If you look around the internet, you’ll find many quotes about dreams and goals and what it takes to get there. You don’t have to search hard to find boatloads of people who think they’ve drilled down to the one secret ingredient to achieving all your ambitions in life, whether that key element is passion, determination, planning, or something else.

Did you make any new year's resolutions for 2024? Have you done a good job of sticking to them thus far? If you haven't set any goals for the new year or are struggling to live out the action steps to achieve the goals you set, I encourage you to make a vision board and write your goals down.

Holiday spending is often a budget-buster. The expenses can be numerous: presents, wrapping paper, cards, decorations, food, and travel, to name a few. Yet very few people have unlimited holiday spending capabilities. If you don’t have the funds to buy everything you want, there’s no need to despair. A little bit of creativity and energy can get you through the holidays without draining your wallet.

With the holidays right around the corner, you've probably started making your shopping list and scouring through sales ads for all of the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Although you could quickly load up your Amazon cart with all the gifts on your list, I would encourage you to look into local businesses as an alternative.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and, if done right, can be one of the year's best holidays. With all of the delicious food, the gathering of loved ones, and the entertainment (football and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade), it's a recipe for success. 

As we kick off a new month before the holiday season, you may be looking for ways to make or save a little more money than usual for upcoming expenses. Check out the blog post below for ways to save every day so that come December, you have a little extra to spend during the holidays. 

And after the holiday season is over, check into our Christmas Club Account for great savings options for next year. 

For the October Financial Friday Community Panel, I was honored to be joined by my President/CEO Tim Carlisle; Christina Jackson, Executive Director of the McLeod Health Foundation, and Nicole Spencer, Assistant Director of Oncology Services for McLeod Health, to talk about the McLeod Health Foundation, McLeod Health's upcoming Comprehensive Cancer Center and raise awareness for Breast Cancer.

It's officially pumpkin season! Pumpkins make the perfect fall decor, and who doesn't love carving/painting them for Halloween fun? However, with the South Carolina heat, you almost have to wait until later on in the season to run out and grab those pumpkins, or you'll end up with a rotten mess (yuck). But now that temperatures are starting to cool down and Halloween is right around the corner, it is full steam ahead for pumpkin patches. 

The Biden administration announced the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan in June 2023. The plan will put monthly payments at $0 for many borrowers and save others up to $1,000 monthly. Here’s how to know if you’re eligible and what to do if you are.