Financial Preparation

What does it mean to feel financially empowered? Become money confident and conscience this year with our help! We’ve put together all the resources you need to manage your money and create a sustainable financial future.

Build More Confidence With Your Money

What does it mean to feel financially empowered? We’re here to help break things down and answer that question! We’ve put together all the resources you’ll need to add confidence in your money this year. Let’s build on what you’ve already started with added stability for your financial future.

Let’s Break it Down

It’s time to use your financial knowledge to set your goals up for success. Whether it’s additional ways to save, homebuying or managing your credit score we’re ready to lend a hand. Understanding your finances takes time, but becoming your own financial pro can be a great feeling!

Use our resources as stepping stones to continue building confidence in your cashflow.

  • Savings Accounts:

    Build your savings with competitive rates and great returns. Check out our certificates and money markets.
    Learn More

  • Maintaining Better Credit:

    Explore ways to manage your credit score and ensure that it stays in proper standing.
    Learn More

  • Learning Center:

    Expand your financial knowledge with our free online courses. Knowledge is power after all, start learning today.
    Learn More

  • Budgeting and Debts:

    Find a budget that works for you and prevent a future headache with proper debt planning.
    Learn More

  • Keys to Homebuying:

    Ready to buy, upgrade or downsize? Discuss your options with one of our experienced loan officers.
    Learn More
Mobile phone view of Credit Hub on the Landmark Digital Banking App

Stay on Top of Your Credit Score

Do you know your credit score? If you’re thinking about upgrading your old vehicle to a stylish new car, having a good credit score may be a key difference maker. If it’s not where you hoped it would be or if you want to make sure it doesn’t change, use Credit Hub to stay on track. Sign up in Digital Banking to check your score for free, set up alerts and create personal credit goals.1

Learn About Credit Hub
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5 Tips to Maintain Better Credit

  1. Pay your bills on time each month: Remember, late payments can affect your score. 
  2. Pay down debt as soon as possible: Avoid using more than 30% of the credit available to you.
  3. Hang onto old card accounts: The longer a credit line stays open, the more positive it looks. 
  4. Don’t over-apply for new credit: Every application for a card or loan requires a credit check that can ding your score. 
  5. Spread your debts around: Having a mix of credit in your file like a mortgage, car loans or a credit card shows that you can handle multiple debts.

Want an in-depth breakdown of your credit score? Check out our helpful article on all the categories that make up your score.

Learn More

Grow Your Savings with Confidence

Diversify your savings options for the long haul and complement your goals. Don’t keep your money under the mattress, put it into a savings that grows over time! Take advantage of one or more of our savings options and make your money work for you. 

If you’re looking for guaranteed returns with a great growth rate, open a certificate with as little as $500. Perfect for those who have targeted financial goals or want to try different saving strategies to maximize their returns.

Learn About Certificates
If you want to watch your funds grow while maintaining the flexibility to access it anytime you need, a money market is the right choice for you. Take advantage of increasing rates that adjust according to the money in your account.

Learn About Money Markets
Planning an active retirement? Look into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) for a secure option that can enhance your future. Look through our different options to stay on track when you retire.

Explore an IRA
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Your Financial Refresher

If you’ve ever been in a funk about your finances, it’s ok! Mastering your finances can be puzzling, and it takes time to establish an ideal financial foundation. That’s where our learning center comes in handy. 

We’ve pulled together a comprehensive list of educational articles, courses and guides all in one convenient place tailored for you. These guides can help you learn to pay off lingering debts, control unexpected expenses, plan for the future and more. Launch one of our free courses now!

Start Learning
Cash and quarters sitting on a table with someone typing on a laptop in the background

Why is Budgeting Important?  

Learning the ins and outs of crafting a budget is an important skill. Between a mortgage, unexpected emergencies, childcare, medical bills and many other common expenses, costs start to add up. 

Creating a budget and sticking to it can help you understand:

  • What income you have
  • Where your income is going
  • Your total expenses
  • How you can adjust spending habits to reach savings goals

If learning how to budget is a part of your New Year’s resolution, check out some of our budget friendly articles to help you choose a starting point.

Budgeting For Emergencies

Learning Loud Budgeting

 

Budgeting for Your Lifestyle

While you may have used a budget plan before, there are plenty of new ones to try out. A budget is never a bad route to take when attempting to pay off debts. Try out one of the popular methods below.

  • A reverse style of budgeting where you take your monthly income and set aside cash for your savings goals first. After that, you use the rest for necessary bills and other expenses. Figure out what percentage you want to save each month and automatically take that amount out per paycheck right away. You can always increase or decrease the amount you are taking out depending on your comfortability.
    • Great for those who want to save without investing a lot of time and energy into a budget.
    • Not the best strategy for those that have very little wiggle room with bills and leftover income.
  • An oldie but a goodie. Set your spending limit for each category you spend money on like groceries or utilities. Then fill an “envelope” with money you will use on that category. While using a physical envelope used to be the preferred method, you can approach this any way you like. This method helps to prevent overspending on unnecessary categories or reach a savings goal.
    • This strategy works for those who want a physical grasp on where their money is spent.
    • Since this method involves physical money, it can have the pitfall of misplacing funds. Additionally, it requires time and energy to manage several “envelopes”.
  • This strategy involves splitting your income across three categories. Break out your money into 50% for needs like bills or groceries, 30% for wants like a night out with friends and 20% for general savings or paying off debt. Remember, it’s important to stay consistent with your categories. Swapping expenses from bucket to bucket is not ideal and can ultimately defeat the purpose of the budget.
    • Perfect for those who need a consistent budgeting strategy but don’t need to worry where every dollar goes.
    • Not ideal for those with changing expenses like contract workers.
  • Great for planners, this method uses every dollar and cent deliberately. Allocate your money to all needs, wants, investments and savings. The goal: income minus expenses, equals zero. Layout your take-home income for the month. List all your necessary expenses like your mortgage and car insurance. Then any other expense categories like entertainment. Take your income and start subtracting your expenses from it. Whatever is left, move it to savings, retirement accounts or an emergency fund until you reach zero.
    • This is a good strategy for budgeting pros who want to know every detail of their dollars spent.
    • This won’t work for individuals who prefer an out of sight out of mind method of saving.
Couple touring a new home with a realtor

Time For a Change of Scenery? 

Whether you’ve outgrown your space, downsizing your living situation or building a dream home, our experts can help. If it’s time for a change in 2025, we have the resources to get you there. Attend a seminar in person or online to get up to date on the homebuying process. 

Find a Seminar

Contact a Loan Officer

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Utilize Mortgage Calculators

Not sure what you can afford? Determine your budget or discover a better path to paying off your current mortgage with our online calculators.

Explore Calculators

Knowledge Is Power

Financial empowerment means more than building a nest egg. It means learning how to budget, improving your credit score and much more. Use our resources to invest in yourself and find financial success all year. 

Check out our latest articles to stay up to date on new financial tips and trends. 

Continue Learning
[1]
The credit score provided by Credit Hub is not the FICO score. The credit score provided by Credit Hub is based on the VantageScore 3.0 credit scoring model developed by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.