Wauchula State Bank's Life Stages Planning
Families on the Go
Managing the financial responsibilities of family life
By the time you have a family of your own, there will be accompanying expenses such as fees for various activities and lessons for your children, family vacations, saving for college educations or buying a new home. Throughout this time, you should regularly evaluate your progress towards achieving the financial goals you set earlier in your life and adjust your spending, budgeting and saving to make sure you stay on track. With all the demands a family places on your income, it is still important to build your long-term investments.
Planning and discipline that determines what and how you spend contributes to your future financial success. Here are some tips Wauchula State Bank recommends for sound financial management during this demanding time of your life.
Seeking the best mortgage or consumer loan by shopping, comparing and negotiating may save you thousands of dollars. A mortgage—whether for a home purchase, refinancing or a home equity loan—is a product, just like a car, so terms may be negotiable. You’ll want to compare all the costs involved in obtaining a mortgage including interest rates, points, fees and down payment and private mortgage insurance requirements. Home equity loans and lines of credit can be helpful when extra cash is needed to reduce significant credit card debt—but be cautious about re-building credit card debt once it is paid.
With competitive rates, experienced lending professionals and local decision-making, you’ll be sure to find a loan at Wauchula State Bank that meets your needs. We offer a variety of terms and loans enabling us to uniquely design a mortgage loan for your specific circumstance.
Learn more about our Loans and Mortgages.
Your financial behavior over the past seven years, including how much credit you have, how long you've had it and whether you pay your bills on time is information included in your credit report. Three credit reporting agencies — Equifax, TransUnion and Experian — maintain these reports, and lenders use them to help them decide whether to offer you a prequalification. Your credit report also carries your credit score ranked between 300 and 850 that many lenders use to decide whether you are creditworthy and will repay a loan. Your credit score can also influence the interest rate you pay. In many cases, the higher your score, the lower your interest rate. Your credit score is available from the three credit reporting agencies:
- Equifax – www.equifax.com
- TransUnion – www.transunion.com
- Experian – www.experian.com
Also Request your FREE annual Credit Report here.
By starting early, when your child is in preschool or before, you can build a realistic fund through the power of compounding over many years. The earlier you start, the less you’ll have to save per month.
Through Wauchula State Financial Services, you can access products designed to help you fund your child’s higher education. Let our experienced Financial Advisors assist you in learning all your options.
You’ll reduce the time it takes to pay your bills and save on the expense of printed paper checks and postage while helping the environment as well.
Personal Online Banking – With Wauchula State Bank’s Personal Online Banking, customers can access accounts from anywhere 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via the World Wide Web at www.wauchulastatebank.com. Having the ability to monitor your account at any time offers peace of mind like never before! It’s fast, it’s easy and best of all, it’s free!
eStatement is a free, secure and paperless option to managing your account activity online - anytime, anywhere. Sign up by opting in for electronic statement delivery through our Online Banking service.
Many people underestimate the amount of money they’ll need in retirement. Be realistic about major expenditures, e.g., will your mortgage be paid off by retirement? If so, you may need less income than you do now. Do you plan to buy a vacation home or travel extensively? Will you have to pay for your own health insurance? These and other financial considerations all come into play.
Now is a good time to up your contributions to your retirement savings accounts. Talk with Wauchula State Bank’s Retirement Specialists to learn about the products we offer that can help you meet your retirement goals.
Tips for Effective Financial Management:
- Review the cost of your health care insurance and make sure you are getting adequate coverage at the best price.
- Make wise purchasing decisions by determining what you “need” compared to what you “want.” This will help you make ongoing decisions to keep your finances in check.
- Guard against impulse shopping, especially for costly purchases such as vehicles, major appliances, furniture, jewelry and the like.
Some Financial Calculators for the Family on the Go..
Our calculators can help you determine what you need to achieve your goals and stay on budget.
| Mortgage Calculator | Retirement Calculator |
For help determining the best solutions for sound and productive money management during your Active Families life stage, please contact us at 863-773-4151 or customer.service@wauchulastatebank.com . We’re here for you!
