Financial Education
Expand and deepen your financial knowledge
A good financial education can be hard to get. Many families don’t talk about money. Few of us learn in school how to do our taxes or the difference in loan types.
But financial education is important to ensure you’re living the life you want.
We’ve broken down some of the most relevant financial topics into easy-to-understand information that will help you feel more confident in making some of life’s biggest decisions.
Financial education topics
Saving and budgeting
How much do you earn? How much do you spend? How much can you save? Knowing how to answer basic questions like these can put you on more solid financial ground.
Credit and debt
Credit gives us more purchasing power. But it can also pull us into a debt spiral that seems impossible to escape from. Learn how to build and use credit responsibly and how to stop debt from interfering with your goals.
Loans
Mortgages, auto purchase, auto re-fi, personal, student, business, and more. There are many loan types you can access to help finance your dreams. Learn about them and how to select the right one for you.
Life events
Graduations, births, deaths, retirements, marriages, divorces, employment, and layoffs. These are all important live events. Are you financially prepared for them?
Investing and insurance
How do you make your money work harder for you? How much coverage do you need to support your family in case of an emergency? Discover the benefits and subtleties of investing and insurance.
Business
Be your own boss. Build something from the ground up. Leave a legacy. Being a business owner is as rewarding as it is challenging. Learn where to start, how to grow, and how to protect your business.
Additional resources
Connect with SECU
In person or virtual. Connect with us when it’s convenient for you.
VISIT THE VIRTUAL FINANCIAL CENTER
SCHEDULE IN-PERSON APPOINTMENT
SCHEDULE VIRTUAL APPOINTMENT
Financial education FAQs
Find the answers you’re looking for in our financial education FAQs.
With an adjustable-rate mortgage, or ARM, your interest rate is based on an index plus a margin. It is fixed for the initial period, such as first five years on a 5/1 ARM or the first seven years on a 7/1 ARM. The rate will then adjust each and every year thereafter. The new interest rate is based on the current index plus a margin.
For a 5/1 ARM, the interest rate is capped at 2% for the initial change, 2% for each subsequent change with a lifetime cap of 5% over the initial rate.
For a 7/1 ARM, the interest rate is capped at 5% for the initial change, 2% for each subsequent change with a lifetime cap of 5% over the initial rate.
Please contact us for the current index and margin.
Mortgage interest rates are determined by a number of factors, including market and economic conditions, credit characteristics, personal financial situation, and the amount of the down payment or equity.
For our most current mortgage rates, visit our rates page.
IRA stands for individual retirement account. IRAs allow you to make tax-deferred investments to provide financial security when you retire.
Dividends are money paid to you for keeping a balance in certain accounts. The amount paid is generally a percentage of the average daily balance in the account for the month. The average percentage yield (APY) is the total actual percentage (including dividend accruals over the year) that a fixed sum in the account would earn.
See our rates page to see how much you can earn with an account from SECU.
An overdraft is created when the available balance in your checking, share savings, or other deposit account is not sufficient to cover a check, withdrawal, automatic transfer, electronic transaction, or any other electronic purchase payment or debit.
See our Agreements and Disclosures booklet for important details on your checking account balances, overdrafts, and helpful tips to avoid overdrafts.
Your account balance is the total amount of money that is currently in your account, including all funds engaged in holds and pending transactions.
Your available balance is the total amount of money in your account that is accessible for purchases and withdrawals. This number does not include held or pending funds, checks that have not been cashed, or deposits that have yet to post.
Overdraft fees are determined using your available balance.
