Online security is important, especially when it comes to banking. Here’s what you need to know about banking trojan viruses and how to avoid them.

Learn more about Norton device protection

Learn more about BitDefender protection 

Listen to our Setting up Secure Passwords Money Tip Tuesday for more security information

Learn more about Triangle's Better Checking account with Identity Theft Protection

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Transcript:

Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal Podcast. 

A banking trojan is a type of malicious virus that attempts to gain access to your bank information by posing as a trustworthy website. What this means is that these websites will spoof a credit union or bank’s website to try and trick you into signing in. However, when you sign into this fake website, what you are doing is sending your personal bank information to the cybercriminals. Another danger of banking trojans is they can be downloaded and installed onto your device, where they’ll gain access to even more of your personal information. 

So how do you avoid this deadly virus? First, make sure your device and web browsers are fully up to date. Developers often add security patches when they are made aware of vulnerabilities in the system. Consider using an antivirus such as Norton or Bitdefender to add an extra layer of protection to your device.  

Second, familiarize yourself with phishing tactics. Phishing is when a cybercriminal will send you an email pretending to be someone else. In the case of banking trojans, they will pretend to be your bank or credit union. These emails will often have a link or file attachment that they will attempt to get you to click. Don’t click on these, as this is how they will steal your information.  

There are a few ways to see if the email is a phishing scam or not. Look at the domain name of the email. If it's not a domain you’ve heard of or not the official name of your bank, it's probably a phishing scam. Look at the email and how it's formatted. Does it look like an official email? Are there typos and grammatical errors? If so, it’s probably a scam. You can also hover over the link, but don’t click it, to see where it is going to redirect you to. If it's not the official website, it’s a scam. If you ever get a phishing scam in your inbox, most email services provide an option to report phishing or as spam. 

Third, to avoid banking trojans altogether, have a computer that you use only for your banking. That means no browsing the internet, no sending messages, and no downloading anything. This will limit a cybercriminal’s ability to steal your information. 

Last, it’s also important to have a strong password. We talked about how to protect your password in a previous Money Tip if you would like to check it out! 

If there are any other tips or topics you’d like us to cover, let us know at [email protected] and don't forget to like and follow our Making Money Personal FB page and look for our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union on Instagram and LinkedIn to share your thoughts.  

Thanks for listening to today’s Money Tip Tuesday and be sure to check out our other tips and episodes on the Making Money Personal podcast.  

Have a great day!

You've probably heard the phrase, "What you think you become." If you want to achieve certain goals in life, you must work now on becoming the person that can achieve those goals in the future.

In this episode, we chat with Barbara Hatfield, Life Coach, about how strong visualization techniques positive thinking and good habit development can help you transform it to the person who can take on anything.

Follow Barbara on LinkedIn

Barb Hatfield Life Coaching on Facebook

Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

The Secret - Rhonda Byrne

Law of Attraction - Michael J. Losier

View episode transcript.

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With prices continuing to rise across the country, saving money on purchases is bound to become top of mind for many people. If you’re someone who likes to buy online, there are plenty of websites you can use to get the right price every time.  

slickdeals.net

bensbargains.com

dealnews.com

bargainjunkie.com

camelcamelcamel.com

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Transcript:

Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal podcast. 

When it comes to shopping, everyone wants to get the best deal.  

But bargain hunting can be laborious, and many times after long hours of hunting, you may still not end up with any real savings.  

Using the right resources will empower you to make wise choices about what you want to purchase and how much you’ll spend. Shopping online can save you money with very little effort. 

Not only do you buy from the comfort of your couch, you also don’t have to spend money on gas to drive to and from different stores. If you get a good shipping price, you can’t beat the convenience of buying online.  

Another thing to remember is that some retailers offer online only sales.  That means, you’ll get a better price when you buy online instead of going to the physical store. Many of these online shopping websites are great at picking up on those online sales to get you a deal you would otherwise miss out on. 

Here’s a list of five online websites you can explore when hunting for a great price. 

Slick Deals.net On this website you can shop a wide variety of products from top retailers like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Amazon and more. You can set up deal alerts for certain products when they go on sale. They’ll contact you when your item gets within the custom price range you set. It also has a grocery section so you can shop current prices for brand name grocery items and see how the price compares with other retailers. A valuable option to keep in mind as food prices continue to rise. You can also search and collect coupons for retailers to use when you checkout. 

Ben’s Bargains.com This website, like slickdeals.net, allows you to search by brand names or categories based on what you’re looking to purchase, and you can set up custom alerts for specific items. When you’re ready to buy, the listing makes it easy to purchase by taking you to the vendor website so you can securely check out.

DealNews.com Like the others you can also search by categories and brands and takes you to the vendor website when you’re ready to purchase. This site also provides coupon codes for vendor websites with offers like 50% off, free shipping and others.

Bargain Junkie.com This one is different than the others because it isn't categorized by brand names and you have to create an account to purchase on the website. It does offer free shipping on orders of $15 or more, which may end up being useful depending on what you’re purchasing.

Camelcamelcamel.comThis one is specifically an Amazon price tracker. If you’re an avid Amazon user, get familiar with this tool. If you’re looking to buy specific items, maybe higher ticket items and you want to get the best price possible, it shows you the item list price. It also compares with the average price so you can get an idea of how good a deal you’re getting. Plus, if you create an account, like the others, you can set up alerts for items and track the price history to time your purchase with special deals or offers. Another cool feature of this site is it displays a unique price chart so you can visually see how the price has changed over time and allows you to compare the price history with other retailers selling the same item. 

These aren’t the only websites out there to browse for deals and discounts.  

There are so many others you can check out for savings, coupons and other offers.  

Do a simple google search to look through and c

With gas prices on the rise, it’s more important now than ever to find ways to save some money not only at the pump but even while you drive. This tip shares some practical things you can do to save on fuel costs.  

Calculate your vehicle's mileage per gallon: https://fueleconomy.gov/feg/savemoney.jsp

Gasbuddy's article on the best day to buy gas: https://www.gasbuddy.com/newsroom/pressrelease/2022/02/01/1091

AAA's TripTik homepage: https://triptik.aaa.com/home/

AAA's gas cost calculator: https://gasprices.aaa.com/aaa-gas-cost-calculator/

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Transcript:

Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal podcast.  

If you’ve been paying attention at the pump, you’re likely to have noticed the rise in the price you’re paying to fill up your tank. 

In many places across the country, gas has already topped $5 a gallon and may not stop there. The national average is at the time of this recording is $5.01, an all-time US high.  

This can land a huge blow for your expenses, especially if you’re on a tight budget.  

Fortunately, if you prepare and do a little research, there are some simple actions you can take to save a little money on gas.  

We hope you’ll find these helpful to keep your fuel expenses low, especially this summer.  

Make sure you keep proper tire inflation. Under-inflated tires increase your vehicle’s drag which increases your car’s fuel consumption. If you want your car to drive as efficiently as possible, make sure you check your tire pressure and do your best to keep them all properly inflated. Next time you’re at the gas station to top off your tank, head over to the air hoses and top off your tires too. 

Get on a gas station rewards program or other plan. Many gas stations have started offering discounts for buying from their chain. If you visit a particular station the most, you may want to consider signing up for their program. It may not save you an exorbitant amount, but with the current prices, anything saved counts. National retailers and membership stores also offer gas programs. BJs, and Walmart+ offer discount prices on gas as part of their membership packages.

Use an app to find low prices in your area. Using apps like Gasbuddy, Waze, and others offer insight into which stations have the lowest prices. They also offer other tips and tricks you might find helpful when you need to fill up. For example, Gasbuddy released a recent study that showed what days were the best and worst days to fill your tank, with Sunday being the best and Wednesday and Thursday being the worst.  

Carpool with others if possible. If you can hitch a ride with someone you trust, you both can benefit from the savings. This is a very real option if you and a friend or family member are heading to the same location. If it saves you some money overall, it’s worth consideration.

Avoid speeding, rapid braking, and long idling. The US Department of Energy states that for light duty vehicles, every 5 mph you drive over 50 mph will increase your price per gallon by $.18. And that’s when gas was around $2.63 a gallon! Gas mileage decreases the faster you travel so try to keep your speeds at a level to get the best fuel economy. For long trips, use cruise control to keep your car at a steady pace and get you the most mileage for your money. Other habits like rapid braking and idling will also waste gas, so make sure you’re mindful of how you’re driving your vehicle to save on gas.

Plan your trips and consider fuel costs. If you’re planning a road trip, long or short, consider the amount of gas you’ll be using. Planning your route ahead of time will give you an opportunity to consider the terrain and environment you’ll be traveling through. Will you be traveling through dense metropolises at rush hour? Will your trip be mostly highway? All these

Password protection is important, especially when it comes to online banking. Here are some tips to keep your password (and your money) safe from cyber criminals.

Learn more about password protections from Google: https://passwords.google.com/intro

Learn about Firefox password protections: https://monitor.firefox.com/

Check out haveibeenpwned.com to check if your passwords have been compromised

Learn more about secure password management platforms LastPass and Dashlane

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Transcript:

Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal.   

The first step to making sure you have a secure password is to never use a password more than once. It may be easier to remember if all of your passwords are the same, but it will make it easier for cybercriminals to get access. If you use the same password for everything and that password gets compromised, all of your passwords are compromised and so are all of your accounts.  

When creating a unique password, don’t make something easy to guess. Obviously, password123 is a terrible password, and don’t make your password your name, your birthday, or anything else that someone could easily find out. It’s best to use a random string of both lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters to create a strong password that no one will guess. The longer and more complex your password is, the better. If you’re having trouble creating a password, most web browsers have a “suggest strong password” button, which will generate one for you to use. 

However, having a complicated password does make it difficult to remember. Fortunately, there are several ways to keep your password safe, confidential, and easy to access. Most web browsers have the option of saving your passwords for you, so you don’t have to write them down. However, it is better if you use a more secure dedicated password manager to keep them safe. LastPass and Dashlane are both easy to use and secure password managers that you may want to consider. You could even write your passwords down on a physical piece of paper, which might be the most secure as paper can’t be hacked. Just be sure to store your paper in a secure place so someone else can’t get a hold of it.  

Another way to keep your online banking and other accounts secure is to have two-factor authentication. This is typically a one-time code that is sent to your email or texted to you that you have to enter in order to gain access to your account. That way if your password is compromised, they will still need the authentication code to get in. 

Data breaches happen often, but how do you know if you are affected? Google’s Password Checkup, Mozilla’s Firefox Monitor, and Have I Been Pwned, can show you if your email and passwords have been compromised, so you can get to changing your password right away. 

If there are any other tips or topics you’d like us to cover, let us know at [email protected] and don't forget to like and follow our Making Money Personal FB page and look for our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union on Instagram and LinkedIn to share your thoughts.  

Thanks for listening to today’s Money Tip Tuesday and be sure to check out our other tips and episodes on the Making Money Personal podcast.  

Have a great day!

With the weather getting warmer and summer right around the corner, your mind may begin to wander toward a nice relaxing vacation. However, as you probably know, it is very easy to overspend on vacation, so you may want to consider planning your budget ahead of time. This tip shares some things to keep in mind while planning your dream vacation.

Learn more about making a vacation budget

Airbnb information: https://www.airbnb.com/

Value Penguin personal finance website: https://www.valuepenguin.com/average-cost-vacation

Information on hotel fees: https://www.neamb.com/travel-and-vacations/10-annoying-hotel-fees-and-how-to-avoid-them

Travel Zoo website: https://www.travelzoo.com/

Visit Groupon's website for discounts on tickets: https://www.groupon.com/

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Transcript: 

Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal Podcast. 

First, come up with a list of places you’d like to go. Travel can be really expensive, so figure out how you are going to get there. If you plan on going overseas, the only real option you have is to take a plane. Even if you aren’t going overseas, but it’s still far away, it might be more cost effective and time efficient to take a plane. If you’re not going too far and have access to a car, driving might be the way to go. If you go this route, figure out how far you will have to drive and how much gas you will need. Other alternative transportation such as buses and trains are also available and may be cheaper than driving yourself. 

When traveling, it can be easy to go over budget. According to ValuePenguin, a personal finance website, the average American family spends 44% of their vacation budget on traveling to and from the destination. When flying, it doesn’t help that airlines are constantly pushing more and more expenses to your bill. Things like flight insurance, in-flight meals and beverages, and in-flight entertainment, while nice to have, increase the cost of your travel and aren’t necessary. However, some credit cards offer travel rewards, so you may get some money back by using them. Some airlines also have reward programs for flying with them.  

Next, decide where you are going to stay. According to ValuePenguin, lodging on average takes up 26% of travel costs domestically and 21% internationally. Hotels and motels are usually the go-to choice, with motels typically being cheaper. Hotels are typically nicer than motels but can have a lot of fees that you may not know about. Hotels often charge for mini-bar and snacks, parking, early check in or late check out, and more. Air BnBs are a newer option, where you can rent someone’s house or room. This will give you a homier location, and you can choose which Air BnB is best for your price range. You can choose the location of where you want to stay, what type of housing you’d like, and what amenities you want, which may include a kitchen, and this brings us to our next topic of food.  

What and where you are going to eat is important to budget out, too. Do you plan on eating all your meals out at restaurants? This will fill up your budget very quickly. Some hotels and Air BnBs have kitchens included, so you can bring your own ingredients and food to make your own meals. This is a cheaper option and will allow you to budget some money for more fun and exciting activities.  

Finally, it's time to plan out what you want to do on this vacation. Are there any national parks to explore? Or maybe a theme park is more your style. Like all the other things, create a budget where you don’t overspend, but are still able to do what you want and relax. You may want to check Groupon or Travelzoo to see if they have any deals for your activities. Your local library may also have coupons that you can use on your vacation.  

Planning your next vacation can be str

In this current housing market houses are selling fast. It’s a crazy market for buyers, but it’s also a great market for sellers. If you’re considering selling your home, there are some things you can do to get as high a price as possible.  

Check out this checklist from realtor.com: https://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/home-selling-checklist-things-to-do-before-selling/

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Transcript:

Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from The Making Money Personal podcast. 

If you’re looking to sell your home, your goal is to convince buyers to offer you the best price they can. The best way to do that is to make your home as appealing as possible.  

Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to present an inviting home to prospective buyers that will have them clamoring to offer you an attractive price.  

If you’re getting your home ready for shows here are a few things you can do right away to attract buyers. 

The most obvious change is to go through and finish repairs or make any cosmetic changes. Simple things like a fresh coat of paint or new fixtures can take a room’s esthetic up a notch. You don’t have to go crazy here, but some outdated fixtures can be swapped out with newer, modern ones. Taking some time to complete any unfinished repairs, construction, patches and more will give prospective buyers the impression that they won’t have to do a lot of work and can often lead to higher offers. Cover any wall scuffs or scratches to keep the walls looking neat and well-maintained It’s true that some repairs have higher ROIs than others so if you’re looking to remodel, focus on the bathrooms and the kitchen.  Studies show that remodels for both of those will return the most value for any renovations you put into them  

Make a conscious effort to keep it clean and clutter free. Clean space is inviting. Make sure it’s not cluttered or dirty and prospective buyers will be more likely to see themselves living in that space. If you have the money, you can hire a professional cleaning service to clean your home to get it ready for showings. If you’d prefer to do it on your own, focus on a few of these changes. Clean windows and glass doors. Sweep or vacuum floors regularly to keep debris and dirt from building up. Minimize the amount of stuff you have on tables and couches. Add a light fresh scent – but not too overpowering. Don’t go overboard because strong smells can make people nauseous.  

Boost your curb appeal. Curb appeal is one of the first impressions someone will get off your home.  Make sure the yard is tidy and the exterior of the house is clean and looks maintained. If people touring your home like what they see on the outside, then they may be more open minded on how it appears on the inside. 

Realtor.com has a helpful list on things you can do to prepare your home to sell. It includes some of the items mentioned in this tip as well as a few additional ones. Check out that link in the show notes. 

To get a good price for your home, it’s important you take the necessary time to make it as presentable as possible. With a little bit of planning and effort, you may get the offer you’re looking for.  

If you found this episode helpful, we’d like to hear from you or maybe you have some ideas on other topics we should cover, email us at [email protected]. Be sure to subscribe to the Making Money Personal podcast for our full episodes and weekly Money Tips wherever you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook for more great content. 

On behalf of the podcast team, thank you to our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union, and thank you, as always, for listening. 

Have a great day everyone!

Life is busy. This could be the understatement for so many of us. How do we juggle family career civic responsibility and social media? In this episode, we'll hear from realtor and social media coach Kristen Reyes as she provides tips on how to handle the busyness of life, and how to use social media to grow your business.

Kristin and Kendall's website: https://www.reyeshometeam.net/

Call Kristin at (603) 489-7172

Email Kristin at [email protected]

Follow Kristin and Kendall on Instagram and Facebook 

View episode transcript.

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You’ve just graduated from college, so now what are you going to do? Here are some tips on how to land a job after college.

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Transcript:

Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal Podcast. 

First make sure you have all of the proper documents before applying. Having a solid resume is a good first step. Typically, your resume after college should not exceed one page. On the resume you should include relevant job experiences, where you graduated from, and skills you have. You should also have a way for potential employers to contact you, so include your phone number, email address, and LinkedIn. If you have an online portfolio, you can also include a link to that.  

Most job applications will want a cover letter. This is typically a one-page letter that allows you to tell potential employers more about yourself, your experience, your interests, and why they should hire you for the job. Since you will be applying to a lot of jobs, it’s a smart idea to create a template cover letter where you can fill in the blanks to personalize the letter for the job you are applying for.  

Now that you have all of your documents ready, it's time to start applying! There are a bunch of online job search boards that you can choose from, with Indeed and LinkedIn being the most popular. If you have ideas of what you want to do, just type it into the job search and see what results come up. It's also a good idea to narrow down the search results and only look at the entry-level positions. Apply to as many jobs as you can, that way you have a better chance of hearing back from at least one company.  

An unconventional way you can find places to apply is Google maps. Search for whatever industry you want to work in and add “Near Me”. Then look at the businesses nearby, go to their website, and see if they have any open positions. If there’s a specific company that you want to work for, you can also check to see if they have any openings. If there aren’t any, there may be an email or phone number you can contact to talk to someone about working there. 

After applying, all you can really do is wait for the hiring teams to get back to you. Some places respond very quickly, while others can take weeks and months. It is quite common to not hear back at all, which can be frustrating.   

When you do get invited to an interview, make sure you come prepared. Do a bit of research on the company and explore their website, since you don’t want to go in blind. Have talking points ready that showcase your skill set and why you would be a valuable addition to their team. After the interview, send a follow-up email saying that it was nice meeting with them and that you look forward to hearing from them soon. With any luck, you’ll be invited to another interview and maybe even land a job offer! 

Getting a job takes a lot of time and effort, but if you’re constantly applying and making connections, you may be working sooner than you think! 

If you found this episode helpful, we’d like to hear from you about thoughts on this show or maybe you have some ideas on other topics we should cover, email us at [email protected]. Be sure to subscribe to the Making Money Personal podcast for our full episodes and weekly Money Tips wherever you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook for more great content. 

On behalf of the podcast team, thank you to our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union, and thank you, as always, for listening. 

Have a great day everyone!

Rent increase is on the rise and has increased almost 50% since 2008. Now more than ever it's important to know how to handle it.

Additional resources:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/28/how-to-prepare-for-a-big-rent-increase-.html

https://nhlegalaid.org/self-help-guides/housing/leases-security-deposits/rent-increases

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Transcript:

Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal Podcast. 

Depending on where you live, there is no legal limit to how much your property owner can raise your rent. There is currently no limit in New Hampshire or Massachusetts. In order for the rent increase to be valid, the property owner must give 30 days’ notice and then the tenant needs to agree and sign. To protect yourself against rent increases, have a written lease that fixes the rent for a period of time. If you are paying rent month to month, the property owner can increase the rent each time you pay. 

Renters should proceed with caution when they lease with an escalator clause. These clauses allow the property owner to increase the rent before the lease runs out, so it's best to avoid leases with an escalator clause. This only applies for specific reasons, such as an increase in taxes and utilities. If you do end up signing a lease with an escalator clause and the property owner increases the rent, make sure you are only being charged for increased taxes and/or utilities. 

Talk with your property owner to see why the rent is increasing. You may be able to negotiate back down to the original rent or at least lower than the new cost. Before negotiating, do a bit of research. Are there a lot of vacancies in the building? You can use this as leverage by saying you can offer to tell people about the vacancy and try to get new people to move in. Look at the average cost of rent in your area – are you paying higher than average for comparable space? If it is, use this to your advantage. Tell your property owner that they are overpriced and moving may be a cheaper option for you. This, paired with vacancies in the building, may make the property owner reconsider, as they can’t lose out on more revenue. CNBC says to keep this in mind is “If your property manager or owner senses your desperation, you won’t have a solid stance to negotiate.”  

If the landlord won’t back down on the increase, try seeing if you can get some additional perks. Ask for some upgraded appliances or see if you can get some utilities included with the rent. 

If the landlord still won’t back down and refuses to negotiate, it might be time to consider moving. Moving can be expensive, so make sure you consider all of your other options first. 

If you found this episode helpful, we’d like to hear from you about thoughts on this show or maybe you have some ideas on other topics we should cover, email us at [email protected]. Be sure to subscribe to the Making Money Personal podcast for our full episodes and weekly Money Tips wherever you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook for more great content. 

On behalf of the podcast team, thank you to our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union, and thank you, as always, for listening. 

Have a great day everyone!