BECU Blog

Your source for stories and information to help you reach your financial health goals.

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Summer Vacation

Read our tips for exploring Washington on a budget.

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Advancing Equity | Budgeting | Credit & Debt | Spending & Shopping | Mortgages & Home | Security, Scams & Fraud | Hear From Our CEO | Taxes | Jobs & Income | BECU in the Community

Featured

Disability-Empowerment Nonprofits To Know

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Learn about seven programs and life-changing services.

AI and the Future of Personal Finance

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How Gen AI tools could help provide rapid and personalized financial guidance.

How To Pay Off Credit Card Debt

Two smiling men sit shoulder-to-shoulder in front of a laptop and look over a paper document together.

Tips for paying off debt and saving for the future.

Most Recent

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BECU, Storm Support Local Youth Through Hoops Series

A diverse group of mostly children, along with a few adults in the back, pose and smile for a group photo in a gym. A basketball hoop and pop-up banners reading 'Together We Rise' and 'Presented by BECU and Starbucks' are visible in the background.

BECU is a partner of the Storm's hoops series for local youth.

7 Account Alerts You Should Set Up

A woman smiles while looking down at her phone. To the right is a pop-up illustration of a BECU banking alert. The notification says, " $100.00 (ATM Transfer Credit From Sa...) was deposited into your XXXX * Checking Account."

Learn how account alerts can help you better manage your money.

How To Save Money

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Learn smart ways to save more money.

Advancing Equity

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Money and Mental Health Self-Care Tips

A woman is seated on a couch as she counsels a person who is also seated in a therapy looking setting. She has both her hands raised a bit lower than shoulder length as if she's explaining something. She is wearing a black lanyard, a gray blazer and has long brownish black hair with a side pony tail. The man, who is facing away from the camera has black hair and is wearing a light blue button up. In the background are large windows showing bright light and trees.

Learn steps to improve your mental and financial health.

7 Asian American Financial Influencers

A woman on a bench, using a laptop, with a park setting in the background. She's wearing a teal blazer and has long dark hair.

Learn about these "finfluencers" and their platforms.

Women and Money: How Learning Builds Confidence

A smiling woman stands at a table with a promotional sign behind her. She has a light blue name badge and is wearing a black shirt.

Learn how women increased money confidence through education and empowerment.

Budgeting

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How To Adjust Your Budget for Inflation

A woman sits at her kitchen table reading a receipt she is holding in one hand. She is holding an apple in the other hand. A paper bag of groceries is on the table next to her.

Learn how to adapt your budget when prices are high.

How Automatic Savings Plans Help You Save

A mom and a child sitting on a couch, reading a book together. The two are smiling and both looking down at the book.

New approaches to saving money can help you save more and hit savings goals.

How To Budget on a Fixed Income

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Smart tips to stretch your money on a fixed income.

Credit & Debt

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How To Raise Your Credit Score

Two young women smile as they look at a phone together. The woman on the left is pointing at the phone as the other holds it. They are outdoors and there are trees in the background.

Learn how to raise your score and improve your financial health.

Credit vs. Debit Card Options for Kids

Mother holding a mobile phone sits next to her child who is holding a credit card. They are sitting at a table, smiling. A large green plant is in the background.

Learn how to help build kids’ credit and teach them about managing finances.

Why Did My Credit Score Drop? 11 Reasons

Illustration of a credit score gauge. A person is sweating from the effort of pulling on the indicator needle, like it's a lever, to move their credit score up.

Learn about these common credit-score setbacks and how to improve your score.

Spending & Shopping

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Exercise Your Options Before Joining a Gym

A man is smiling and riding a stationary bike indoors. In the background is fitness equipment. He is looking at a screen while riding the bike. Both of his hands are on the handlebars and he is wearing a red crewneck sweater. The photo has a Consumers' Checkbook logo and the bottom right-hand corner.

Consider your exercise goals and learn how to save money on fitness.

Do You Need Travel Insurance?

A smiling woman wearing sunglasses and a green top lies in a hammock while looking at her phone. A sandy beach, blue ocean and bright blue sky are in the background. The Consumers' Checkbook logo is in the upper right corner.

Get tips to help you decide if insurance makes sense for your trip.

How To Get the Best Deal on a New Car

A woman stands next to a white SUV in a parking lot setting, she's wearing a black top and black plaid pants. She has one hand on her hip and is smiling proudly. There are trees and another parked car in the background.

New car shopping requires savvy strategies.

Mortgages & Home

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How a Home Equity Line of Credit Works

A man and woman engage in a flooring project. The man is kneeled over and is measuring flooring on the ground and the woman is sitting behind him on steps. There's a paint can on the steps next to the woman, She has a paint brush in her hand. Both of them are smiling.

Learn how you can use your equity for home improvement projects.

First-Time Homebuyer Guide

Two women sitting on the steps of a house. The woman on the right has one arm wrapped around the other. She has red long curly hair and is wearing a blue long sleeve cardigan and jeans. The woman on the left has black curly hair. She is wearing a periwinkle-colored long sleeve and black shorts. The home is blue with white trim around the windows and the steps are wooden. On the left are bushes with yellow flowers.

From credit score to the front door, navigate homebuying with these steps.

Homebuying as an Unmarried Couple

Three people standing in front of a brick house, one person is holding and showing a document to the other two. The woman holding the document has curly black hair and glasses. She's wearing a green top and beige pants. The couple, are standing next to each other, looking at the document. A man, in the middle, is wearing a beige top and brown pants. He has dark hair. The woman, to the right, is wearing a white top and light jeans. She has blonde hair. To the left are some plants.

Learn about legal agreements and title options to protect both of you.

Security, Scams & Fraud

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Overcoming Data-Breach Fatigue

A man is seated at a desk, in a home office setting, focused on his laptop while working. He is wearing glasses and a button up shirt. In the background is a bookshelf with books and other home decor. The window next to him makes the setting bright.

How to avoid weariness while also avoiding worry about data leaks and breaches.

​How To Spot a Text Scam

This is an illustration of three hands holding up smart phones. Each phone is displaying text message threads with potential text scams. The phone on the left appears to have an alert message. The phone in the middle has question mark icons and a red security flag. The phone on the left has several dollar sign symbols and a red security flag. Each hand has a diverse skin tone color. The background of the illustration is blue.

​​Is that text real? We identify common scams and ways to spot fake texts.​

Voice Cloning AI Scams Are on the Rise

A woman in a yellow hoodie sits on the floor in a living room setting, holding a credit card and a smartphone, likely making an online purchase. There is a wooden bookshelf and gray couch in the background.

Protect yourself from scams that sound like calls from loved ones.

Taxes

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2025 Tax Extension: Deadline, Rules, How To File

A man sits in his kitchen looking at papers he's holding in his right hand and punching buttons on a calculator with his left hand. A laptop is open on the table in front of him.

Need more time for your taxes? Learn about tax extensions.

5 Common Tax Filing Mistakes To Avoid

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Be sure to avoid these mistakes during tax season.

2024 Income Taxes: What You Need To Know

A man and woman sit together looking at a piece of paper that the woman is holding. She's talking and gesturing with one hand. The Consumers' Checkbook logo in white text is in the upper right corner of the image.

Learn what’s new for the 2025 tax season.