Month: July 2015

Q&A: Google and Cybersecurity

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Google had a good day in mid-July. It’s safe to say it had a better day than you did, even if your day was fantastic. The company set a record for the largest single-day increase in value in the history of American investing at nearly $67 billion, breaking the previous record held by Apple.  Google did well enough that if it wanted to relax with a weekend of video games, movies, and pulp novels, it could simply buy Nintendo, Loews, and Barnes and Noble with the money it made just in that one day.
That day was less enjoyable for Google’s customers, though. As investors were thrilled by YouTube’s growth, Gmail users were beset by faulty spam filters which hid so many legitimate emails that Linux founder Linus Torvald took to an online op-ed calling out the tech giant. The misstep was a rare occurrence from Google, but considering it followed a much-ballyhooed revision to its Gmail platform, it was worrisome for many. When considered in the context of major hacks of the U.S. government and infidelity website Ashley Madison this summer, the Gmail problems had people wondering what security Google has in place for the largest privately-held collection of American’s data.
Don’t leave your cyber security in doubt. We’re here to answer your questions about your online safety. 
Question: Everyone is always going on and on about online security, but nothing has ever happened to me. Should I even care? What’s the worst that could happen? 
Answer: If you’ve never paid attention to your Internet security and never had a security problem, you’re probably fine. You clearly have a rabbit’s foot offering you magical protection from scammers, spammers, spoofers, and identity thieves. Or maybe you have been compromised and just don’t know it yet.
If black hats get their hands on your machine, there’s no telling what they could do. In some cases, you’re looking at spyware and malware that’s merely annoying. In others, your personal and financial information could be compromised. You might even have had your identity stolen. Online security is crucial, and you really can’t be too careful.
Question: I don’t have Gmail. I use Outlook. I don’t use Android. I have an iPhone. I’m good, right?
Answer: Internet security is like a 1980s slasher flick: The instant you let down your guard, something bad is going to happen. No, you’re not safe and Google isn’t bad at security. They’re actually pretty good at it.  Their cyber security task force is responding to the perception of a problem, not an actual problem.
Conversely, consider the products offered by Apple: Apple is slow to offer security updates for OS-X and sometimes bizarrely laconic when it comes to iOS apps.  While Google and Microsoft update their iOS apps every two weeks or so, Apple often waits months. Apple also doesn’t support security updates for older versions of OS-X, so if you’re still running Snow Leopard or anything older, Apple stopped updating security on your machine last year, leaving about 1 in 5 users behind.  When El Capitan comes out this fall, it will likely mean that security updates will end for machines still using Mountain Lion. 
Question: How do I know if my security is up to date? 

Answer:  Every reputable piece of software you use, on your computer or on the Web, should allow you to view your security settings.  If you can’t find your security settings, Google it or look for help on the site.  If you still can’t find your security settings, consider using different software. 
Question: What do I do if I think something fishy is going on with my account information? 
Answer:  For our members, let Destinations Credit Union know right away.  The sooner we know, the sooner we can protect your important financial information.  You may have your credit or debit card information stored at your favorite shops and you don’t want anyone to mess with your cards. After you’ve gotten in touch with us, get in contact with whomever is in charge of the site where you have suspicions.  See what they recommend.  It may be a good idea to notify the police.  Anyone who has access to your online profile is likely to have your home address, too.
Now is a really good time to protect yourself.  Update your password for all of your main accounts and any others you can think of.  Don’t write your password down, try not to make it obvious, and try to keep your passwords separate.  It may be a lot of work, but it will pay off in peace of mind.

Sources:

http://fortune.com/2015/07/21/activist-investors-tech-companies/

Is It Time To Upsize Your Home?

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Life rarely turns out the way we plan, and when a surprise comes along, it’s usually not an opportunity to simplify our lives.  If you’re one of the many parents blessed with one more angel than you had planned for, you understand just how such surprises can make the simplest things much more complicated. Or maybe the innocent angel you’ve been raising has entered adolescence and wants some space alone.  Or maybe it’s gone the other way for you:  You bought a house when prices were low and wages were tight, and now that you have some equity and a higher income you’d like to bump up your standard of living.

If any of those scenarios sound familiar, it might be time to upsize your home. But is expanding right for you? 

Upsizing is great … 
You probably don’t need anyone to tell you that a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood would be fantastic.  If you could get the kids out from under your feet, you could go back to reading that book you never finished or start that workout regimen you’ve been putting off, or whatever it is that makes you want to plunk down your hard-earned money for a new home.
But there are really strong arguments to be made for upsizing that might not be as obvious.  For example, you may not actually want more square footage.  One way to upsize without getting a giant house full of rooms you might not need is to look into adding outdoors space.  Some homes have gorgeous patios, outdoor kitchens and even wood-burning outdoor pizza ovens!
Another alternative to upsizing your space is to move into the home of the future.  That Cape Cod or Queen Anne you’re in right now might be beautiful, but is it built for the 21st century?  Are the speakers built into the walls?  Is it set up for home automation?  Or does it have that one bizarre room with no outlets, like some mid-century houses in the Midwest?  For some people, particularly those with a home business, it can even be worth paying more every month if doing so moves you to a neighborhood with faster Internet.
Baby Boomers have been upsizing their homes at a surprising rate, often moving into larger homes for retirement.  Usually, people move into larger homes because they want the space and retirees presumably have an empty nest.  Moreover, as we get older, it can be harder to lug a vacuum up the stairs or commit to mowing an enormous lawn every weekend.  But Boomers have learned the value of luring others over, often choosing houses on artificial lakes or in gated communities with kid-friendly amenities.  Suddenly, the big house is a blessing, because there’s room for everyone at Thanksgiving!  If you’re wanting to cut down on your travel time or increase your hosting duties at social events, a bigger house might be just the ticket. 
… But maybe not? 
You’ve been through this before, when you bought your current place. Buying a home is a little tedious and a lot expensive.  As you’re looking back on it, you might wonder why you’d ever go through that process again when it might be easier just to ask one of the kids to sleep in a tent out back or put up guests in a nearby hotel.
The good news is that it’s not going to be that difficult this time.  You know what you’re doing and you should have fewer surprises.  You’ve got the down payment set up through the equity in your current home.  And if you’re already financing through [credit union], a new loan approval will be fairly quick and easy. 
What about right now? 
If you’re considering the idea of upsizing your home, now’s the time for action. The dollar is gaining steam and plenty of economists are predicting we’re likely to see interest rates go up at some point this fall.  If you can get in before then, you’ll save some real cash in the long run.
It’s also a good idea to act now because you can catch both sides of the housing recovery.  If your home has regained its value, but you know a neighborhood that hasn’t gotten back to full value yet, you can make a shrewd investment to get a bigger, nicer house in the other neighborhood and wait until that new home gets to the value it should have been selling at all along.  Right now, you’ve got a great buy low, sell high opportunity.
If you’re ready, or you think you might be ready to think about being ready to upsize your home, give Destinations Credit Union a call.  Rates are still fairly low.  If you don’t know if you can afford to upsize, give us a call anyway.  Our home loan specialists can help you figure out if upsizing is the way to go, help you build a budget, or show you our construction and remodeling loans if you’re looking to upgrade your new home before you move in.

A New Kind of Grandparent Scam

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For years, con artists have preyed on the elderly, claiming to be their grandchildren and in trouble with desperate need for money.  This is the traditional grandparent scam and it dates back to as long as grandparents have had home phones.  Scammers know that grandma will do anything to help out, and they also know members of “the greatest generation” are excellent marks for phone scams.  In the traditional version of this scam, someone calls and tells the grandparent their grandchild has been jailed for a minor offense in a foreign country or has had a medical emergency befall them. Of course, other situations that would present an immediate need but be very hard to quickly verify are also used, so there is no one sure tell based upon circumstance. 

In reality, the grandchild is not under arrest, in the hospital or in trouble at all. At the very moment the scammer says the grandchild is in the middle of an emergency, he or she is probably just staring at a cellphone screen, possibly while they’re in class, oblivious to the whole situation.
A new version of the scam has been making the rounds this summer and it has a 21st century hook. The FTC, the BBB and various news organizations are reporting that scammers are now claiming to be debt collectors and getting older Americans to fork over credit card information or wire money to the scammers.  Sometimes the collectors claim to be after young people, threatening that if grandma doesn’t come through with the cash, the grandchild will be arrested, have their license revoked or lose their job. Other times, the scammers claim the grandparents are on the hook for the debt and use their fear of losing their credit rating to finagle some easy money out of a frightened victim.
The debt collection angle is new to the grandmother scam, but hardly a new scam in itself.  Con artists have been calling with fraudulent debts and fabricated threats for years, often claiming a long-forgotten payday loan or other non-traditional debt has been turned over to the police. But as people have gotten wise to phony debt collection scams, they’ve combined the routine with grandparent scams to make a new scenario that feels very real.With student loans and credit card debt through the roof, it’s easy to believe a loved one could have all sorts of debt we don’t know about. With the pressure on, it’s difficult to find out if it’s true.  But, if you didn’t co-sign a loan, you can’t be held responsible for paying it, no matter what someone tells you over the phone.  In fact, it’s illegal for a debt collector to tell you if someone else has a debt at all. If you’ve ever called a credit card company on behalf of your spouse, you’ve probably experienced the privacy laws in action, because the credit card company won’t even talk to you.   

If you feel pressured to make a payment or provide personal information over the phone, try to get off the line as quickly as possible.  Offer to call them back, if necessary.  The more they try to keep you on the phone, the more likely it is that they’re fraudsters who are after a quick buck.  If you think you might be a potential victim of such a scam, let the FTC know immediately, at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/. 
Then, let Destinations Credit Union know so we can make sure your accounts are safe, issue new information if necessary, and prevent any fraudulent charges.  We can also show you how to go through your credit report and find out if you have any debts you don’t know about. 
When someone pressures you on the phone, it’s always a good idea to take a break and figure out what’s really going on.  

Sources:

  

The Effects of China’s Market Crash On Typical Americans Like You

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Predicting the future of international finance can be a fool’s errand. Fluctuations in a small aspect of a small market can ripple in untold ways, changing the environment all the time, like the proverbial butterfly responsible for all of those hurricanes.

Unfortunately, shrugging in the face of the unknown is really uncomfortable when it comes to finances. When we need to know how it will affect us, we go to financial advisors.

What about when we don’t have any specific investments in either area?  How might it affect us then?  Below are some of the people likely to be affected by the economic news of China’s struggles last week.  Some it will hurt, some it will help and some we’ll have to wait and see. 

You might be hurt if:
Your portfolio is heavy on retail brands.  In the last decade or so, American demand for retail goods slowed at the same time Chinese demand grew, so many of our corporations recorded sales growth that was largely or exclusively based on Chinese consumers.  Yum! Brands, Intel, McDonald’s and Starbucks all rely on Chinese consumers for between 15 and 20 percent of their revenue, and the Chinese middle class just got hit with back-to-back market crashes.  We won’t really know which companies were hit the worst until sales figures and quarterly reports start coming out, but you should identify which stocks you own that are heavily invested in China and see what they plan to do to keep afloat.
 Your income is directly related to manufacturing.  Banks around the world are stockpiling dollars because American currency seems much safer than a Euro that’s dealing with a crisis in Greece or any Asian currency that is inextricably tied to China.  As a result, the dollar has increased in value about 3% in the past month.
That sounds great, but a strong dollar makes exporting more difficult and makes imports cheaper, both of which make it harder for American manufacturing firms to compete with overseas factories. The Obama administration, like the Bush administration before it, has repeatedly pushed China to strengthen its currency for this reason, but has little to show for it.  Some financial analysts suggested the Asian free trade agreement signed last month was meant to prevent exactly this kind of situation: Chinese market insecurities resulting in problems for American manufacturing.
You might be helped if:
You own a business.  Whether your company is big or small, a strong dollar gives you a leg up right now.  Obviously, you can order stock from overseas, knowing it will cost less and pocket the profit.  It might be time to think bigger, though.  If your dollar is worth 3% more than it was a month ago, that means any loan you take out will come at a discount.  If you wanted to buy a $10,000 piece of equipment from China but scoffed at the interest rate, you can cut it considerably right now. 
You own a home.  It may not be obvious at first, but everything in your home goes through China. Your car had parts manufactured or assembled there, your clothes, your furniture … everything. You’ll feel the effects of Chinese firms trying to get sales every time you go to the store and possibly until Black Friday.

But you could also get a great deal on home fixtures and appliances very soon. Chinese factories need the cash, and with their domestic housing bubble bursting, you’re the only one left to buy that amazing new washer/dryer.  What if you moved up your remodel to this fall?  You could be looking at glorious home goods at ridiculous prices.

Talk to Destinations Credit Union about automobile and personal loans. Get one of the lowest loan rates in the Baltimore area in addition to the cheaper cost of the goods you want to buy.  Let’s see if we can help you capitalize on this opportunity. 


Sources:

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/24/barack-obama-fast-track-trade-deal-tpp-senate

Three Ways To Make Your Dorm Room More Like Home

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The first few weeks back from break can be tough. It’s a little easier in the fall when there’s the giddy rush of a new school year to distract from how nice mom and dad’s house is compared to your dorm room. In the winter, though, there’s just cold and classes.

Don’t despair! There are a few low-cost hacks that can turn the institutional discomfort of your dorm room into the comfort of your parents’ home. Make a list, pop down to the home improvement store, and check out these three quick fixes:

1.) Soften your bed

Most people don’t get a good night’s sleep in college. Part of it is staying up all night to study, but part of it is the terrible institutional mattresses. Dorm mattresses are somehow simultaneously too rigid and too squishy. Compared to the nice mattress your parents conveniently picked up when you moved out, you may notice your dorm bed is kind of lame.

You don’t need to break the bank on a new mattress. A memory foam mattress topper can give you endless comfort at a fraction of the price. Bedding is frequently discounted as retailers clear out holiday surpluses. Just $50 can leave you sleeping on an inch and a half of pure bliss.

2.) A shower landing place

One of the worst parts of winter is stepping out of a warm shower onto cold tile floors. Your parents fixed this problem with a cushy bathroom rug, but that’s not an option for you unless you want to share it with the whole floor (ick!). What’s a student to do?

Consider a pair of bathroom slippers to complement those sandals. Slippers can help you step out of the shower and onto a cloud. Look for footwear with moisture-wicking soles. Hang them up to dry when you’re not using them.

3.) Fix the lighting

Institutional lighting is the worst. The hum and flicker of institutional lighting is obnoxious. That’s why your parents put concealed, indirect lighting in every room but yours. How can you recapture that feeling?

A table lamp or clamp lamp can get the same charm of indirect lighting without breaking the bank. An LED bulb will last forever and the fixture can be had for as little as $20. Put it on your desk, on your headboard or on your dresser for all-year class.

As you face your back-to-school expenses, don’t forget that Destinations Credit Union can help with your student loan financing!

Building A Bridge To Retirement: Leaseback Arrangements

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Whether they want to get more sun, get closer to grandchildren or downsize their home to cash out some equity, Baby Boomers are moving more often during their first few years after retirement than did the previous generations of retirees. The final year in the workforce can feel a lot like moving, as individuals run themselves ragged trying to make last-second arrangements, finalize budgets and journey into a yet-unexperienced phase of life. So retirees who are moving often have twice the stress, too.  Leaseback arrangements, a staple of commercial real estate, have become far more popular as Boomers retire, allowing retirees to eliminate some of the stress and uncertainty involved in moving during retirement. 

How it works 

A leaseback is a financial arrangement in which an individual sells their home with the understanding that they will immediately enter a lease agreement with the new homeowners so they can stay in the house for an agreed-upon amount of time.  Leasebacks can work two ways for those nearing retirement. First, a retiree can sell the house in which they’ve been living and lease it from the new homeowner until they retire, or alternatively, retirees can buy the perfect retirement property as soon as it becomes available and lease it back to the previous homeowners until the retiree is ready to move in.  Leaseback arrangements don’t have to be complicated or intimidating, and they can provide security to both sides of a home sale. 

Benefits for home sellers 

  • Selling a home before retirement ensures retirees know exactly how much money they will get for their home.  One of the scariest parts of retirement planning is the fear that something will go wrong. Knowing exactly how much money a soon-to-be-retired individual will get for their home can help provide some peace of mind.
  • Leaseback arrangements let homeowners take a long time selling their home while having the confidence they can begin the process early without ending up without a place to live. The extra time ensures they don’t have to jump at the first offer that comes along, and can wait for a good bid.
  • With a traditional home sale, there is the potential that retirees won’t sell their home in time and then end up with two monthly mortgage payments.  A leaseback arrangement lets retirees sell their home first, guaranteeing they won’t end up with two mortgages.
  • Arranging a leaseback gives retirees cash in hand to improve their financial outlook.  By selling their home and becoming renters for a year, retirees can reinvest their home equity in the high-return parts of their portfolio, pay off high interest credit card debt or finance the business they plan to run in retirement.
  • The cash from a leaseback also helps reduce the uncertainty of the first year, when most retirement calculators ask people to guesstimate their expenses.  The first year of retirement is often the most expensive, as newly retired folks take celebratory vacations, buy hobby supplies or make COBRA payments while they await Medicare or Medigap eligibility.
  • Leaseback arrangements can also help retirees who are too young for full Social Security or pension payments by giving them cash up front to hold them over until they can receive full benefits.

Benefits for homebuyers

  • While leaseback arrangements offer more benefits to sellers than they do to buyers, they still offer buyers some pretty big advantages.  Most importantly, buying a home and leasing it back to the current residents ensures that retirees who can wait a little while to move in can get exactly the home they want.
  • Nothing says that homeowners need to lease their home at the same price as the mortgage.  By entering a leaseback agreement and waiting an agreed-upon amount of time, retirees can make a profit off of their retirement home while they wait!
  • Leasebacks give those near retirement the ultimate bargaining chip when they’re negotiating the sales price: By starting the process earlier and having more time to shop for a retirement home, those nearing retirement have the ability to walk away, helping ensure they get the best possible price.

Arranging a Leaseback

Arranging a leaseback is actually quite simple and only involves two steps, one of which you’ve done before.  First, arrange a home loan like you would for any other residential property.  If you already know what you want to buy, apply for your mortgage at Destinations Credit Union.

Then, talk to your realtor about a leaseback arrangement.  Many realtors offer temporary leaseback agreements as a standard part of a sale, so even if they haven’t arranged a long-term leaseback before, it should be a piece of cake.

Sources

Home Improvement Scams

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As we reach the dog days of summer, many of us are facing the consequences of our springtime procrastination.  For the next few months, we’re going to have to either spend every weekend on the home improvement projects we’ve been putting off or spend the fall and winter with a half-finished patio.  Again.  It’s tempting to put down your toolbox and pick up your checkbook, but before you do, make sure you can trust the person you’ll pay to do the work.  

Home improvement scams are back again this summer.  As many as 100,000 scammers work in the United States each year, according to recent estimates reported in Consumer Digest, and with Americans spending more than $500 billion a year on remodeling and home improvement projects, they’re not going to stop anytime soon.  Those scammers are very good at identifying their victims, so we need to get better at spotting them.  

Here are some signs you might be working with the wrong person:

He “just happens” to be in the area…

Contractors don’t go door-to-door drumming up business, but one of the most common ways scammers make contact with their victims is by simply knocking on their door, explaining that they were in the neighborhood and offering to take care of a job they noticed a need for.  They might claim to have leftover materials or they noticed some missing shingles on your roof when working on your neighbor’s house, and now they have a great deal to offer you.  By the time you realize you’re not missing any shingles, the scammers will have cashed the check you gave them to buy some extra materials.

He needs you to pay today…

Scammers may claim they want to make some money on the side and if the boss sees leftover materials, then they can’t use them.  Don’t let your fear of losing out on a bargain get you into trouble.  

If your neighborhood recently had the kind of natural disaster that makes it hard to get an appointment with a contractor, it’s even more likely the person you’re talking to is a scammer.  Government agencies refer to these people as “Storm Chasers” because they like to prey on the victims of natural disasters, often crossing the country to do so.  The National Consumer Law Center reported that complaints of contractor fraud vaulted from 150 cases in Louisiana the year before Hurricane Katrina to 6,000 cases during the following two years.

You have to pay up front…

Scammers might claim they need to charge you for materials up front or they need a hefty deposit to get started.  Don’t fall for it.  Professional contractors have enough credit to buy materials and usually have accounts at local hardware stores to make billing easier.  If the person you’re talking to doesn’t have good enough credit to buy materials, they’re probably not good enough at home repair to be worth your money. More than 60 percent of the Katrina-related victims of home repair scams said they paid up front, according to an LSU study, because the lack of skilled contractors in the city made homeowners anxious to get their projects done.

He’s hard to reach…

Many of those who were robbed by home improvement scammers reported it was difficult or impossible to get in touch with their scammer after the initial visit.  In many cases, the scammers told homeowners a sad story to explain their lack of cellphone or business card, taking advantage of homeowners’ sympathy in order to not provide contact information.

It’s 2015.  There is no reason for a person you trust to not have a cellphone, business card or a profile on social media sites like Angie’s List, Facebook, or Twitter.  If they do have a social media presence or business card, check it out before you pay.  Make sure their account has been active for more than a few months and that there are other ways to contact anyone working on your house.  If they can’t provide any of that, how about a reference from one of your neighbors?  There are lots of ways to verify someone’s identity, and with each excuse or objection, it seems more likely the person you are talking to has criminal intentions.  

What to do if you think you have been scammed

If you think you might have been the victim of a home improvement scam and have paid with a Destinations Credit Union check or card, let us know immediately.  Call us at 410-663-2500 or email us at info@destinationscu.org. If we find out quickly enough, we may be able to stop the check before the scammers can cash it.  

We’re here to protect your money.  You can find out more about fraud tips and alerts in our Member Center under “Protecting Your Money.”
Sources:

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/home_improvement_07/top-scams-a1.asp

The New Homeowner Diet

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Saving money is a lot like losing weight. It’s no fun, requires sacrifices and no one at a dinner party wants to hear about your plan.  For many first-time home-buyers, trying to save enough money for the down payment on a house can seem like a diet that won’t end. It might even be tempting to click one of those email links that promise magical results, even though you know there’s no magic pill for weight loss and no magic plan for saving money.  

Fortunately, if you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you already know how to save money. While most weight loss results are temporary, buying a home is something that won’t disappear if you skip the gym for a week: You’ll be living in a home you own, building equity and moving closer to financial independence.  So, here are some tips to get you moving toward that down payment, based on what you already know about trimming your waist:  

Don’t bite off more than you can chew

One of the biggest mistakes new homeowners make is buying more house than they can realistically afford. At Destinations Credit Union, we want to get the right loan for you so that you can move into the home that’s comfortable and fits your lifestyle.  That doesn’t mean you have to use every dollar you qualify for. Let’s talk it through to figure out exactly how much you can spend every month and make sure you don’t get in over your head.  

A good rule of thumb when planning is that you want to put down around 20 percent of the sale price. Before the financial crisis, a lot of people were putting down 10 percent or considerably less – as much as 0%. It didn’t turn out well for many of those folks, nor did it for their lenders.

Even if you feel comfortable with the risk that comes with a low down payment, putting down more money now can lower your interest rate, so you’ll pay less money in the long term and have a lower monthly payment.  It’s easy to see the down payment as your goal and forget about the rest of the mortgage, but this won’t be the last purchase you make.  You’re going to want to save for college, retirement or your dream vacation.  If you don’t put the money in now, you’ll have to do so later, and you’re essentially taking a loan from yourself against those future purchases.

No matter how long you run, you can’t burn off that midnight cheesecake

You may be making sacrifices and saving as much as you can, but still not feel like you’re getting any closer to your dream home.  You’re not alone.  Unlike their parents or grandparents, today’s typical middle class family has more than one job, and a surprising number of those families has three or more sources of income. Even with the popularity and necessity of taking on a second job, some people are embarrassed to do so, as if having a working spouse or taking on extra work on the side is a sign of failure.  Don’t be that person who’s too embarrassed to go to the gym because they don’t want anyone to see them get healthy.  There’s no shame in working.

You can’t lose weight without a scale

Most people keep track of their weight every day while dieting.  Some keep a food log.  Some count calories, points, or carbs.  The bottom line: You need to be able to see how you’re doing so you know when you can splurge and when you need to cut back.  The same is true when saving for a home. Make a budget and stick with it.  If you have a bad month, don’t get frustrated. Instead, commit to doing better next month.

Everyone needs a spotter

When you save money every month, where does it go?  Do you have a series of Mason jars filled with crumpled singles?  Is it sitting in your checking account, looking pretty when you check your balance but not doing anything else?  Even if you keep your money in one of our savings accounts, there’s a lot more we can do to help make your money work for you.  Our Kasasa Cash Rewards Checking pays a really high rate when you do a few simple things to qualify.  And, you can attach a high rate Kasasa Saver account to that checking which sweeps all of the rewards into the savings automatically.  We have a variety of great savings plans, from low-risk savings certificates to High Yield Accounts, which earn a higher dividend rate for your savings. High Yield accounts share many of the same conveniences as our regular savings accounts, including no-penalty access to your money if an unexpected emergency occurs.  

If you want to own a home, you need to save money, but you don’t have to do it alone.  Think of us as your personal trainer for your financial health.  Call us at 410-663-2500 or info@destinationscu.org, and we’ll help you figure out what you can afford and how you can get there.  Our plans are always easier to swallow than a kale smoothie. But then again, what isn’t?
Sources: