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MARCH 30, 2015 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS
Wellness Center 6189 Lake Michigan Drive
616.307.1617 | 877.932.4446
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YOGA CLASSES HOT Beginner Vinyasa Kundalini
Counseling Services
An opportunity to enhance the quality of your life TODAY utilizing a: • Hollistic approach drawing from traditional and alternative/mindfulness based strategies • Practice specialties include: anxiety, depression, and disordered eating • Most major insurances accepted; sliding fee scale available • Sensitivity to diversity while providing a caring and supportive environment for you to continue your “Heart’s Journey” to a healthy and happy life heartsjourneywellness.com
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easier to deposit and withdraw money. If you don’t travel much and only seem to withdraw money within your community, then a smaller, local bank, which should be able to offer the same direct deposit services as its larger competitors, may be what you’re looking for. The Lake Michigan Credit Union, located in Allendale, may be the bank for some GVSU students to use while attending college. To learn more, visit www.lmcu.org/. Capability: Some people prefer to have all of their financial needs catered to by the same bank. This means a bank that can manage your investments, provide a line of credit and secure home, vehicle or education loans. Larger banks tend to offer the widest array of services, and such banks also may have more advanced technology that makes it easier to manage all of your accounts. Smaller banks may be just as versatile with regard to their capabilities, so don’t judge a book by its cover. Balances: Banks typically require account holders maintain a minimum balance on both their checking and savings accounts. If you think it may be difficult for you to maintain a higher balance, find a bank that offers accounts with a low minimum balance so you don’t end up paying penalties just to spend your own money. Fees: Even accounts that
ACCOUNTABILITY: Grand Valley State University students who are about to graduate
should remember to take care where they put their money if moving to another locale.
are advertised as “free” tend to come with fees that are listed in the fine print. For example, a “free” checking account may only be free if account holders maintain a minimum balance of $1,000 or more. Should that balance dip below the predetermined minimum, account holders are then subject to costly fees. Overdraft fees, in which
account holders are charged a substantial fee if they do not have enough money in their accounts to cover their purchases, are another potentially costly problem for men and women who are not accustomed to monitoring their balances closely. Before opening an account, learn if there are any fees associated with it, and what’s
the best way to avoid paying those fees, such as using only ATMs affiliated with your bank or purchasing overdraft protection that covers you in the case of an overdraft. Choosing a bank is an important decision, and identifying your needs is a great way to make the best decision possible.
Why it pays to graduate he Grand Valley State University graduation ceremony, GradFest and other events that mark the end of a school year are rife with tradition. Students know it is important to receive their diplomas but may not have a full understanding of why that piece of paper can help open so many doors. Diplomas date back to some of the earliest schools, but were also conferred upon landowners in ancient times by kings and other authority figures. Some military personnel were also given diplomas to signal land grants that were not subject to taxes. Nowadays diplomas take on a different meaning and vary depending on where one lives in the world. According to the organization Do Something, roughly 20 percent of first-
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time college students come from parents who have a high school diploma or less. The United States Department of Education says high school graduation rates have increased since the 2006-2007 school year. Around 80 percent of students who enter high school now earn a regular or advanced diploma. Dropout rates are on the decline, and a growing number of high school students continue on to two- or four-year degrees. The reason so many students continue to apply themselves and come out after four or more years with diplomas and degrees is that they realize how competitive the job market can be. Graduates have a distinct advantage over other candidates. Some companies will not even consider a job candidate who does not possess some college education. Other employers pay
more depending on the level of education the job candidates completed. According to the United States Department of Labor, employees with a bachelor’s degree earn about 54 percent more on average than those who attended college but didn’t finish. Workers with advanced degrees (master’s, doctoral, etc.) can average $20,000 to $30,000 more per year than those with bachelor’s degrees, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Some students, however, will insist that failure to have a diploma isn’t a barrier to success. For example, Richard Branson, the billionaire entrepreneur who owns Virgin Group, did not graduate high school. But such people are an aberration. Typically, earning a high school diploma and a bachelor’s degree is a key ingredient to landing a good job and enjoying professional success.
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the best bank for their needs may consider a host of factors before deciding just where it is they will be depositing their money in the years to come. Accessibility: This is many individuals’ biggest priority when it comes to finding a bank. Large banks, such as Bank of America and Fifth Third Bank, tend to have more local branches and ATMs, and such banks tend to be in more regions of the country as well. Men and women who travel for business or even underclassmen who go to school away from home may want to find a bank with a more national presence, as that can make it
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fter graduating, many Grand Valley State University students will move to other areas of the state, country or even the world. Finding the right bank in a new location is often an important thing to think about. Some people may not give much thought to where they do their banking, but much like no two account holders are the same, no two banks are the same either. That reality only highlights the importance men and women must place on finding a bank that best suits their particular needs. Individuals hoping to find
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OPENING DOORS: As graduation approaches at the end of April, Grand Valley State Univer-
sity students who earn diplomas will be more likely to find a steady and higher-paid job.
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