By Lila Quintiliani, AFC®

Spring is almost here. Here are 5 easy tips to get your financial house in order.

by Lendup

If you are a typical working American with a full-time job, then taxes are most likely your biggest expense.  In fact, in 2017, American taxpayers paid over a trillion dollars in state and local taxes and over $3 trillion in federal taxes!

Last week life threw me one of those proverbial curveballs that always seem to happen at the absolute worst time: my beloved corgi puppy was diagnosed with a congenital liver defect that required immediate surgery on both her liver and bladder. She’s like a child to me - how could I possibly say no? Although we do have pet insurance, it only pays for a portion of the procedure, and I had to pay a percentage up front. Fortunately, we have an emergency fund for contingencies like this. And thankfully we kept the fund in the right place.

Did you know you’re more likely to save a windfall than a small amount consistently over time? Hack that psychology by saving your bonuses, raises, and tax refunds.

This tax season, get ahead of your financial goals by depositing at least $50 of your refund into a savings account. If you do, you’ll also be eligible to win one of over 100 prizes up to $10,000 by entering SaveYourRefund!

By Andia Dinesen, AFC ®, EVP Communications and Operations, Association of Military Banks of America

This Military Saves Week, take the Save The Extra challenge. Military life, your benefits, pay, raises, promotions, deployments, duties, special pay, etc. can provide a military family many opportunities to “save the extra” money that may find its way to you. There are many strategies to help you save more effectively and using the tips below may help you reach your saving goals much faster when you challenge yourself to Save The Extra! Take the Military Saves Pledge as your first step.