to come.

Statistics suggest that more people are leasing now than ever. As car prices increase and lease rates decrease, Americans (and millennials in particular) are opting to take on an auto lease rather than taking out a car loan. Auto leasing is a valid choice for some but may be the more expensive option for others. Before you settle on one option, consider the benefits and drawbacks as well as the overall costs of each.

What an EMV Chip Card Is and How It Protects Your Information A Europay, MasterCard, and Visa® (EMV) chip card is a payment card that is designed with a chip that protects your card and account information by dynamically authenticating card transactions. EMV chip cards have been adopted around Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Canada and are becoming more prevalent in the United States. That said, despite their increased popularity, many card holders do not understand the technology and are not reaping the benefits of the enhanced protection they offer.  

College years can be exciting, whether you are just starting your undergraduate degree or have decided to explore your passions with a post graduate program. It’s easy to get caught up in dreams of boundless potential and forget that at some point, you will have to pay off your education debt. If you’re lucky, grants, scholarships, or family will fully fund your degree. If not, you’re going to need a plan.

Are you behind on your payments – constantly a week or two late paying rent, car payments, credit card bills? Once you get behind, it’s hard to catch up. Each time you pay credit card  or loan bills late, you get fees and interest payments, creating more and more debt. The good news is that even people who are restricted by an extremely tight budget can make small changes that enable them to pay off their debt and begin saving money for the future.