There may be ways to decrease your 2014 tax burden before filing on April 15. Consider contributing to your IRA or if you don’t have one, now is the perfect time to start an IRA. An Individual Retirement Account can be set up at most financial institutions (including OnPoint). IRA contributions can be invested in a number of account types including mutual funds, stocks, bonds, money market accounts, CDs and savings accounts.

It's been nearly one year since Susan Anglada Bartley, an English and Leadership teacher at Franklin High School in Portland, was named the 2014 OnPoint Prize Educator of the Year in the 9-12th grade category. We've checked back in with Susan to find out more about her experience. In this special guest blog post, Susan shares with us the impact this win has had on her life.

The days have started to get longer and even though we’re technically still in the heart of winter, you’d wouldn’t really know it from the warmer-than-usual temps we’ve been experiencing here in the Pacific Northwest. Despite the fact that it’s doesn’t feel like February, we are still several months away from spring so now is a great time to start planning your spring and summer home improvement projects.