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Portrait of Lora Shinn

Lora Shinn


Contributor

Lora writes for BECU and other regional and national publications about a range of personal finance topics including credit cards, student loans, home loans, medical debt, auto insurance, health insurance, renters insurance, estate planning, small business and careers. You'll find Lora's work in publications including The Balance, U.S. News and World Report, LendingTree, GoodRx, CNN Money, Bankrate, The Seattle Times, Redbook and Assurance IQ.

Lora has a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington.

Learn more about Lora's professional experience and education on LinkedIn and on Lora's website.

Credit Union vs. Bank CDs: 5 Differences

A man and woman are sitting close together at a table having a conversation. They appear relaxed and their expressions are calm. A cup of coffee and some papers are on the table. They are sitting in front of a white wall with picture molding and a window with a green lawn outside. Sun is shining in the window. The woman is looking at the man and talking while holding a stack of papers. The top few sheets are flipped up so they can look at a page in the stack. The man is looking down at the papers, gesturing with one hand and writing on a piece of paper with the other.

Learn the differences to find the best account for your savings goals.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Latinx-Owned Businesses See Growth

A group of nine individuals are seated inside at a table, while one person is standing and presenting in front of the group. The person presenting is holding a piece of paper and reading. To the left of the group another individual is standing and listening. The background displays a projector screen and a brick wall.

Latinx-owned businesses are growing — but owners still face barriers in funding.
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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.​

12 FAQs About Repaying Your Student Loans

Two young college-aged students sitting at a table inside located in front of large windows. Trees are in the background outside. The two students are looking together at the screen of a laptop that's in front of one of the students, who is typing on the laptop keyboard. The other student not in front of the laptop is holding a pen in one hand and has a book in their other hand resting on the table, open to a page.

​​We share options and information about repaying your federal student loans.​

Back-to-School Budget-Friendly Checklist

A young boy stands next to his mother and father in the aisle of an office supplies store. The family is facing a wall full of writing utensils and other back-to-school supplies, with the father reaching to pull an item off the shelf.

Browse common school supplies to build your must-buy list.

The Cost and Benefits of Caregiving

Young girl in a wheelchair smiles as she looks back at four other members of her family, who are surrounding the young girl on all sides while posing and smiling for the photo.

Learn about financial challenges caregivers face and resources that can help.

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.

How To Get a Credit Card for My Kid

Mother holding a mobile phone sits next to her child who is holding a credit card. They are sitting at a table, smiling. A large green plant is in the background.

Learn how to help your kids start building credit and managing their finances.

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.

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.
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New Baby Budget: Costs for the First Year

Mother and father sitting on the floor in front of a baby crib holding and looking at their newborn baby, with a black- and white-colored dog as well as a brown- and grey-colored dog laying down on the floor next to them. Friendly depictions of a raccoon, bear, and forest are painted on the walls of the room. "Miranda Jade Photography" photo credit is displayed in text in bottom left hand corner of image.

Prepare for costs in the first year of your baby's life.

Grocery Inflation: Items That Cost More

A person pushes a grocery cart down the dairy aisle of the grocery store. The cart contains lots of fresh vegetables and other items. The person's hands and lower body are visible.

Learn which grocery prices have increased and get money-saving tips.

LGBTQ+ Money Tips

Illustration of five people holding a Pride flag. A cloud of comment bubbles of varying sizes, each containing a dollar sign, is above their heads, to symbolize that they are talking about money.

Get personal finance tips from BECU's LGBTQ+ employees.