Commonly called a CD, a Certificate of Deposit is a savings-based investment that produces a higher return on investment than many others in its class. Considered a sound, reliable investment, CDs are generally part of a well-balanced portfolio. By understanding how they work, as well as their benefits and disadvantages, community members can make informed decisions about adding CDs to their mix of financial holdings.  

Every year when the kids head back to school, and the weather gets cooler, the south gets ready for their favorite season of the year, football season. Sports have become such an integral part of our society that I feel like our seasons of the year revolve around them; Football Season, Basketball Season, Baseball Season and Summer.

With sports playing such a huge role in people's lives, they tend to start their children in youth leagues as early as possible and fill their nights and weekends with sporting events from that time on. According to the National Council on Youth Sports, parents spend an average of $671 per year on youth sports, with 20%of parents spending over $1,000 or more per year—on each child!

The good news is parents have options when it comes to sports-related spending. Check out the BALANCE blog post below for tips on how to balance the family sports budget:

The phrase “passive income” is often thrown around by people wanting to make money by teaching you ways to earn it. Because the concept is so intriguing, there are a lot of misuses and misrepresentations of the term. After all, who doesn’t want to learn how to make thousands of dollars a month without doing anything to earn it?

Preparing your child for a new school year can be difficult. Not only are there new school clothes and supplies that you have to stock up on, but meeting a new teacher and settling into a new environment can be both mentally and emotionally taxing and may require some help from you. 

It’s a tough reality of living in a computer-driven world: scams will always find their way into popular technologies. Digital payment apps are no exception. With their use becoming increasingly a part of our everyday life, knowing the steps for safeguarding your information and maintaining control of your money is essential.

With the start of a new school year right around the corner, its time to start filling up the cart with back-to-school items. If the rows and rows of school supplies at Walmart and Target haven't already sucked you in, then Tax-Free Weekend is the perfect time to grab some of the key items that may be on your list.

With back-to-school time right around the corner, I was joined on the July Financial Friday Community Panel by Local Civic Leader Fred Nesta to talk about his partnered Back-To-School drive and Horry County School's Teacher of the Year, Emma Lyn Cain, to give parents and students advice for starting a new school year. 

With the extreme temperatures and sweltering heat we've been having, you may have been spending a lot more time indoors the past few weeks with the A/C cranked up. Although this is a great way to beat the heat, it's a surefire way to break the bank. 

Below are ten helpful tips to help you reduce electricity costs, even in the hot summer months:

It's been three years to the week since I purchased my first home. With buying a house came the responsibility of so many things I had never had to think about while renting. I was now responsible for maintenance or repairs, lawn care, pest control, taxes, insurance, etc.

With any new purchases, there is typically some type of warranty, and for me, with new construction, I had a one-year window on many of the different systems within my home. My contractor and I became great friends over the year because I called him with a million questions and issues with anything warranty-related.

As I was nearing that one-year mark, I began to worry about what I would do and what it might cost to fix things after my year. Fortunately, I stayed alert and was able to avoid any extended warranty scams, where people tried taking advantage of that worried feeling. Check out the blog post below with some of the tips I used to avoid falling victim to warranty scams:

I just returned from a fantastic weekend getaway to the beach in North Carolina. My boyfriend and I wanted to go somewhere smaller and keep things budget friendly and low-key for a relaxing long weekend. If you're like me, you can't plan for the perfect vacation without a million lists. There's always a packing list, an "places to see" list, and if I'm really on top of things, there's normally even a full itinerary. 

Thankfully, I had the budget checklist below to help me think of everything I might have to pay for and keep myself in check. Because otherwise, unexpected expenses that we hadn't prepared for could have made our budget-friendly weekend getaway quite expensive.