iQ Credit Union Blog

Building in Portland or Vancouver? Here’s Your Guide to Home Construction Loans

Homes in the PNW take many forms—from starter houses and rustic cabins all the way up to Craftsman houses and Queen ...

You’ve Done Your Taxes—Now What?

Albert Einstein once quipped, “the hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.” Everyone must file an ...

Put Credit Cards 101 on Your College Curriculum

How To Get A Mortgage

Homeownership is an aspiration for most Americans. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a spike in home sales. ...

Deciphering the Types of Loans (A Quick Guide)

Wouldn’t it be great if you could pay for everything in cash and avoid debt? The challenge is that no matter how much ...

Maximizing Benefits with Credit Union Credit Cards: Top 5 Perks to Consider

Using credit union credit cards well can lead to a world of rewards—but you need to know what you’re doing. While ...

4 Steps to Smart Homebuying: Your Mortgage Loan Prep Checklist

The housing market has never been hotter. Mortgage rates are still very low, and coming out of the pandemic slowdown of ...

How to Calculate Your Home Equity Line of Credit

Homeownership can change your life in many positive ways—including giving you a way to build home equity. What’s home ...

A Quick Guide to Balance Transfers

All of us had a difficult 2020. Because of the pandemic, tens of thousands of Americans lost their jobs, and more ...

4 Reasons You Should Start Building Credit Now

Everyone needs to be concerned about their credit. Building credit is necessary in order to obtain a credit card, buy a ...

Credit Card Rewards: Now Is the Right Time to Rack Up Rewards Points

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our spending habits, perhaps forever. With shelter-in-place orders and restaurant ...

How to Protect Your Credit Score During the Pandemic

Times of uncertainty tend to create economic chaos. Just look at stock market trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. When ...

6 Tips for First-Time Credit Card Applicants

Credit is a fact of financial life, and one of the easiest ways to establish credit is with a credit card. If you’ve ...

FHA vs. HomeReady®: Breaking Down Affordable Mortgage Loan Options

Buying a new home is always exciting, but shopping for the right mortgage may not be. There are so many mortgage ...

Balance Transfer Tips for Saving on Credit Card Interest

Credit card payments are an ongoing issue in most households. If you don’t pay the balance each month, those credit ...

9 Signs It’s Time to Look for a New Credit Card

Nothing remains the same, including your credit card. Terms change. Interest rates change. Your financial situation ...

8 Questions to Ask When Applying for a Credit Card

People love to use credit cards, but when looking for a new credit card, you want to be sure to get the right services ...

Credit Card Advice for First-Time Applicants

Most people have an aversion to accumulating debt and are cautious about using credit cards. However, credit cards are ...

Credit Card Interest Rates and What They Mean for You

When you’re shopping for a credit card, one of the most important considerations is the interest rate on the card. ...

Why Do Interest Rates Rise and What Does That Mean for You?

If you have ever bought a house, signed for a loan, applied for a credit card, or opened a savings account, then you ...

New or Used? Tips on Buying a Car

Congratulations! You’ve graduated to the next phase of Adulting 101: buying a car. This process isn’t wildly different ...

Easiest Ways to Fund Your Home Renovations

Not too long ago, a little tidbit came out that younger adults can’t afford home renovations because they’re spending ...

Post-College Savings Account: Tips to Making it on Your Own

Welcome to Adulting 101—a lesson on how to make it on your own after college. People often say the college years will ...

5 Ways to Add to Your Savings Account While Paying Off Student Loans

“Go to college,” they said. “It will be the best years of your life.” Almost everyone has a crazy story from their ...

How to Buy a Car Without Draining Your Savings Account

Buying a car in the Pacific Northwest has never been easier to do yourself. Whether it’s an upgrade or a first-time ...

How much money should I have in my savings account?

If you’re one of those people who continuously checks their savings account, this article about saving—and how much you ...

3 Things You Should Know About Your Banking Account

Can you remember the first time you opened a bank account? Seems like forever ago, right? It’s such an everyday ...

Tips for Building Up Your Savings Account on a Small Salary

We can’t all be like Bill Gates. According to CNN, approximately 25 million Americans live paycheck to paycheck. When ...

Tips to Paying Off Student Loans Faster

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that paying off student loans isn’t fun. The process may evoke a mix of ...