A budget is the keystone of financial wellness. It doesn't have to be fancy or complicated, but it should help you understand how much you earn, how much you spend, and where your money is going. The resources below are a great place to start if you want to create a plan for spending, saving, and everyday expenses.

Budget Calculator

Create a Budget

Income and Expenses

We know that understanding credit scores can be confusing, so let us provide some quick, easy-to-navigate resources to help you on your journey. These short articles are packed with helpful insight. They can also guide you to similar resources as you learn more about credit scores, including how to improve your score.

You don't have to figure this out alone - your friends at ARC Federal Credit Union are always a call, click, text or visit away and ready to answer your questions.

Understanding Your Credit Report

4 Ways to Raise Your FICO Score

What is Debt-to-Income Ratio?

Debt can be a heavy burden that affects more than your bank account and credit score. It can also take a toll on your mental and physical health. Sometimes debt happens because of situations outside of our control, and sometimes we end up there because of past decisions. Regardless, it is never too late to make a plan.

The first steps are often the hardest, but your friends at ARC want to help you work toward becoming debt-free. The resources below are a great place to start. You can also reach out to us at any time if you are having trouble making payments or need help navigating our online resources.

How to Manage Your Debt

Get Out of Debt

Debt Payoff Calculator

Becoming a homeowner is an important step and we understand that it can feel intimidating or overwhelming. ARC has the tools and resources to help you take that step with confidence. We can also help you apply for grants and lender credits if you are looking to purchase your first home, helping make the dream of homeownership more achieveable for members of our community. 

Prepare for homeownership with calculators, helpful guidance, and a First-Time Homebuyer Reward Program, all available here:

Preparing to Buy a Home

1st-Time Homebuyer Rewards

At ARC Federal Credit Union, we believe financial wellness should start early. Through partnerships with local teachers and nonprofit organizations, we provide classroom resources and in-person presentations to help students learn important money skills.

If you are interested in ARC supplying resources for your classroom, your child’s classroom, or an after-school program, please contact Liesl Kapfhammer at lkapfhammer@arcfcu.org or learn more here.

Explore the wealth of resources available for children on our partner site with Banzai. Some of our favorites are highlighted below:

Teaching Children About Money

The 3 Jar Allowance for Kids

8 Lessons to Teach Kids About Credit

Explore tools that help you plan with confidence. A wide variety of calculators can help you see the short- and long-term differences in the financial decisions you are making today. Whether you're considering a loan, starting to save, investing, looking into the real cost of homeownership, or trying to map out a plan to get out of debt, our calculators can help you explore your options.

Calculators

Our coaches offer step-by-step guidance for your specific financial situation. There are coaches for assessing your current financial situation, getting out of debt, planning a wedding, the basics of bookkeeping for business, and so much more. Create a login for Banzai so you can save your progress and come back later. You'll be amazed at what you can achieve!

Coaches

From elementary school to college and beyond, everyone can find something to learn in one of our online courses. Explore the scenario-based games to see how you fare with your current financial wellness knowledge - you might be surprised what tips you pick up along the way!

Junior - Designed for kids ages 8 to 12, Banzai Junior uses real-life scenarios within the main game, Lemonade Tycoon, to teach concepts like budgeting, interest, fees, discretionary income, and counting currency.

Teen - Banzai Teen gives teens a safe way to work through real-life financial decisions, unexpected expenses, and savings goals throughout the main game, Life Scenarios, while trying to save enough money to register at Vanderbilt Community College.

Plus - Designed for users aged 16 and up, Advanced Budgeting calls for users to embrace adult-sized obstacles and learn about concepts from paying off debt to FICO® Scores, budgeting, and long-term decision-making.

Digital Citizenship - Recommended for ages 9 to 15, this course helps kids and teens practice making safe, smart decisions online.

College & Careers - Designed for students ages 15 and up, these courses help students prepare for the financial realities of college, work, and independent living.

Entrepreneurship - Created in partnership with Intuit for Education, this course helps students in grades 6–12 learn problem-solving, creativity, leadership, collaboration, financial management, and business basics.