BECU Blog

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

A large crowd gathers next to Northern Quest Casino for an outdoor concert. People are standing in bleachers and on the floor. Bright lights shine from the stage, and a sunset is visible in the background.

Tribal Businesses Fuel Washington Economy

Learn about work by and for Native American tribes. 

Read the blog

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

Featured

Military Veterans Reflect on Money Matters

A group of BECU members participating in the Spokane Lilac Parade. They are holding a red BECU banner, wearing blue Veterans t-shirts and smiling proudly.

BECU military veterans discuss financial challenges and opportunities.

How Much Car Can I Afford?

A woman poses next to a black car, showcasing the car and her excitement. She is holding the door open and smiling. She's wearing a striped white and red shirt and blue jeans. In the background are trees and grass.

Learn how to budget for a car purchase.

9 Ways To Avoid Being Hacked in 2025

A person sits cross-legged on a couch with their back to the camera. A laptop rests on their lap, displaying a Fraud & Security webpage.

Strong passwords and authentication are two ways to protect your accounts.

Most Recent

View All | Back to Top

How To Buy a Car

A woman with curly hair and glasses smiling while leaning out of the driver’s side window of a car, wearing a denim jacket.

Learn how to search out great deals and line up financing before you buy a car.

9 Great Ways To Save for College

A father and son stand in front of a house. The son holds a box filled with personal belongings, suggesting he may be moving out.

Learn how different accounts can help you save for college.

How To Wipe Computers and Phones

Close-up of hands typing on a laptop at a desk. The Consumers' Checkbook logo is overlaid on the image.

Remove data before getting rid of unwanted digital devices.

Advancing Equity

View All | Back to Top

8 Latinx Business Leaders

Aida Alvarez, head of the Small Business Administration, shakes hands with Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin during a Small Business Week event in 1999.

Learn about eight Latinx trailblazers in U.S. business and finance.

Disability-Empowerment Nonprofits To Know

A young girl pets a pony's nose in an outdoor wooden stable.

Learn about seven programs and life-changing services.

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.

Budgeting

View All | Back to Top

Estate Planning: Tasks and Tips To Get Started

Man and woman and sitting close together across from another woman. The man is reading a sheet of paper and the woman on the left is smiling at the woman on the right.

Get tips on wills, power of attorney, executors and more.

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.

AI and the Future of Personal Finance

A headshot of BECU employee Nadim Homsany. He's posed outside and is wearing a dark blazer and checkered shirt.

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

Credit & Debt

View All | Back to Top

Federal Student Loan Repayment

Two young college-aged students sitting at a table inside located in front of large windows. Trees are in the background outside. The two students are looking together at the screen of a laptop that's in front of one of the students, who is typing on the laptop keyboard. The other student not in front of the laptop is holding a pen in one hand and has a book in their other hand resting on the table, open to a page.

Learn more about changes to student loans.

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.

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.

Spending & Shopping

View All | Back to Top

Should I Get Preapproved for a Car Loan?

A man in a green jacket stands next to a gray SUV, he is wearing jeans and smiling. In the background are trees.

Learn why, how and when to get preapproved for a car loan.

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

View All | Back to Top

How To Win a Bid in a Seller's Market

Three people sit at a kitchen island with documents and a laptop, discussing a possible sale. One man appears to be signing papers while his partner looks at the papers and smiles.

Even in a tough market, buyers can win a home.

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

View All | Back to Top

Password Phishing Scams: How To Avoid Them

Image illustrating a log in and password prompt.

Protect your personal and financial information from online attacks.

Protect Your Child From Identity Theft

Two smiling young children, sitting side by side, looking down at a digital tablet they are holding together. Consumers' Checkbook logo in bottom right of image.

Learn the warning signs and take steps to protect your kids.

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.

Watch out for AI scams that use the voices of family and loved ones.

Taxes

View All | Back to Top

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

Calculator paper clip and pen on a table

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.