No matter your age or stage in life, it pays to know the facts about personal finances. When you understand the basics, you can set yourself up for success and build a healthy financial future.
Lifestyle creep, or lifestyle inflation, happens to the best of us. As your standard of living improves, your non-essential discretionary purchases gradually increase. You might even start to think your “wants” are “needs.” Some creep is natural and to be expected, but excessive creep can derail your finances.
Do you use others for the barometer of what you should have or deserve to have? Constant exposure to your friends’ vacations, experiences, dining out, luxury purchases, new cars, and house upgrades on social media amplifies “FOMO (fear of missing out)” and the desire to “keep up with the Jones’s.”
This is a good time to check in with your loan servicer to ensure you’re on a payment plan that fits your situation. Our partners at GreenPath recommend you do this soon; when loan payments resume, the government will be activating 30 million borrowers at one time, and you may find it difficult to reach your loan servicer.
Shopping for your first car is exciting, but it can also feel intimidating. It’s a major commitment, but one that will give you the freedom to go where you want, when you want. Before you head to the car lot, set yourself up for success by following these steps:
Moving out and on your own is an exciting step towards independence, but the financial responsibility can also be shocking if you’re not prepared. There are a lot of odds and ends that you need to plan for, as well as a lot of expected (and unexpected) costs associated with the move. Here are some tips to prepare:
Starting a new chapter in your life as an independent adult? One of the most important lessons you can learn is about financial wellness. Give your future self the gift of security by hitting these five financial health goals in your 20’s:
Hand-me-downs are great for starting out on your own, but eventually it’s nice to outfit your home with something that’s truly yours. Every time you use your HomeFREE Checking debit card or Visa® Signature Rewards card, you earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards, appliances, and home decor.
What’s a credit score and why is it so important? A credit score, also known as a FICO Score, is a calculation based on your activity in a few categories that assess the likelihood that you will repay any debt you owe. The higher the score, the more likely it is that you can handle your debt.
Log into Online Banking and look for the Level Up dashboard to see your current points and benefits in our easy-to-read charts.
For all of 2025, members shredded 191 bins at our six events across the Central Coast, for a grand total of 17.95 tons of documents destroyed.
To help even more projects get off the ground, we’re expanding our lending territory for commercial real estate loans. In addition to serving our home area of San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara counties, commercial real estate loans are now available to an expanded field of membership.
SESLOC is making the experience even better for members shopping for a new auto across the Central Coast with the Preferred Dealer Program.
In the spirit of “People Helping People,” SESLOC marks National Cybersecurity Awareness Month to help you stay aware of cyber threats.