BECU Blog

Your source for stories and information to help you reach your financial health goals.

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Money Management Tips 

Build a solid financial foundation and save for the future.

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Advancing Equity | Budgeting | Credit & Debt | Spending & Shopping | Mortgages & Home | Security, Scams & Fraud | Hear From Our CEO | Taxes | BECU Spotlight | Jobs & Income

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2024 Tax Extension: Deadline, Rules, How To File

A man sits in his kitchen looking at papers he's holding in his right hand and punching buttons on a calculator with his left hand. A laptop is open on the table in front of him.

Need more time for your taxes? Learn about tax extensions.

How To Use a Secured Card To Build Credit

A woman is smiling and handing her card to pay her bill at a restaurant. In front of her is a card reader and a figure's hand reaching for her card. In the background are two women talking. The background is a restaurant setting with a bar in the back.

Learn how you can use a secured credit card to help improve your credit.

Are CDs Worth It Right Now?

This is an image of a father and son in an airport. They are sitting down in chairs and looking out a window and pointing outside. In the photo in a red suitcase. The son is wearing a gray stripped shirt and has blonde hair. The father is wearing a gray shirt and has brown hair.

If you don’t need access to your money soon, a CD might be good for you in 2024.

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What Is a CD and How Does It Work?

A BECU employee sits down with a member in an office at a neighborhood financial center. The employee is wearing a name tag and a green shirt. The member is facing away from the camera and he is wearing a blue shirt. In the background are desk cabinets, some office supplies like pens and pencils in containers at the employee's desk and a window facing trees.

Learn more about CDs, the different types and the pros and cons of CD investing.

​​15 Terms To Include in a Remodel Contract​

This is an image of three people looking at paperwork on a desk. The setting of the photo suggests a couple is getting a consultation with a home contractor. The contractor is on the left side of the image and is wearing a bright orange vest. He's wearing glasses and is pointing at paperwork on a table. In the middle is a man, who is wearing a gray shirt. Both of his hands are resting on the table, as he looks down at the paperwork. On the right-hand side is a woman. She is also wearing a gray shirt and has a ponytail. Both her hands are also resting on the table, as she looks down at the paperwork. In the background is a window and brick walls.

​​Clear contract terms can help your home remodeling project go smoothly.​

Joint Accounts: Pros and Cons for Couples

A couple is looking at paperwork in their kitchen. A woman is holding paperwork in her hand while her other hand is rested on her chin in a thinking posture. The man is behind her and is also looking at the paper with one of his hands on his hip. They are in a indoor kitchen setting. The woman appears to be sitting at a kitchen counter, while the man is standing. There are two mugs on the countertop and a computer is open as well.

Learn about co-managing finances with your partner using a joint account.

Advancing Equity

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Path to Equity: A Woman VP's Perspective

BECU's Vice President of Servicing and ATM Operations Shawna Thompson.

How the workplace has changed for women in Shawna Thompson's 30 years with BECU.

11 Black Finance Leaders in History

Collage of photos, some very old black-and-white photos, of the faces of Black finance leaders in history.

Learn about Black trailblazers in finance.

SVP Values Diversity of Asian Experiences

Balaji Ponnuswamy with his daughters, Varsha (left), Priyanka (center right) and his wife, Gayathri (right).

Statistics hide the range of inequity and different experiences of Asian people.

Budgeting

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CD vs. Savings Accounts: Which Is Best?

Three people on a kayak in a lake. A man wearing a red life vest in the back, a boy wearing a red life vest in the middle and a boy wearing a yellow life vest in the front. They are holding paddles and smiling at the camera.

Learn which type of account might be a good financial fit for you.

Emergency Funds: Your Financial Safety Net

Emergency Funds - Your Financial Bestie

Learn what an emergency fund is, why you need one and how much you should save.

How To Boost CD Savings: 3 Strategies

A smiling person starts to open the hatch back of a silver car parked in front of a building. He has a suitcase in his hand. He is wearing a black and white striped shirt. In the background is a sidewalk, green bushes and a staircase leading up to the front of a house. Another person is standing at the front of the house.

Learn three main strategies to help you invest with CDs.

Credit & Debt

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How To Pay off Credit Card Debt

Two smiling men sit shoulder-to-shoulder in front of a laptop and look over a paper document together.

Get tips for paying off debt and saving for the future.

What Is a Secured Credit Card?

This image is a close up of someone paying for a transaction with a BECU visa credit card. One person's hands are on their wallet, and the other persons hands are inserting the credit card into a wireless point of sale card reader. They are at what appears to be a wood countertop.

Learn how secured credit cards work and how they can help you build credit.

Why Did My Credit Score Drop? 11 Reasons

Illustration of a credit score gauge. A person is sweating from the effort of pulling on the indicator needle, like it's a lever, to move their credit score up.

Learn about these common credit-score setbacks and how to improve your score.

Spending & Shopping

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Exercise Your Options Before Joining a Gym

A man is smiling and riding a stationary bike indoors. In the background is fitness equipment. He is looking at a screen while riding the bike. Both of his hands are on the handlebars and he is wearing a red crewneck sweater. The photo has a Consumers' Checkbook logo and the bottom right-hand corner.

Consider your exercise goals and learn how to save money on fitness.

How To Get a Fair Deal on Auto Repair

A woman happily driving a car. White text says Consumers' Checkbook in the lower right corner.

Tips for shopping for an auto mechanic.

‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Pros and Cons for Travel

Parents stand smiling with their two young children on a sunny, sandy beach with bright blue water behind them. A logo says Consumers' Checkbook on the lower right.

Find out if putting off payment for your upcoming trip is right for you.

Mortgages & Home

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How Credit Debt Could Affect Your Mortgage

Image of a young, smiling couple standing in front of a brick home with one of the individuals holding house keys in their hand.

Find out if credit card debt affects whether you qualify for a home loan.

Is DIY Home Improvement Right for You?

A woman smiles as she paints a white wall gray using a roller brush.

Save time and money and increase your home value by doing your homework.

Low-Cost Tips For Reducing Energy Use at Home

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Get tips to benefit your wallet — and the planet.

Security, Scams & Fraud

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​How To Spot a Text Scam

This is an illustration of three hands holding up smart phones. Each phone is displaying text message threads with potential text scams. The phone on the left appears to have an alert message. The phone in the middle has question mark icons and a red security flag. The phone on the left has several dollar sign symbols and a red security flag. Each hand has a diverse skin tone color. The background of the illustration is blue.

​​Is that text real? We identify common scams and ways to spot fake texts.​

Password Phishing: How To Avoid Scams

Computer screen with password typed in has a sticky note in the top right corner with a fishing hook going through it.

Protect your personal and financial information from online attacks.

Protect Your Child From Identity Theft

Two smiling young children, sitting side by side, looking down at a digital tablet they are holding together. Consumers' Checkbook logo in bottom right of image.

Learn the warning signs and take steps to protect your kids.

Taxes

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2023 Income Taxes: What You Need To Know

An image of a person on a computer while filing their taxes. They are looking at what appears to be a W-2 Form. The form is in their left hand. The person is using their right hand to calculate numbers on a calculator. The Consumers' Checkbook logo is in the bottom left-hand side of the image. There is a pen on a white surfaced desk top and a plant. In the image you can see the back of the person's head and she is wearing blue glasses.

Learn what to expect as you prepare to file your 2023 income taxes.

5 Common Tax Filing Mistakes To Avoid

Calculator paper clip and pen on a table

Be sure to avoid these mistakes during tax season.

2022 Income Taxes: What You Need To Know

Two men sitting close together on a gray couch. The man on the left is wearing a blue shirt and glasses and is pointing at a tablet in other man's hand. Man on right is wearing a gray shirt. Consumers' Checkbook logo in upper right corner.

Learn how changes to tax laws might affect your 2022 tax return.