LSS FINANCIAL RESOURCES NEWS

With the current pandemic quarantine, personal finances will be a challenge. Here are five initial things you can do to help minimize that impact on your life as we all focus on prevention and then recovery.

If you are looking at monitoring your credit reports and scores, you may be wondering where to start. One popular option is Credit Karma. But is it really a good place to watch your credit report and credit score? To make that decision, you need to know what it actually offers. Here is the beginning of that conversation.

Savings.  It is a single word that can strike fear in the hearts of many Americans.  I think most people understand that savings are something they probably should have, but so many people still struggle with it.  Maybe it’s having the money to set aside.  Maybe it is the discipline to keep getting it done.

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day? What are you celebrating on Valentine’s Day? Here are a few thoughts to help you keep centered on a day that can be a blessing. Sometimes our getting carried away can take us away from our priorities and put us in a challenging spot.

There is quite a bit of talk about identity theft. Do you know the closest threat of identity theft? It may be a whole lot closer than you know or even want to think about. In this blog post, we talk about why and what you can do to protect yourself from this specific threat.

While many people put off filing their income taxes, you may want to do that as soon as possible. With 5 different reasons listed, you will probably find at least 1 or 2 that speak to your situation. Filing sooner may just help you with your other goals and dreams.

Goals get discussed a lot. Yes, you should have them. How to go about setting goals. But one important piece that often gets missed is why setting goals even matters. Here are three reasons you should be more intentional about setting your goals.

As the snow flies and the ice builds up, most people aren’t really thinking about buying a new home. In fact, this may be the perfect time to start the process. When done better, a home purchase is a process that does take some time. Get started now with these thoughts so you are ready to actually move when the nicer weather comes back.

Many people traveled over the holidays.  Some went to new places for the first time.  This probably requires directions and maybe even a map.  Whether you are still rocking the old school paper maps or depending on the wonder that is Google Maps, there is one important piece that HAS to be known.

Christmas is a busy time of year for most of us. But what time of year isn’t busy in its own way? This is a simple greeting with a simple point to set your priorities and not get lost in the other stuff.

This isn’t charity; it’s family. – Clark Griswold I’m sorry, this is our family’s first kidnapping. – Ellen Griswold We’re gonna have the hap- hap- happiest Christmas. – Clark Griswold I don’t know what to say, but it’s Christmas and we’re all in misery. – Ellen Griswold Worse?  How could things get any worse?

Have you gotten the statements for all of your Christmas shopping yet?  Probably not, or at least not all of the shopping you will be doing.  After all, we are still 3 weeks from Christmas.  PLENTY of time to get the shopping done.  Back to those bills that will be coming.

It’s a big day today!  You may not realize it, but today is a fairly significant holiday.  It isn’t observed by too many different states, cities, or even businesses.  But it SHOULD be!  I have to admit, I don’t know that I’ll specifically observe it today, but I do several other times throughout the year.

Now that we are into November, there has been a great deal of talk about being grateful for what we have.  We’ve even been encouraging people through our own social media to be grateful.  After all, that’s what the Thanksgiving holiday is all about. So, what are you thankful for?  No, really. 

OOOoooOOOOooooOOoooo…..  It’s that spooktacular time of year again.  The ghouls and goblins come out, the headless horseman finds a jack-o-lantern to use as a head, and all of those little punks show up on my doorstep begging my candy off of me.  (Don’t worry; I really do buy candy for them. 

Of course the Halloween decorations are out for your perusal at the stores.  And the Thanksgiving decorations are on display.  And the Christmas trees are all set up and lit to tempt you deeper into the Holiday spirit.  But, really?!?  All three holidays at once?  Can’t we just deal with one at a time?

If you caught it, last week we started a two-part blog on the differences between debt settlement and debt management.  Often confused even by those in the industry, I wanted to talk about the differences.  You can find part one of this blog here.

“Debt Settlement” & “Debt Management”.  Four words. Two phrases. One shared word between the two phrases. And SO FAR APART! Welcome to part 1 of 2 looking at debt settlement vs. debt management. As I talk with people out in the community, I find a lot of people are confused or mistaken.