Buying a home for the first time is a much more in-depth process than many buyers think. Many first-time home buyers jump in with both feet before realizing the steps that they should take to find their dream home. Take a look at some of these home buying mistakes you should avoid while searching for your new home:

When I was a kid my father would take advantage of a rainy summer day and had me and my two brothers roll coins. It seemed that the empty peanut butter jars of coins he had accumulated were never ending. This was no small task - it took us hours and hours, but I didn't mind. The work was mindless and I liked the sense of accomplishment from seeing the full rolls neatly stacked (was this a precursor to my banking career?).

Soon it will be my thirty-fifth anniversary! Not a wedding anniversary, but I've been a credit union member for thirty-five years. It all started when my father opened an account for me at the credit union for the pharmaceutical company where he worked.

Most of us make a New Year's resolution at some point in our lives. The passing of one year and looking forward to the next brings both reflection and promise. What I like about resolutions is that we identify goals that we have the power to change ourselves, such as reading more, starting an exercise program or saving money.

Everyone says that we are in the information age. With a laptop or a tablet, knowledge is literally at our fingertips. When it comes to financial learning however, we tend to unconsciously skip over this readily available, yet boring information. We are all guilty of this (myself included). Who wants to think about finances when we can be entertained by ethereal ball gowns worn on the red carpet at the Academy Awards ceremony?

Are you still planning a summer vacation? Haven’t quite finalized your plans due to budget concerns? Never fear - the season is still young, and you have plenty of time to clean your financial house in advance of a nice summer getaway! With this in mind, here are a few helpful strategies to make your summer vacation a smashing success.

When it comes to newlyweds or a recently engaged couple, it can be easy to get caught up in the honeymoon phase of your relationship and disregard financial issues in your relationship. It is easy to get sidetracked when you are wedding planning, searching for the perfect home or deciding how many children you want to have. While these are excellent topics to discuss, to ensure a healthy marriage we encourage you to discuss money matters.

It can be tough growing up and not having enough money to spend on things you want to have or experiences you want to take part in. And even when you start making money, you may not understand how to do so wisely and save smartly, especially since so many high schools don't offer a personal finance course.

Since we all know what the other certainty in life is (death), maybe we shouldn't be all that upset about the onset of tax season, right? And while it may seem that the tax code gets more complicated every year, the good news is there are also a lot more tools now than ever before to streamline the process of tax preparation and make sure you complete your return correctly. Here are a few tax hacks to dial down the pain.

As you well know, college years are full of independence and personal growth. They also bring several new challenges and responsibilities. Of course these obviously vary from family to family, but this new season of life often begins the transition from financial dependence on mom and dad to independence. No matter where you are in this transition, there are several habits you can develop now to help you realize long-term financial success and there's no better time than now to get started.

Buying your first home should be an exciting time in your life, but it can be hard to stay levelheaded when you can quickly become overwhelmed. You have to assess your own finances, learn unfamiliar financial jargon, conduct endless research, and focus on a million other things. Here are a few tips to make your first home buying experience a little less stressful.

Buying a home is one of the most important purchases you will make in your lifetime. With such an important decision comes important questions. We have compiled a few of the questions first-time homeowners often have when entering the home buying market: 

Sensible Savings Tricks During the Holidays

The holiday season is filled with extra expenses including travel, decor, food, and gifts. The average American spends about $1,000 on holiday expenses. Spending that kind of money at one time can be tough on your budget.

Whether you're a first-time home buyer, downsizing, trading up, or refinancing your current mortgage, you will have plenty of questions on finding the right lender. Choosing to refinance your home or enter into a new mortgage is not always an easy process, but having the support of a good lender will make the process easier.

Maybe you thought about making a New Year’s resolution to save more. If you did, you’re not alone. Forty five percent of Americans “usually” make a resolution, according to research from the University of Scranton. The same data suggests that only 8% of people are successful in achieving their goal. Don’t let that discourage you. It’s tax season. If you’re getting a tax refund, here are some suggestions to help you reach your savings goals.

If you’re a first-time home buyer, you may have heard the term “gift letter” when you started to think about getting a mortgage. It sounds too good to be true. Someone can give you a gift to help you buy your first home. How does it work?

It’s not very often that we get to treat ourselves to a vacation, so when we do, we tend to splurge on expensive hotels, high-end restaurants, and memorable souvenirs. With summer quickly approaching, many of us are left unsure of how we will be able to afford to get away for a summer vacation. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to start saving, budgeting, and planning for your next vacation.

School is out, summer has begun, and families all over the country are beginning to make summer vacation plans. Have you thought about making plans, only to get disappointed over the cost? Maybe you’d like to upgrade to a bigger, more elaborate vacation to an exotic destination. Maybe you’d like to bring along another member of the family, but just don’t have the funds. Make your summer vacation a little better with some thrifty advice from We Florida Financial.

Banks vs. Credit Unions: Which is Better for Home Loans?

If you're looking for a home loan, chances are you may have thought of going to your local bank. This is probably common practice for most of us. However, there are alternative organizations like credit unions that offer home loans. 

Here are some of the reasons why credit unions fare better than banks:

Should You Use Your Mortgage for Debt Consolidation?

When interest rates are low, it makes good financial sense to consolidate debt. Here is what you should consider before you refinance your home to merge all your bills into one.