First Federal Bank Blog

First Federal Bank, in collaboration with Karen Mackey from the Marion County School Board and Advent Health Ocala, provided a unique one-day learning experience for a group of student interns with disabilities, aged between 18-22. The focus of this Advent Health Ocala supported one-year unpaid internship is to equip these students with real-world...

If you’ve ever gone into the refrigerator or your pantry to find a food item and found that it’s past the expiration date on the container, you’ve played the game of deciding whether to take your chances or err on the side of caution. Best-by, use-by, or sell-by dates don’t necessarily mean a food item is dangerous once they’re passed. By...

For better or for worse, your company’s social media posts can draw a lot of attention. However, a few smart practices can keep your brand looking good in the public eye. Here’s a look at what you should — and shouldn’t — do to maintain a healthy social media presence for your business:Do include a call-to-actionWhether you’re prompting readers...

Student loans can be a heavy financial burden. However, there are a few simple tips to help you chip away at your debt faster. Here’s a look at a few strategies to help you set yourself on a quicker path toward financial freedom:Go above the minimum paymentMaking a bigger monthly payment may require sacrificing some of your disposable income, but...

If you’re advertising your business, you need to make every word count. That’s why it’s important to understand what weasel words are, how they can dilute your messaging, and ways you can avoid them in favor of more direct and impactful language.What is a weasel word?HubSpot Sales Blog editor Leslie Ye explains weasel words are used in an effort...

Buyingyour first home is a big, exciting step and a major milestone that has the power to improve your life. As a first-time homebuyer, it's adreamyou can make come true, but there are some hurdles you'll need to overcome in today’s housing market – specifically the limited supply ofhomes for saleand ongoingaffordabilitychallenges.

If you’re planning for an extended vacation, a top alternative to staying at a hotel is renting a vacation home. For some, the idea of living in another person’s home and having to do chores, like cooking and cleaning, can seem like the opposite of a vacation — but renting a home can come with a lot of perks that enhance the entire experience....

The Down Payment Assistance is a second mortgage subsidy to assist borrowers who may be struggling with down payment obligations. The subsidy offers up to $7,500 to cover 100% of down payment and closing costs. Furthermore, eligible active duty and retired military personnel, reserves, law enforcement officers, corrections officers, and educators...

All investing exposes you to a certain level of risk. Committing all your money to a narrow range of stocks, bonds, or other assets is especially perilous, exposing your portfolio to the market’s volatility and making it less resilient — and potentially hampering growth as well. However, diversification is a good way to keep one poor-performing...

The automotive industry is going the way of electrification. But for a variety of reasons, not everyone is quite ready to venture into the world of EVs, PHEVs, FCVs, or even simple hybrids. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t care about fuel economy. Fortunately, there are a number of traditional combustion-only cars you can buy that get plenty...