financial education

Sometimes the best intentions can lend themselves to producing the worst results. While many friends and family members may offer quick solutions to your financial anguish, often times the best education is understanding those lessons first hand. At Exchange Bank of Northeast Missouri, we’d like to showcase several of the most common pieces of money advice we hear, and what you can do to remedy these particular miscommunications.   Bad Advice #1: You have to go to college to get Read More

Minimizing your debt can always seem like a mountain of to-do lists. With various recurring payments, differing interest rates, and due dates that never seem to end, if you feel overwhelmed, you’re not alone.   While having credit card or other outstanding debt isn’t a situation anyone wants to find themselves in, a surprising 38.1% of American households carry credit card debt.  Couple that with a total household debt average of $134,643.00 and the idea of debt starts Read More

When you and your sweetheart set your budget each month, there are a variety of factors at play. Where can you get the best deals on groceries? How many date nights will you have each week? Do the kids have any sporting activities that require new equipment? At Exchange Bank of Northeast Missouri, we recognize that everyone’s budget is different. No matter which categories you enjoy most, we’d love to showcase some great examples to help you find extra ways to save, and better identify Read More

Often times, phishing calls can come off as friendly or even helpful, however, in many instances the caller is malicious and intends to compromise your personal information. Exchange Bank of Northeast Missouri wants to help you avoid situations like these, and offers the following key prompts to help you identify a fraudulent caller. Keep these five points at the top of your mind the next time you’re wary of an unknown caller:   The matter is deemed extremely urgent by the caller. Read More

Across television ads, online banners, and even chit-chat among relatives, the phrase, “Check your credit score,” seems to be popping up everywhere. If something so important needs constant reminders, why does it have such a key importance in your personal finances? Well, the truth is that it doesn’t, your financial actions do.   A credit score is comprised of five different measures which indicate how you as an individual are perceived in terms of repayment and risk. Read More

If you’re in the market for your first home, congratulations! Becoming a homeowner is an exciting step on your financial journey. At Exchange Bank of Northeast Missouri, our dedicated mortgage lenders are here to help you find the best financing option for your new home. Remember to stop in and secure a pre-approval letter before you start your home search.   After speaking with a mortgage lender to help determine your family’s ideal price point, it’s time to start viewing Read More

With fraud alerts, identity protection, and chip-enabled cards, you’d think it would be near impossible for a stranger to swipe your personal information. Unfortunately, it’s easier than you think! Other than preparing yourself with preventative measures there is no sure-fire way to make sure your identity remains safe and secure. If you ever experience the unfortunate circumstance of having your personal information stolen, be sure to stick to these five actions when working to regain Read More

With hackers and scammers out amongst the pages of the internet, how do you browse safely? There are many tips and tricks you can use while on the internet to better maintain the security your personal information needs. See how to bolster your online bodyguard with these simple and helpful tools!   Enable the great wall: Your computer has all kinds of ways to block attacks you don’t even know are happening. Most hardware comes with firewalls pre-installed, but you can purchase extra Read More

If you’re like many parents in the United States, your preteens and teenagers may be running circles around you when it comes to utilizing the latest technology. Whether that’s Facebook’s latest updates, new iPhone technology, or the latest app hitting the scene, the amount of new knowledge and innovation seems endless. For your growing adults, this may look more like an endless playground than a minefield, but at times it can be both. To help your children use technology while Read More