Celebrate Your Financial Freedom on America’s 250th Anniversary

This year, America marks 250 years of freedom, lighting the way towards life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While the summer celebration is full of friends, family and a little rest and relaxation, it’s also a great time to reflect on another type of freedom: Financial freedom.

Now more than ever, the ability to exercise your financial freedom opens more doors and gives you the opportunity to do more, save more and prepare for the future. Starting new good financial habits today can make it even easier for you to find a better life, more liberties and pursue happiness in whatever form it takes.

Through little changes, such as adjusting your budget and setting up automatic savings deposits, you can make smart moves now to make the year easier. Here are five ways you can exercise your financial freedom this summer.

Start By Revisiting Your Budget

Financial freedom starts by understanding your budget: What you are spending, what you are saving and how you are putting money aside for bigger goals like retirement. While it’s fun to look towards bigger goals like vacations or home improvements, those dreams start with the practical step of ensuring you have the cash to make it all come together. Take time this summer – and throughout the year – to make sure you’re still on track with spending, saving, and paying down debt.

Open a Savings Account with $250

What better way to celebrate America’s 250th birthday than opening savings with $250? Whether you choose to setup a Share Savings account or decide to lock up long-term savings with a Save to Win 12-month share certificate1, starting to save now and making regular deposits can help you achieve all your major goals – like buying a car, putting together a down payment for your home, or just having an emergency reserve – without making major sacrifices.

Although $250 isn’t the minimum deposit for savings products, it does commemorate the nation’s anniversary. Consider it a gift to yourself on America’s birthday!

Set Up Automatic Savings Deposits

Making manual money transfers each month can become burdensome and can be quickly forgotten about. Use your budget to your advantage by determining how much you can save each month and automating it into your dedicated accounts. Using automatic deductions make sure you pay yourself first, helping your money grow with interest throughout the year. For an extra boost, enroll in a round-up program with your spending. Options like SESLOC’s Change it Up² can help you add even more to your monthly contributions by rounding your purchases up to the next dollar and depositing the change into your savings account.

Take Advantage of All Your Rewards

If you have a credit card in your wallet, you may already be collecting valuable rewards points without realizing it. Rewards programs can be incredibly valuable towards your bigger goals, like taking a vacation or getting extra upgrades for around the house. If you have the  SESLOC Visa Signature Rewards Card and a debit card linked to a SESLOC HomeFREE Checking account, you could earn valuable SESLOC Rewards³ points that can translate to great household items, discounted gas, or rewards cards toward the things you enjoy most. Plus, you can even earn bonus points for shopping local with Local Rewards!⁴ Anytime you can use points instead of cash, that’s more in your pocket and towards longer-term savings goals.

Be Smart at the Gas Pump

It’s no secret that gas prices have gone up this summer and there’s no indication when they may come down. That’s why it’s important to be smart and selective about your driving time this summer. As you gear up for road travel, be sure to map out the most efficient routes and estimate how much it may cost based on your car’s mileage per gallon. Online maps may also direct you to the cheapest prices when it’s time to fill up. If it’s time to think about trading in your car for more fuel efficiency, programs like SESLOC AutoSMART can help you do research on new vehicles and find a dealer in your area.

BONUS: Stay Up to Date on the Latest Scam Attempts

Although you might take a vacation this summer, financial scammers never do. From spam phone calls from spoofed numbers claiming to have information on a loan you never applied for, to e-mail messages asking you to log into your bank account, scammers are always applying new techniques to try and steal your identity and your money. To help keep you safe, the SESLOC Fraud Center is continually updated throughout the year so you know what to look for and how to stop it before it begins.

As a reminder: SESLOC will never call, text or email you and ask for personal or confidential information. If you believe the communication is suspicious, do not respond, hang up immediately and report the incident to SESLOC at (805) 543-1816 or send a Secure Message in Online Banking.

This year isn’t just a milestone year for the United States. With some reflection and smart planning, you too can make this a big year for your financial freedom, too! By creating balance between your savings, spending and achieving goals, we can all make America’s 250 a year to remember.

1: Limit one Save to Win 12-month Share Certificate per consumer member. The account is not available to businesses, including sole proprietors, trusts and organizations. Consumer member must be 18 years or older and a resident of California to participate in the Save to Win Savings Promotion. No purchase necessary. 12-month Share Certificate account will automatically renew upon maturity. Early withdrawal incurs a penalty fee, with a limit of one withdrawal per 12-month term. Must maintain an average daily balance of $25.00 for the account to remain open. Winners agree to permit SESLOC CU to use their likeness in promotional or their materials. Membership in good standing required for all Credit Union benefits. See the Member Account Agreement and Disclosure and Fee Schedule for additional terms, conditions and fees that apply to your account. Refer to SESLOC CU Save to Win Savings Promotion Official Account and Prize Entry Rules for additional terms, conditions, eligibility and restrictions that may apply.

2: When you enroll in SESLOC’s Change It Up program, you understand that the amount of any SESLOC debit card purchase made by a cardholder issued a debit card associated with your checking account will round up to the next whole dollar and the excess of the purchase amount transferred into your selected savings account. If a debit card purchase is refunded or cancelled, the corresponding Change it Up transfer remains in your savings account. SESLOC may cancel or modify the SESLOC Change It Up service at any time without prior notice. Change it Up service is not available for business debit cards, and you may not transfer to a Consumer Money Market or Consumer Building Block Share Certificate Account.

3: SESLOC Rewards program Terms and Conditions can be found at seslocrewards.org The SESLOC Rewards program (“Program”) is a service provided by SESLOC Credit Union (“Sponsor”) and managed by ampliFI Loyalty Solutions, LLC (“Administrator”). Participation in the Program is exclusive to those who have a current HomeFREE Checking™ debit card or a SESLOC Visa Signature® Rewards credit card issued by the Sponsor. There is no pre-registration required. By making eligible transactions with a HomeFREE Checking account debit card and the SESLOC Visa Signature Rewards credit card, the cardholder is accepting the terms and conditions of the Program. See seslocrewards.org for Program terms and conditions. You retain the option to utilize these services as long as you are a HomeFREE Checking or SESLOC Visa Signature Rewards cardholder, subject to terms and conditions. Sponsor and Administrator reserves the right to modify, expand, discontinue, or retire any part of the program at any time.

4: Local Rewards bonus points are earned on purchases made at participating Local Businesses only. Participating Local Businesses (“merchants”) are subject to change at any time without notice. Participation in Local Rewards does not constitute an endorsement on the part of either the merchant or SESLOC Credit Union. Purchases made at participating merchants processed through third-party services (e.g. DoorDash, Grub Hub, Uber Eats etc.) may not qualify for bonus points under Local Rewards. Local Rewards is part of the SESLOC Rewards program; see seslocrewards.org for complete terms, conditions, restrictions and eligibility that apply. For any questions regarding Local Rewards, contact SESLOC Credit Union.