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If you’re getting a tax refund this year, we know it’s awfully tempting to splurge it on a big-ticket item you have been dreaming about but haven’t been able to squeeze into your everyday budget. (A new flat-screen TV, perhaps?)

When you turn 18 or begin your college career, signing up for a credit card with a low interest rate and no annual fee—like a VyStar Visa® credit card—is a great way to start building a strong credit history. However, it isn’t the only way.

I can remember the morning when my wife found out she was pregnant. We hugged and celebrated the fact that our lives would change forever. As I reflected on the wonderful news that I was going to be father, I immediately began to worry.

Tax identity theft is an easy and lucrative way for criminals to make money. This fast-growing crime accounts for nearly half—45%—of identity theft crimes reported to the Federal Trade Commission.

By the end of 2016, all VyStar credit and debit cards were upgraded to EMV chip technology. The transition was part of a nationwide shift to implement the technology and help combat counterfeit fraud, which has already proven to be successful.

When you think of the word “compromise,” your first instinct is to, of course, react with fear. Your mind begins to race as you try to figure out how this happened. And, in doing so, it’s easy to assume that your credit union, bank or credit card company failed to protect your private information. But the truth is that, more often than not, the compromise isn’t the result of a mistake made by your financial institution.

As a VyStar Financial Counselor, I am often the bearer of bad news: No, I do not think that playing the lottery is a prudent retirement strategy. And your chances of some distant relative dying and leaving you a huge amount of money are only slightly better than the lottery scheme.

Each year, there are hundreds of data breaches across the country and around the world. In 2016, more than 10 million passwords became available through these breaches. While breaches are an unfortunate part of our world today, the important lessons they teach us can help us better secure our data in the future.

Every April, many taxpayers wait until the last minute to file their federal income tax returns. Despite this tendency, there are many reasons to file your taxes early. If you will receive a refund, you may want to submit your return as quickly as possible.

After the financial whirlwind of the holidays, tax season always seems to sneak up on us as one of the most dreaded times of the year. No matter how many times you’ve been through it, it’s still so easy to feel nervous when you’re faced with the inevitable responsibility of properly and promptly filing your annual taxes.