How to Guide on Preparing for Tax Season

How to Guide on Preparing for Tax Season

The New Year is here, and that also means the countdown to tax season begins. Preparing your taxes may seem like a stressful and daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. With a little organization and planning, you can file your taxes efficiently and even uncover opportunities to save money.

Step 1: Gather Your Documents

Here’s what you’ll likely need:

Credit card APR (Annual Percentage Rate) is the interest rate charged if you carry a balance on your card. It’s usually shown as a yearly (or annual) rate, but most credit cards calculate it daily or monthly. Knowing how to calculate APR charges can help you understand the cost of carrying a balance and avoid surprise fees. Here’s how to break it down!

Season’s Greetings from Your Credit Union!

As we celebrate the close of 2024, we’re reflecting with gratitude on a year of growth and renewed commitment to our members and community. Thanks to our expanded field of membership, to now include Stark, Summit, Portage, Tuscarawas and Carroll counties, we’ve had the privilege of welcoming new members into our credit union family—and we couldn’t be more excited to support your financial journeys...

Recap & Refresh – CSE Blog Wrap-Up

As another year ends, we’re thrilled to recap our 2024 journey through financial education! Together through our blog, we explored a variety of money topics, from budgeting basics to protecting against scams and fraud. Here’s a quick guide to all the topics we covered this year in our blog, making it easy to revisit any lesson whenever you need a refresher!

1. Budgeting and How to Put it into Practice

Budgeting...

The True Cost of Holiday Spending

The holiday season is a magical time, but along with the festivities comes a lot of pressure to buy gifts, host parties, and splurge on holiday traditions. For many, this means pulling out the credit card and racking up debt, or even applying for a holiday loan all in the name of showing love to family and friends.

While we’re here to provide for all of your financial needs at CSE, we also believe that...

New Reporting Requirements for Small Business Owners

As of January 1, 2024, the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act requires many companies doing business in the United States to report information about the individuals who ultimately own or control them. The law was passed to curb illicit finance and protect U.S. national security.

If you own a business operating in the United States you are now required to file details—to the Financial Crimes...

Attention Members:

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be implementing upgrades and improvements to our ATMs. One of the enhancements will be additional security to better protect both the cardholders who use the machine and the credit union. Another enhancement will enable the contactless functionality at the terminals, meaning cardholders will be able to tap the ATM to gain access to services on the card, similar to ‘tap-to-pay’ when checking out at merchants.

The...

How to Avoid Impulse & Emotional Shopping

Impulse and emotional shopping can wreak havoc on your finances, leaving you with regret and unnecessary expenses. CSE is dedicated to helping you make smarter financial choices, and in this article we’re focusing on how to control those impulses that might lead to overspending. Shopping can be fun and even therapeutic, but it’s important to stay in control and avoid those purchases that can hurt your financial health.

Here...

Helping Your Elderly Parents Manage Their Money

As our parents age, there may become a time when managing their money becomes a difficult task for them. If you’re the designated helper when it comes to their money, here are ten tips on how you can help ensure they remain secure and comfortable.

#1 OPEN COMMUNICATION

Starting off with an open and honest conversation about their financial situation can help alleviate high emotions. Many aging...

How to Create a Financial Wellness Checklist

If you’re in a place where you aren’t happy with your current finances, making a financial checklist might be a good next step to get out of your money slump. Struggling financially can lead to anxiety, stress, and overall health issues (mental, emotional, and sometimes even physical). That’s why it’s time for you to empower yourself to make good financial decisions for yourself to take charge...