First Federal Bank Blog

Caroline Russell, Senior Marketing Manager at One Day in July, a financial advisory firm, has some important advice for ensuring your financial success. The first step is to understand your current situation. Open up all your accounts: credit cards, checking accounts, student loans, and streaming services. If you don't know what the issues are,...

Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced the return of Florida’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, which will run Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, giving families a full month of savings on essential school supplies and more. And from now on, the month of savings will be permanent!

Depending on where you live, the housing market could feel red-hot or strangely quiet right now. The truth is, local markets are starting to move in different directions. In some places, buyers are calling the shots. In others, sellers still hold the power. It’s a tale of two markets.

Social Security has been in the news a lot this year. But it can be hard to understand exactly what is happening, especially when the changes come fast and furious. Whether you are already retired, approaching the golden years, or just starting to think about saving for that stage of your life, how could changes to Social Security impact you?

When you think about working out in the summertime, swimming might come to mind. It's an excellent form of exercise. Or maybe you are considering setting up a home gym to stay indoors. Have you considered pulling your bicycle out of the garage? There are many reasons it could be considered the best summer exercise:

Over the past few years, affordability has been the biggest challenge for homebuyers. Between rapidly rising home prices and higher mortgage rates, many have felt stuck between a rock and a hard place.

A Home Equity Line of Credit, or HELOC, can be a very helpful financial tool for homeowners. Many use the money to make improvements, and summer is a popular time to do so. But a HELOC is not the right solution for every situation. Knowing when to say, "Yes" and when to be clear about, "No" is essential. Financial experts have some advice about...

You probably recognize coffee's ability to give you a boost. But what about your garden? Coffee grounds can be beneficial to plants when used in small amounts. As a soil amendment, they feed beneficial microbes that release substances that can improve soil condition. Coffee grounds can also be used as a mulch on the soil surface. However, they're...

If you’ve been putting off buying a home because you thought getting approved would be too hard, know this: qualifying for a mortgage is starting to get a bit more achievable, but lending standards are still strong.

When we think of financial fraud, we tend to worry most about new and evolving threats in the digital age. It can be easy to forget the, “old school” ways thieves use to grab an easy buck. But we should never let our guard down. The fact is, while today’s scammer is usually very tech savvy, there are those on the lookout for other ways to separate...