Hurricane season’s here and we’re prepared to provide uninterrupted service to our members during the event of a storm impacting our communities. Our commitment to getting us through storms like Hurricanes Ike and Rita goes far beyond access to cash on the way out of town.

Our Hurricane Preparedness page outlines our promise to our members.

Before the storm we will:

• Keep branches open in areas not directly affected by the storm.
  
• Enable access to your money at all ATMs within a 100-mile radius of any TDECU branch.
  
• Advance emergency loans for hotel, meals and miscellaneous expenses prior to evacuation.

 During the storm we will:

• Protect your personal financial data in a secure back-up location.
• Provide uninterrupted service and access to emergency money through online banking, credit union service centers, TDECU Visa or MasterCard credit cards, as well as through 37,000 free ATMs throughout the U.S.
• Inform you of TDECU operations, open and closed branches, and storm updates through our website at TDECU.org and via our e-NEWS communication system. 

After the storm we will:

• Provide loans for repairs to your home or business and replacement of contents and equipment.
  
• Increase available funds on your TDECU credit card for unexpected expenses.
  
• Consolidate your multiple payments into one low-interest payment. Allow you to skip up to 2 monthly loan payments with no penalty. 

How can I access my account during a disaster if physical access to TDECU branches is cut off?
Your account will always be within reach, even when we’re not. During a disaster, if physical access to TDECU branches is cut off, there are several ways you can still access your account:

• Online and Mobile Banking: 24/7 access from your computer or cell phone with our easy and free online and mobile banking services.
  
• Credit Union Service Centers: Access your TDECU accounts at over 4,000 Credit Union Service Centers and other credit unions across the country to make cash withdrawals, deposits and loan payments. Find exact locations of surcharge-free ATMs and service center locations by entering your ZIP code on this website's homepage or throughout many pages of the website, including this one.
  
• Visa® Debit Card and ATMs: Use your TDECU Visa® Debit Card or ATM card at any ATM carrying the Pulse®, Interlink® or Allpoint® network symbols. For a full list of TDECU’s surcharge-free ATMs, including 37,000 Allpoint machines, enter your ZIP code on this website's homepage or throughout many pages of the website, including this one. Have an iPhone? Visit iTunes and download the free CULoc8 app.
  
• e-LERT Communication: Now that we have launched Stay in Touch, our electronic communication system, TDECU will use this service in the event of a storm to keep in contact with members. We will send out critical information like evacuation notices, how you can continue to access your funds, and how to reach TDECU for help or clarification with your finances. If you received our Stay in Touch email but have not enrolled, please do so before this year’s storm season goes into full-force.

June 18th is National Splurge Day, and the faux-holiday is exactly what it sounds like. Today is the day to splurge on whatever it is that you enjoy splurging on. Whatever it is: 12 cases of candy, a few priceless works of modern art, designer jean shorts. Granted the examples given are outrageous, and I'm not sure how I feel about a day devoted to what could be unnecessary excess.

The magazine Fast Company has asked several "consumption experts" what their wish lists are, and they are pretty ridiculous. You can take a look at those here.

When it comes to spending maybe splurging isn't a bad thing. Especially if you only splurge once a year on this day. Many times it is hard to justify spending large sums of money, and there are mental barriers. Every time I have to go to the story and buy necessities like laundry detergent, and dishwasher soap I feel like i am wasting my money, and I can't believe how much they cost. Usually because, for whatever reason, I always seem to run out of all of these things at once. What's odd is that I will spend the exact same amount on books and music without even blinking because I enjoy those things. I certainly could take better advantage of my local library, but books are something that I value.

The same is true for clothes. During college i was always called out by my friends on how much I spent on clothes because I decided to shop at a slightly upscale retailer. At the time I thought this was out of line because my wardrobe was not excessive, and I liked the clothes. Several years later I am still wearing some of these same clothes because their styling is still good and they have not worn out. While clothes I have bought at other retailers, and spent less on, have lasted as little as six months.

The point is that in this case I am perfectly fine with splurging because of the added value that comes for the quality that I believe I am paying for. Sometimes it is okay to splurge as long as there are good reasons, and your budget can handle the extra cost. Just because something is expensive doesn't mean there should be guilt associated with it.

So, what would be on my wish-list for Splurge Day? A Hasselblad Medium Format Camera. They cost around twelve thousand dollars new and that's a lot of money for a camera, but they are incredible and I want one. What would be on your splurge day wish list?

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It seems like there is a rule to raises. Whenever you get a raise, you will find a way to spend every new dollar, and find yourself no better off than before. I was reminded of this when I read a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story "How To Live On $36,000 a Year" was published in 1924 by The Saturday Evening Post, and gives a very entertaining look at how easy it is to justify living above, or right at ones means.

Fitzgerald did not begin as a wealthy author, but had to work his way up and did find success quickly. That success led to more money and in his words, "because my income had a way of doubling every month. This was actually the case. It had done so for several months - I had made only thirty-five dollars the previous August, while here in April I was making three thousand- and it seemed as if it was going to do so forever. At the end of the year it must reach half a million"

His income increased so quickly there was probably quite a bit of rationalization about living up to a certain standard, and even deserving it, but when combined with the assumption that his wages would continue to rise he moved into a dangerous place where he could think about spending money that he did not have. This, of course, happens and one day his wife, Zelda, asks him why he is so depressed, "'I'm not depressed,' I answered cheerfully; 'I'm just surprised. We haven't got any money.'"

Even without money to actually pay for his lifestyle Fitzgerald continued to ignore his financial situation, "I wasn't poor- they couldn't fool me. Poverty meant being depressed and living in a small remote room and eating a rotisserie on the corver, while I- why, it was impossible that I should be poor! I was living at the best hotel in New York!" Fitzgerald is obviously writing this for effect, and knows that he has no money because he lives in the best hotel in New York, but I know that I have wondered why I don't have any money saved up only to look at the various things I had recently purchased to be reminded by what I could have gone without.

Sometimes, we are able to continue to ignore our financial instability, and in Fitzgerald's case he was able to because he was continuously earning more money, but could not seem to keep his head above water due to indulging in such luxuries as, "having a baby and a trip to Europe" It seems a bit much to say that having a baby is a luxury but according to this story from NPR they are certainly not cheap.

Fitzgerald had a novel solution to get out of the trouble he was in. "I'll just have to get out of this mess the only way I know how, by making more money."

This, actually, is not a bad idea. Sometimes the only way to gain headway on paying down debt is to actually find more work and devote that additional income to paying off debt. This is by no means fun, and if you do as Fitzgerald did, and simply spend the money it will only leave you more exhausted and in the same position as you started.

In the end, Fitzgerald decided to actually settle on a budget and live off of it, but cannot get over the years worth of income he lost. He knows full and well the mistakes that he has made with his spending, but is still unprepared to actually come to terms with living within his means. To sum everything up the key to all personal finance is simply to spend less than you make. This does not sound like fun, but will eventually lead to less stress and financial freedom. You can read the whole story here, and let us know what you think of F. Scott Fitzgerald's habits.

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We are officially in hurricane season and will be until the end of November. Many of us don't need to be reminded how serious they are after experiencing Hurricane Ike. My own family had it relatively easy, and was without power for only one week, but I know many others who went without power for over a month.

I wanted to list off a few things that you can do now to start preparing for hurricane season. This list is by no means comprehensive, and you should take the time to do some research on your own about what extra precautions you might want to take.

Buy supplies early. I can remember going into Wal-Mart a week before Hurricane Ike hit, and there was nothing left. Seeing shelves completely bare is always an unsettling occurence, and even more so when you need food. I did have enough food for a few days, and was able to get into a relatively well stocked grocery store as my food supplies ran out. I will not be going through another hurricane like that though. I will definitely be keeping my pantry well stocked with enough food to last several days. Flashlights are your friend. It gets dark at night, and without any electricity it is always a shock at just how dark it gets at night. Be sure to have enough lights, and batteries to last. These are safer than candles because you aren't risking a fire.

If you are leaving your home be sure to check for limbs from trees that might fall on your house if there are strong winds, and trim the ones that you can. Garage doors are also susceptible to wind damage, and they should be reinforced.

When a hurricane is coming it is always impossible to tell where it is going to go, and we all like to wait until the last minute to make a decision about whether to stay or go, but if you are going to go it is always best to leave early. The sooner you leave the less traffic there is to deal with, and the better the chances of getting a hotel closer to home. I remember during Hurricane Rita that every single hotel between Houston and Dallas was booked to capacity.

I know that I've left many things off of this list. What are some other steps that can be taken to prepare for a hurricane?

The real nitty gritty of personal finance is dull and tedious. When it comes down to it if you don't actually track what you spend then you will probably be left wondering where all your money went at the end of the month.

One of the benefits of dutifully tracking your spending is that it can lead to some shocking surprises. For example I made 14 trips to the burger stand in the last month. Did I need to make that many trips? I'm sure my wallet and waistline both would appreciate a change in my habits, but I never would have realized how bad it was unless I had been keeping tabs on my spending. I would have had a feeling that I was eating a few more cheeseburgers than I should, but when presented with a cold hard number it is a lot easier to decide to make a change.

Everyone needs to find a balance and figure out a system that works best for them. My sister swears by her excel spreadsheet. She keeps every single receipt and then enters them manually to track her spending. That is not the system for me. I use a spreadsheet, but I prefer to export my data once a month out of TDECU's Online Banking System and then sort out what I've spent and see where I can improve.

This is a great place to start when thinking about putting together a personal finance spreadsheet. Most of the work goes into setting up the initial one, but once that work is done mainting is fairly easy. If you aren't up for such a high-tech solution you could try what out our Young & Free Texas Spokesperson, Josh Garrett, does. He writes down all of his spending and does the math by hand in a notebook.

Or, if you're not up for trying to figure out exactly where all of your money is going, but do want to set limits figure out broad categories for your budget and live off of the envelope system. Each payday withdraw the money that you need and place it in corresponding envelopes (Fast Food, Entertainment, Etc) and then once the envelope is empty you're out of luck until next month. This will help you keep from reaching for the debit card when you know that you shouldn't. Another thing that can put a stop to impulse buys is the $50 rule, and you can read about that here.

Everything listed about are just ideas, and places to start, but unless you actually sit down and do it nothing will happen. Are there any other unique ways for budgeting or tracking your spending that you use? Let us know!

An estimated 9 million Americans have their identities stolen every year, and while many of them probably did their best to protect their information. It is more difficult to keep information secure today than it was a few years ago. Thankfully, there are some very easy things that can be done to help make potential thieves have a harder time.

Always shred documents that contain your social security number, credit card numbers, or anything that might be used to impersonate you. This doesn't mean that there is a need to rush out right now and buy a shredder, but make sure that any checks that are thrown away are torn up, and the same goes for other paper with your information on it. This will make it harder for an identity thief to impersonate you if they are digging through your trash to find something of use.

When surfing the internet be vigilant about where you enter your passwords, user ID's, and personal information. Many times you need to enter this information to take care of something like securing a loan online, or renewing your vehicle registration. The important thing to make sure is that the address of the website matches that of the institution you are trying to interact with. The web pages where these types of transactions take place are secure, and somewhere in the browser there will be a lock logo. This lets you know that your information is being protected, and is another sign of authenticity.

Another best practice is to always keep your computer clean, and anti-virus software up to date. This will keep malware from taking some of your information. Avoid buying this software in response to a pop-up ad, but research the options that are available and pick the program you use based off of customer reviews.

When picking passwords try and be creative. Use numbers, symbols, and capital letters, and associate them with something you will remember. Do you like The Beatles? How about: 1amTh3W4lrus --> I am the walrus. You can do this with just about anything and it will create a password that is both secure and easy to remember. The remembering is important. Using the same password for every site on the internet is not secure because if a thief gains access to one of your accounts the can then access any account you have a relationship with online.

When looking for signs of identity theft always check your bank statements for purchases you didn't make, and your credit report for signs of activity that were not you. When you see that someone is making transactions in your name contact the police, and they will help you in guiding how you should respond, and what your options are. There are many more things that can be done to secure you identity, and while the reading isn't the most fun it is best to play it safe.

More information on identity theft can be found on the FTC's website here.

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I'm not talking about the playground game. I'm talking about Foursquare, a mobile based application that allows users to "check in" wherever they are via iPhones, Blackberry, and Android phones. Users simply download the application and start playing. They are able to look up other friends who may also be playing through their Twitter, and Facebook contact lists, or searching manually by name and phone number.

When a user checks in a notification is sent to that users friends on Foursquare, and points are gained for going to new places. Each week a leader board is formed based off of who has the most points and is reset each week. If a user goes to a venue more than anyone else then they can become the Mayor of that venue, and in many places there are actually battles over mayor ship. This Wall Street Journal article interviewed a girl who stated that she was going to try and become the mayor of her favorite coffee shop, and in the comments the current mayor made it very clear that he would do all he could to keep her from gaining that mayor ship! I personally am engaged with a feud with one of my friends over a burger stand that I like. Ridiculous, yes. Fun, yes!

As users check in more they can also unlock badges. They range from Gym Rat, for checking into the gym, to Zoetrope, for ten movie theater check in's, to Super Mayor, that one's for holding ten mayor ships at once. In addition to collecting badges many companies are offering specials to Foursquare users. These can come in the form of free coffee for the mayor to maybe a free cookie with every tenth visit to a bakery. They vary, and the application notifies you of specials nearby whenever you check in.

In preparation for the grand opening of our brand new branch in Pearland, just south of Houston, TDECU is offering a $250 Visa® Gift Card to whoever is the mayor if they are at the ribbon cutting at 10 A.M. on May 13th! We are very excited about this new branch, and the possibilities for rewarding or members through Foursquare. Check out our Foursquare page here, and my personal profile here. So be on the lookout for other types of rewards and start checking in!

Weddings are very expensive. The average wedding costs about $20,000. This is a tremendous amount of money, and if you aren't married yet, want to be, and aren't saving for yours I would recommend opening a savings account now! Many of my friends got married while they were in college, and sometimes were not able to enjoy a large amount of financial support from their families. Here are some ways that they were able to save money on their weddings.

Unique Use of Wedding Gifts
Many of us have friends with incredibly unique skills. That might come in handy for a wedding. Maybe you have a friend who is really good at coordinating events, and instead of bringing you a wedding present they would be willing to act as your wedding planner. Many of us have friends that are brilliant photographers, and they might be happy to shoot your wedding for free. There are a few caveats, of course. We never want to take advantage of our friends, and use our special event as emotional blackmail to get them to do something they otherwise wouldn't. My photographer friends have, on occasion, complained to me about their inability to get their friends to even consider paying them for their work. With that in mind, your friends still might be willing to discount their skills. In the end the cost of putting unnecessary stress on relationships might make the cost of these services worth it.

Consolidate Venues
Is there a reason to rent both a church and a reception hall? Having the ceremony in the same place as the reception, and giving 30 minutes for the room to change over can save money. There are even venues that are designed specifically for this. I've had friends get married at a great venue with two outdoor pavilions, one for the ceremony and the other already set up for the reception so that there wasn't even a delay in serving people food after the bride and groom walked down the aisle.

Regular Suits and Dresses
This might not help the bride or groom save money, but their wedding party would be thankful. Why not allow the groomsmen to all wear black suits? A tux rental can run upwards of $100, and eventually every man will need a black suit. And what about the bridesmaids? Once the colors for the wedding have been picked why not let them pick dresses that fit the color? This will give them more freedom to pick a dress they might wear again, and even give your wedding a unique look and feel. Though, I would recommend letting the bride have final say on what dresses are worn.

Elope
Yes, you rob your friends and family of the joy of sharing in the public proclamation of your unending and eternal love, but you get the satisfaction of being married without any of the costs. This could have serious repercussions on family relations for years to come. This is the nuclear option of saving on a wedding.

None of us wants to have a wedding that looks cheap, but there are definitely ways to save on the big day. What are some of the tricks that you know of for having a less expensive wedding?

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Let's be honest. Personal Finance is a bit of chore. It ranks somewhere above doing the dishes but above laundry for me. Writing about it isn't that thrilling, and reading about it is usually even worse. When deciding to read about personal finance it is either to confirm that what you're doing is correct, or because you have absolutely no clue why there is no money left in the bank at the end of the month.

I started of this year by reading Ramit Sethi's first book I Will Teach You To Be Rich. He does a great job of keeping the topic interesting and giving solid financial advice at the same time. Sethi graduated from Stanford University in 2005, and has a venture-backed startup as well as a personal finance blog that garners about 250,000 views a month. He says that he got interested in personal finance while preparing to go the college, "I applied to over 70 scholarships and I still remember my first one: They wrote the $2,000 check to me, which I promptly invested, losing 50% of it in a couple months. After that, I decided to learn about money so I didn’t lose the rest."

Sethi is an outlier, not many of us applied for scholarships, and even fewer would have thought to try growing the gift by investing it. The man is a natural at finding ways to efficiently earn money, and does a great job of explaining what he has learned to help others.

The key to what Sethi preaches is automation. He doesn't believe in willpower; the idea that if you want to do better with your money you will. Most of his advice centers on trying to keep you from hurting yourself financially. According to Sethi to majority of financial errors can be avoided by setting up automatic transfers the instant your money gets to your bank account so that spending it isn't even something that you think about.

There are many different ways to automate your money. You could go the high tech route via automatic transfers in online banking suites or low-tech with the envelope system. That is where you take your money and divide it into categorized envelopes. Then once you have spent the money in the envelope you are out of luck until the next month.

Advice like this, and more can be found on his blog, iwillteachyoutoberich.com, and you can read the first chapter of the book here. Let us know in the comments of any other books you’ve read that have helped you out with your own finances.