Southern Blog
Keeping Your Credit Strong during a Pandemic
By Charlestien Harris Hello again my financial fitness trainees! As you know, we’ve been discussing the importance of lowering expenses and prioritizing bills. Being able to stay current on bills can become increasingly challenging as the COVID-19 crisis...
Don’t Let High Bill Payments Weigh You Down
Hello everyone! I am Charlestien Harris, certified housing and credit counselor, and I’m back again to talk about finances. The coronavirus has destroyed many budgets and affected the normal flow of income for a number of households. Previously, I talked about bill...
Consumer Alert: COVID-19 Scams By The Numbers
Scammers adapt to the latest issues even in this time of crisis. The Bureau of Consumer Protection has compiled the latest data on COVID-19 related scams. Here are the highlights: From January 1 until today, the FTC has gotten 18,235 reports related to COVID-19, and...
Building Wealth and the CARES Act: Some Points to Remember
By James Owen Building wealth doesn’t happen overnight. But over the next few days, you’ll likely have to make some decisions that could help you build long-term wealth. In late March, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act....
Financial Fitness
A financial coach’s blog of tips for staying financially fit By Charlestien Harris As we navigate this very turbulent time in our lives, there are very credible sources of good sound financial advice readily available to the public. I am a HUD Certified...
How to Avoid Coronavirus Scams
We want to make our customers aware of the increase in scams and fraud related to the Coronavirus Disease, known as COVID-19. Be extremely careful with coronavirus (COVID-19) related text messages, emails that may contain malicious links and attachments, phone calls,...
Super Saving with Kids during a Pandemic
For many of us, our kids are now at home with us all day. If your kids are like mine, they are suddenly always hungry and you can’t keep them occupied. Here are some ideas for you to save money while making sure your kids are well taken care of. Snacks Grab a small...
Super Pandemic Saving
I never thought that my next blog post would be on how to save during a pandemic. But, here we are. This post is a little longer, so stay with me. We are all in different aspects of this pandemic. Some are working from home, some are unable to work from home and are...
Banking the Underserved at the Speed of Trust
It’s easy to miss important parts of the Delta. At first glance, a juke joint could be mistaken for a roadside shack. A flooded field is actually the start of a productive rice crop. And a neon-lit payday lender might be a debt trap. Also perhaps overlooked, immigrant...
Super Saving: America Saves Week Edition
America Saves Week is here! America Saves Week is an annual celebration and call to action for every American to commit to saving successfully. So, how can you start saving? Save Automatically When I think of saving automatically, I initially think of setting up a...