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You support the community when you bank, borrow, and invest with Kellogg Credit Union! How so? You are an owner! When you join our credit union, you become a member-owner. We are a financial cooperative, and you have a say in how we operate.   We are Not-for-profit. Credit unions are structured to promote their…

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year, people were overwhelmed by the logistics of sudden and swift stay-at-home orders. Between school closures, supply shortages and new ways of working, there was little time for much else. As many adjusted their spending habits, they also took the time to think more critically about their finances —…

Many people don’t have much choice about when they retire. Illness, job loss or caretaking responsibilities push them out of the labor force, ready or not. But some people have the opposite problem: They do have a choice, and yet they can’t quite bring themselves to quit working. Some love what they do and never…

If you’re the parent of a young adult, you may be asked to co-sign for a car loan or an apartment lease. Before you agree, know what’s at stake — you could be putting your own financial security at risk. What co-signing really means When you co-sign, you become fully responsible for someone else’s debt.…

When it comes to saving money, this year may look a little different from years past. The savings rate is lower than its peak of about 34% in April 2020, but Americans are still saving more than they did before the pandemic. This is according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which defines savings…

I get it. It’s easy to shop on Amazon. Running low on toilet paper? Need lightbulbs? Want a bath caddy on a whim? With two clicks and even less thought, the item you need/want/desire is at your doorstep, often in 48 hours or less. Shopping locally requires more thought. Supporting small businesses is an intentional…

5 Credit Mistakes That Can Haunt You

5 Credit Mistakes That Can Haunt You Some credit mistakes are a lot worse than others. Little ones, like paying a credit card bill a day late, may cost you a penalty fee, but that’s a relatively minor irritation — it’s not going to stand between you and a mortgage. Other seemingly small slip-ups can…

How to Be Reunited With Your Long-Lost Money Are you owed money you don’t even know about? You might be, if your name is in an unclaimed property database. Each year, billions of dollars from forgotten security deposits, refunds, uncashed paychecks and even old bank accounts are reported to state agencies. And each year, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, an organization affiliated with state treasury departments, states return more than $3 billion to their rightful owners.…

Financial Lessons We’ve Learned While Staying at Home Shelter in place. Lockdown. Quarantine. Whatever you call it, it’s been a few months since the COVID-19 pandemic taught us what staying home for an extended period of time actually looks and feels like. These are unprecedented times. And although things are unpredictable right now, we can control our ability to emerge from this challenge differently than we entered it. “Like everything in life, every challenge and every hardship is a lesson…

4 Things to Know if You’ve Never Budgeted BeforeWe’ve entered a new year and a new decade. Not surprisingly, this fresh start has probably brought new goals to mind — like money management.If you’re planning to start balancing your income and spending, here are four things to keep in mind before you dive headfirst into budgeting in 2020.1. Budgets aren’t just a New Year’s resolutionIf budgeting is one of your New Year’s resolutions, maybe it’s time to think about it differently.“My personal…

How to Actually Keep Your New Year’s Debt ResolutionPaying off debt in the new year is a common resolution. But resolving to do something and actually doing it are two different things.Taking a smart approach to building good habits, however, can help you master your debt in the coming year.Jon Bailey, professor emeritus in the psychology department at Florida State University, suggests applying some principles of behavioral psychology to help you create sustainable habits.“Our general approach is really from the…

Will You Be a Scam Artist’s Next Target? Believing that fraud can’t happen to us — because we’re too smart, logical or informed — may make us more vulnerable. Successful scam artists skillfully overcome our defenses and get us into emotional states that override logical thinking, says Kathy Stokes, AARP’s director of fraud prevention programs. “Scammers call it getting the victim under the ether,” she says. Various studies have tried to identify characteristics that make people more susceptible to fraud.…