Alaskan@Heart

In many ways, your credit score is like a Polaroid of your financial past. For lenders and many other businesses, this score serves as a snapshot that helps them understand your financial history! This understanding can have a huge impact on your financial future -- which is why caring for your credit score is so important. Whether you're new to the concept of credit scores or trying to turn a new page, below you'll find a guide to boost, maintain and leverage the power of your score. 

Credit scores. You know you have one. You know it’s important-ish, right? But do you know how to unlock the great mystery of improving it? Raising your credit score can mean a mighty financial power -- and we’re talking the awesome, money-growing kind. Here are three easy steps to get there.

Vegetables are good for you. Don’t touch electric fences. And hey, your credit score matters. All three of these statements are true, and you’ve likely heard them before. But when it comes to your credit score, does that warning feel a little vague? To help clear it up, here are three concrete ways that your credit score can impact your life (read: reasons you should care about it!).

Earlier in our credit score series, we talked about why your credit score matters and how to raise it. Now once you’ve reached your credit score goal, how can you use it to your advantage?

In October, Credit Union 1 is raising funds for the Alaska AIDS Assistance Association (Four A’s) and their efforts to support and empower people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. This association is also working toward the elimination of HIV infection and its stigma in all Alaskan communities. Four A’s currently provides services such as subsidized housing and medical care information, which allows ill Alaskans to pursue employment and vastly improve their circumstances!

With tourist season in full swing, our Alaskan roads are full to the brim with RVs, boat trailers and other adventurers off to make amazing memories across our state. Wondering how to cope with the extra traffic and unique obstacles of road tripping in Alaska in a safe and easy-going way? Apart from great snacks and music, here’s your handy checklist of how to Alaskanify your vehicle before cruising off into the great outdoors.

Did you know that 20% of U.S. students will not complete high school on time and earn a diploma? Alaskan youth are often at even higher risk of not graduating – which can impact their financial wellbeing for the rest of their lives. Help improve this frightening statistic and empower Alaskan youth with a donation to Junior Achievement of Alaska today!

For many people, an authentic Alaskan road trip is the dream of a lifetime – but as residents, we can escape into the wilderness each time the weekend rolls ‘round! Where will this weekend take you, and what’s on your #AKRoadTrip agenda? Here are a few tips to make your travels extra memorable, along with all the best destinations for WHERE in our great state to go.

Imagine waking up one day to a disaster that left you homeless, without food for your children or even shoes to protect them. A donation to the American Red Cross of Alaska helps families like yours survive life-changing events like this.

Summer is in the air, and your Alaskan weekends are a beautiful, blank slate of possibility. Looking for festivals and fun to fill them up? Bookmark this blog, pick your #AKRoadTrip tunes, grab a cooler and go!