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7 Tips for Buying or Building a Home

7 Tips for Buying or Building a Home

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, planning a move, or looking for a vacation home, buying or building a home can be challenging. Let’s get started with a few tips to make this as easy as possible.

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The Importance of Savings

The Importance of Savings

Saving money takes commitment and making some sacrifices. But it’s important because savings protect you against unexpected expenses and help you build a more secure financial future.

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Budgeting and Planning for the New Year

Budgeting and Planning for the New Year

For many people, a new year means making a new set of resolutions. If you’ve never set up a budget or if your family’s budgeting efforts have been backsliding during the pandemic, 2022 is the year to get your finances back on track.

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Your End-of-Year Financial To-Do List: Key Areas to Review

Your End-of-Year Financial To-Do List: Key Areas to Review

It’s that time of year again to review your annual and overall financial health. It’s also an important time to review whether you need to make any financial changes in the year to come to improve your financial health and make sure it’s in line with your wishes and goals.

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Digital Banking Tools Your Business Should Use

Digital Banking Tools Your Business Should Use

Digital banking tools are convenient, secure, and easy to use. You’ll have instant access to your accounts, and you’ll be able to perform a variety of functions online, saving you a trip to the bank. And as a business person, shouldn’t you strive to save yourself both time and money?

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The Importance of Estate Planning

The Importance of Estate Planning

An estate plan isn’t just for the wealthy. It provides more detailed instructions than a will on how assets and end-of-life wishes should be handled.  One way to honor your familial relationships is to establish an estate plan.

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4 Benefits of Digital Banking for Consumers

4 Benefits of Digital Banking for Consumers

Long gone are the days of setting aside time in your day to head to your local branch to deposit a check, pay a bill, or transfer money to another account. With digital banking, you can access and control all of your accounts online or from your mobile device 24/7. Let’s take a deeper look at the four benefits of digital banking for consumers.

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4 Benefits of Using Your Home Equity for Home Improvements

4 Benefits of Using Your Home Equity for Home Improvements

As long as your home’s market value doesn’t drop, you can build your home equity by paying off your loans faster or else by renovating your home, which will boost your home’s value — and your home equity. You can even use your home equity to make home improvements — a win-win.

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The Advantages of Personal Internet Banking

The Advantages of Personal Internet Banking

Internet banking provides many conveniences. Whenever you have an internet connection, your bank is there waiting for you. If you haven’t started banking online yet — or aren’t taking full advantage of everything it has to offer — here’s a quick overview of the advantages and features of personal internet banking.

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Top 5 Ways to Use the Equity in Your Home

Top 5 Ways to Use the Equity in Your Home

Many homeowners never tap into their home equity, letting it build until they pay off their mortgage. But if you’re considering taking advantage of your home equity, let’s take a look at  five of the most common uses!

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These 4 Life Events Will Change Your Insurance Needs

These 4 Life Events Will Change Your Insurance Needs

Over the course of your life, your insurance needs will change depending on the life events you experience, such as getting married, buying a home, having children, or growing older. In this article, we take a look at four major life events and how they will alter your various insurance needs over time.

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50/50 Women on Boards™ Recognizes First United Corporation

50/50 Women on Boards™ Recognizes First United Corporation

50/50 Women on Boards™ (50/50WOB), the leading global education and advocacy campaign driving the movement toward gender balance and diversity on corporate boards, commends First United Corporation as a “3+” company, for having three or more women on its corporate board of directors.

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Current Market Refinance Trends in Real Estate

Current Market Refinance Trends in Real Estate

Today’s mortgage rates, thanks in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic, reached an all-time low average of 3.15% for 30-year fixed-rates and 2.62% for 15-year fixed-rates in May. Between generous government stimulus checks and a rush to save more money as the coronavirus continues to linger, today’s economic environment may present a prime opportunity for homeowners interested in refinancing to secure favorable terms.

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Financial Literacy: Compound Interest

Financial Literacy: Compound Interest

Understanding interest is crucial when investing your money. Given the option to earn simple or compound interest, you should always choose the latter. To understand compound interest, you first need to have a good understanding of simple interest. Here at First United Bank & Trust, we strive to make wealth management as easy as possible, so we’ve put together a helpful guide that clearly outlines how compound interest works.

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To Buy or Not to Buy?

To Buy or Not to Buy?

Investing is like life: nothing ventured, nothing gained.If you're planning to buy a home, you probably have good reasons for your decision. It may be that you share the feeling that owning your own home is a key part of the American dream. But there are also...

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The Buyer’s Guide for First-Time Home Owners

The Buyer’s Guide for First-Time Home Owners

In a perfect world, you would find a house you loved, make a reasonable offer, and head to the bank to sign your loan papers. For many buyers, though, buying a home turns into a nerve-racking process. This can easily happen to you if you don’t educate yourself on the steps involved in buying a home.

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Best Ways to Get Out of Credit Card Debt Fast

Best Ways to Get Out of Credit Card Debt Fast

Committing yourself to a strategy is the key to getting out of credit card debt fast. When you stick to your goal, your commitment translates into an overarching lifestyle where you no longer have to concern yourself with tackling your credit card payments every month.

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Cut the Cost of Your Loan Debt

Cut the Cost of Your Loan Debt

Loans give us the ability to pay for things we otherwise could never afford. Can you imagine if you couldn’t get a loan for a car or a house? If mortgages weren’t a thing, most Americans wouldn’t ever own a home. Loans and mortgages are definitely good, but only when you use them responsibly.

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5 Major Investing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

5 Major Investing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

It’s equally as important to learn about investment mistakes as it is to bone up on investment tips and tricks. Whether you’re looking for good investments for beginners or you’re a seasoned investor who has doubled your earnings in the past year, staying up-to-date with the latest investment missteps is key to solidifying your wealth management.

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The 10 Best Car-Buying Tips!

The 10 Best Car-Buying Tips!

A vehicle is a major investment. Even used cars have an average price of $20,000 and if you finance, your monthly payments could be $400 or more. So, before you begin shopping for a new car, consider these 10-best car-buying tips.

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Four Ways to Save on Car Insurance

Four Ways to Save on Car Insurance

With automobile insurance mandatory in most states, you know you have to buy it. Sorting through the advertising jargon to discover what is the best deal for you is time-consuming and confusing. Here are five quick tips you can use to save money and protect yourself in case you are in a wreck.

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Online budgeting apps for every kind of saver & spender

Online budgeting apps for every kind of saver & spender

For some, saving money comes naturally. They add a certain amount of their paycheck every month without fail. Others are not so dedicated. This could be for several reasons. No matter what our saving or spending style is you can find an online app that will help you improve your finances.

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Real Ways to Actually Save Money on an Average Salary

Real Ways to Actually Save Money on an Average Salary

Whether you make $150,000 or $40,000 a year, you work hard for your money. A lot of people think the more money you make, the more you can save. But at the end of the day, your ability to save all depends on your expenses. We’ve scoured high and low for some of the best money-saving tips for those living on a typical salary.

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Mobile Banking Gives Consumers Another Service to Love

Mobile Banking Gives Consumers Another Service to Love

Some consumers still love going into a branch and interacting with their local bankers. Nothing can replace great one-on-one customer service. But what about those days when you are delayed at work and you can’t get to your bank to deposit a check? Or you are on vacation and you need to check your account balance?

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Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit: Which Is Best for You?

Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit: Which Is Best for You?

Things break. Emergencies happen. And if you are like many Americans, you may not have the extra cash on hand to pay for these expenses. Homeowners generally have two options for getting the money they need — a home equity line of credit or a home equity loan.

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Making a Budget for Your Dream Wedding

Making a Budget for Your Dream Wedding

Weddings can rack up a lot of bills. Case in point, the average American wedding cost brides and grooms $44,105 in 2018. To budget for a wedding ceremony and a reception, you have to take into account all expenses…

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Moving Checklist: Budgeting for Your Next Move

Moving Checklist: Budgeting for Your Next Move

Moving is stressful, no doubt about it. To ensure your next move goes as smoothly as possible, it’s helpful to create a budget—and stick to it. With your finances under control, you can focus your attention on getting to your new place as quickly as possible and settling in.

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How to Build an Emergency Fund

How to Build an Emergency Fund

Having an emergency fund can save you from having to borrow money or use credit cards if an unexpected expense arises. But according to the Federal Reserve, four out of 10 Americans do not have the savings to cover a $400 emergency.

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Jennifer Kreighbaum Earns the CAFP Designation

Jennifer Kreighbaum Earns the CAFP Designation

Congratulations to Jennifer Kreighbaum, Assistant Compliance Officer & Community Reinvestment Officer, on earning the Certified Anti-Money Laundering and Fraud Professional (CAFP) designation! This designation demonstrates a person’s ability to assess,...

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Full Service Office Now Open at Emerald Pointe

Full Service Office Now Open at Emerald Pointe

 Hagerstown, MD - First United Bank & Trust has announced the opening of a new, and much anticipated, community office at 19405 Emerald Square, Suite 1000 in Hagerstown, Maryland. First United Bank & Trust has been a member of the Washington County community...

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What should people know when planning for retirement?

What should people know when planning for retirement?

The enormity of the task that is saving for retirement is often seen as a daunting one by even the most financially organized workers. They will likely need to save into the hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of decades, and anyone who has suffered...

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When millennials should start saving for retirement

When millennials should start saving for retirement

When it comes to retirement planning, the general rule is that you can never have enough savings. Certainly, financial advisors would say that they'd rather see their clients save more than they might have expected to need, rather than finding out too late that...

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Are you saving enough for retirement?

Are you saving enough for retirement?

In recent years, a large and growing number of baby boomers has reached retirement age, and a majority are choosing to stop working. But younger Americans these days seem to be less certain that this kind of option is even going to be available to them when they...

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