If you are looking into signing up for a credit card, it is vital that you do plenty of research on the topic before you commit to one. Credit cards can be a great way to build your credit, earn rewards such as cash back and points and get better control of your cash flow—but on the other hand, they can be a slippery slope to debt and high interest rate accumulation. Read on →

If you are trying to get your finances under control and make an effort to save more money, building a household budget is the best place to start. It is impossible to know how much you can save without knowing how much you have to spend each month, and by categorizing all your expenses, you can better evaluate areas where it may be possible to cut back. There are many structures out there that can work for budgeting, but if you are just getting started, the 50/30/20 method is often the easiest place to begin. Read on →

Ideally, we would all like to save more money—but by the time you add up monthly expenses, household needs, recreational funds and your current rate of savings, it may seem like there is no wiggle room to help you save more. That may be true, but it is also likely that you just have not been thinking outside of the box. That is what we are here to help you do! Read on →

When it comes to taking charge of your money, there are many ways you can make alterations to your budget to create more room for saving and investing. While there are plenty of ways to purchase less and spend more thriftily, today we wanted to look at another aspect of budgeting that can make a big difference: recurring expenses. Recurring expenses can consist of utility bills, subscription services and any other cost you are logging consistently on your budgeting tally—and while they may seem like costs that are fixed, there are actually great tricks for saving on some of them. Read on →

Saving money is one of the biggest challenges that most people face, and for good reason. Every penny can quickly add up, and when a person gets accustomed to spending on a regular basis, it can be difficult to make the lifestyle changes needed to work within a budget. While general budgeting and reducing recurring expenses are great savings strategies, today we will be talking about a type of spending that often does not get discussed at length: money leaks. Read on →

While selling your home may be a bit less stressful than buying a home, there are still some parts of it you’ll need to pay attention to. Among those is the appraisal, a required step for anyone who needs to borrow money to make a purchase. Unlike the home inspection that focuses on details inside and out, the appraisal is all about establishing the value of your home and pays less attention to issues and improvements. Read on →

If you’re following news about mortgage rates, you’ve likely heard the months of record-low rates may be giving way. The numbers started rising in February and are now above 3% for 30-year loans for the first time since the fall. The increases aren’t a surprise; experts predicted a rise this year, though they may not have seen how quickly it would move this early in the year. But they’re certainly likely to be unwelcome news for those who didn’t get in on the housing market boom of the last year. Read on →

As you move through the mortgage process, you’ll be part of checks meant to protect you and the lender. In the first category is the home inspection, which isn’t required but we highly recommend it because it gives you a chance you figure out what you’re getting into. In the second group is the property appraisal. An appraisal is required in almost every home purchase because it provides assurance to the lender that the property is worth what you’re borrowing to purchase it. Read on →

St. Johns Bank has served the residential and commercial banking needs of the people of St. Louis and St. Charles counties for 95 years as of 2021. We’re a trusted partner for all types of financing in the area because we reinvest the deposits our communities entrust us with in those communities, in their homes and businesses. We’re preferred by many operators because our commercial financial experts work so hard to help operators create their success and manage their money in beneficial ways. Read on →

For many people, the idea of creating a budget seems entirely excruciating and they expect sticking to one would be a huge, everyday hassle. Fortunately, the reality is much more simple than the fear. The issue is many people imagine making and keeping a budget to involve aggressively price shopping for every grocery item and limiting how much they can use their money to enjoy life now. While the prospect of a better financial future may be appealing, it often doesn’t have the draw of getting a meal from a restaurant or holding off on replacing socks with holes on them. Read on →