5 Bad Money Habits You Should Break

How good are you at managing your personal finances? Here are 5 bad money habits you may fall into, especially when money is tight in this recession, that you should break:

1) Not opening bills when they arrive - It might not be fun to open bills right away, but by putting off the inevitable you risk forgetting about the bill and incurring late fees as well as damaged credit history.

2) Thinking that it's ok to have debt because "everyone else" does - Just because other people have debt does not mean that they are going to pay that debt for you. Everyone is responsible for their own debt and should be aiming to be free of debt.

3) Investing in schemes to make quick cash - These are often scams. Trust the old adage, "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is".

4) Living for today and paying for it tomorrow - Tomorrow arrives sooner than you think and you will have to pay for your spending sooner than later.

5) Using your credit card for impulse purchases - Don't treat your credit card like free money. A good rule is to wait 24 hours before making purchases on your credit card to avoid making impulse buys.

NCUA Phishing Email Alert

ALERT!! Beware of emails posing as the National Credit Union Association (NCUA) which may be phishing scams. The bogus emails state that the NCUA will add $50.00 to the member's account for participating in a survey. The link in the email redirects to a counterfeit version of the NCUA's website and features a survey which asks you to provide your credit card information and other personal information.

If you are a member who has received this fraudulent email, please forward the entire message to phishing@ncua.gov