Saving Money Like an Olympian

The Olympics inspire many athletes to pursue their sports dreams but here at St. Cloud Federal Credit Union it inspires us to be financially fit! In fact we believe the same principles to becoming a Gold Medalist are the same as being a financial fitness champ like our employee Phoebe!

Set a Goal

Setting a goal is the first step into any adventure, whether it is becoming an Olympian or saving money. Your goal doesn’t have to meet anyone’s expectation but your own. To be successful set a goal that you think you can achieve.

Create a Plan

You cannot simply say you want to save money just like you can’t simply walk into the Olympics and ask for a gold medal. You have to create a financial plan like you are training for the Olympics. This plan could be saving $5 a week or it could be saving $100 a week. It can be any amount you choose as long as it makes sense for your ultimate savings goal.

Train For the Gold

Once an Olympian makes their training plan, it’s time to put it into action! The same process can be applied to your savings plan. You have to train yourself to get into the habit of saving. One way to do this is to have a portion of your paycheck go into your savings account.

Patience

Your savings account will not grow rapidly overnight and that’s okay! Every little bit you put into your savings counts. Eventually you will make it to your savings goal just like an Olympian that gets the gold!

Keep Your Eye on The Prize

It is easy for us to slip back into old spending habits. Just like it is easy for an Olympian to have a sloppy practice. One way to stay focused is to write down where all your money goes and how much you want to save each month.

We are here to help you become financially fit champion like Phoebe! Feel free to stop by either of our locations or browse our website to learn more about our services.

WOW Story #2

"Our job every day is to help our members in any way we can, but we're not in the habit of "tooting our own horn". However, we're proud of the superior service we provide, and the great feedback we get from members. So here's a little "toot" . . .

One of our employees was recently at her doctor's office in St. Cloud. She handed her Debit Card to the person at the counter, who looked at it and exclaimed, "I love the Credit Union!" She then told how much she loves having her accounts with SCFCU, and that her husband has been with us since he was a child. She said specifically that she loves working with Joe Rose and Sandy Lehnen with their loans, and that SCFCU always takes such good care of them. Way to go to everyone who touches all of our our members' lives daily in positive ways. And kudos to Joe and Sandy for making a lasting impression on our member at the doctor's office!

WOW Story #1

Helping our members stay "financially fit" can mean a variety of things. It can mean something as crucial as keeping your money from falling into the hands of criminals, as illustrated in this story.

An elderly member called us recently and talked to Member Service Representative Karen. She told Karen she would be stopping in shortly to withdraw some cash. She had received a call from a "debt collection agency" instructing her to pay an outstanding debt immediately or she would be taken to court.

It would be easy for us to simply give our member what she asked for, no questions asked. But our first concern is to look out for the welfare of our members. Karen contacted our member's daughter to verify that she agreed with this withdrawal, and the daughter said, "Yes".

When our member came in, Karen took the time ask more questions, to learn exactly what's going on. We know from experience that fraud is being perpetrated every day. Karen discovered that our member had been directed to withdraw cash and to purchase reloadable cash cards at a local pharmacy. She again called the daughter and alerted her that this must be a scam. No legitimate organization would do this. Our member and her daughter were grateful for Karen's persistence in helping them prevent a scam.

'One-Ring' Cell Phone Scam

We are informing our members about an 'One-Ring' cell phone scam that has recently hit Minnesota. Please read below to educate yourself about this scam.

"The Better Business Bureau is warning people who use cell phones about a "one-ring" scam. Like most scams, it preys on the curious, but in this case, a simple return phone call could cost big bucks.

The scam is simple. People receive a call on their cell phone. It usually only rings once and typically the person on the other end hangs up before the call is answered. If a person calls back, the scammers collect."

"The calls are coming in from area codes like 473, which is Grenada, but other Caribbean area countries like Antigua, Dominican Republic and British Virgin Islands are also included in the scam."

DeMars, Jeffery. "Cell Phone 'One-Ring' Scam Hits Minnesota." Kare 11. N.p., 3 Feb. 2014. Web.

Click here for more information.

We encourage our members to watch out for this scam. If you see a missed call from a suspicious number delete it from your phone to avoid an accidental dial. Also watch for additional charges on your accounts. 

Be Financially Fit This Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day isn’t always about lavish and expensive gifts. It’s about taking a day to show your loved ones how much you appreciate them! Celebrating Valentine’s Day doesn’t need to put a dent in your wallet; there are many fun, affordable Valentine’s Day activities.

Affordable Valentine’s Day Ideas for Your Sweetie 

Watch a Movie Together

If ice-skating is too much of a slippery slope for you, consider spending the night at home. Make your favorite movie snack, relax on your couch and watch a movie together! Romantic movies are popular on Valentine’s Day but if that is not “your thing”, choose a movie you both will enjoy no matter the genre.

photo credit

Ice Skating

The MAC has open skating both on Valentine’s Day and Sunday February 16^th. Adults are only $6 each and skate rentals are only $3.00 per pair.  Whether you’re a pro at skating or someone who is a board hugger, skating with your sweetie will be a blast! After you make a few laps around the rink, take a break with a cup of Hot Chocolate.

photo credit

Share a Present

Think of one gift you both want and can enjoy together. It could be a practical item like an appliance or it could be something as simple as a fancy bottle of wine. Whatever it is make sure it is something you both want!

Make Handmade Vouchers

This is a gift you can really get creative with! Here are some examples: half hour massage, make dinner for you, do your least favorite chore.

Make “54 things I love about you” gift

It’s an affordable and thoughtful gift. All you need is a deck of cards, paper and a printer (or marker).

Affordable Valentine’s Ideas for Kids

Valentine’s seem to be getting more and more expensive and class sizes aren’t getting any smaller. Below are examples of DIY Valentines you can make at an affordable price with out looking cheap:

Pipe Cleaner Rings:  All you need to buy is a bag of Hersey’s Kiss, and pipe cleaners. Use paper that you have around your house to write the Valentines Day message. (Cost for 30 of these: $6 to $8)

Super Hero lollipop: All you need to buy is a lollipop and use any paper, and crayons you have around the house to decorate your super hero! (Cost for 30 of these: $4 to $6)

Mad Lib Valentine: Instead of getting candy, print off a Valentine’s Day Mad Lib and roll it up and tie a paper heart around it. Add decorative paper if you have some lying around the house. If you need paper, Crafts Directs Discount store has scrapbook paper for 10 to 25 cents a paper (three sheets should be enough). (Cost for 30 of these: $4 to $5)

These ideas are sure to make your Valentine’s Day special. You don’t have to break the piggy bank to celebrate. All that matters is that you are spending the day with the ones you love!

Meet Faye!

Hi all, Phoebs here…as many of you recall, I work with the folks at St. Cloud Federal Credit Union to educate, support, and encourage our Members to become Financially Fit. More recently, I’ve been helping my friend Frank look at his financial choices and help him find ways to make healthier decisions that can impact his overall Financial Fitness, which as many of us know – effects our overall well‐being.

Now I’d like to introduce you to my good friend Faye. I met Faye in college, and even though she’s a few years older than me, we’ve been great friends ever since. Faye is very intelligent and has been very successful over the years. After college she landed her ‘dream job’… which in her words, came with ‘a dream salary’. Because Faye makes a good deal of money, she doesn’t feel the need to budget and likes to ‘spoil’ herself and others from time to time – which isn’t a bad thing, but when it comes to working on Financial Fitness, I could tell Faye was struggling.

As I mentioned, Faye is extremely smart and savvy, so the conversation about Financial Fitness goals wasn’t an easy one; she tends to get embarrassed when talk of retirement plans, credit scores, and savings accounts are part of the conversation because it’s not something she’s familiar with. I explained to Faye that you should never be embarrassed to talk to someone about your finances – and many of us don’t understand some of those intimidating terms! A few years back when I struggled with my own Financial Fitness, it felt great to talk with the my friends at St. Cloud Federal Credit Union – they’re supportive, approachable, and very understanding…I assured Faye that it’s OK (and healthy!) to ask for a little help sometimes!

Long story short, after a great chat (and, ok, a little coaxing and encouragement), Faye has agreed that together we can get her on the track to Financial Fitness, and make her feel better about where her hard‐earned money is going (and not going).

Faye has been such a great friend to me, and I can’t wait to help her with Financial Fitness goals in any way I can. I’m sure I’ll be writing again soon to discuss our progress and/or road blocks. I’m excited to introduce her to all of you, and the friendly faces at St. Cloud Federal Credit Union – together we can make our financial dreams a reality!

Cheers,

~Phoebe

Student Loan Program through Lendkey Testimonial

"I just wanted to tell you about my GREAT experience with the Student Loan Program through Lendkey. My son applied the other day and added me as a co-signer. LendKey is VERY QUICK with their correspondence. Both my son and I had to download documents for them and it was very easy. One of my son's docs had to be resubmitted as a PDF and it took maybe 5 minutes before they responded, saying that they had received everything and that we should hear soon whether or not our loan was approved. THEN, just this morning, I learned that the loan was approved. I soon received an email containing a link to sign the loan documents online thru the Docusign service! Super easy!

This loan is to be applied for AFTER you have exhausted all other avenues such as government loans,both subsidized and unsubsidized; scholarships, etc. It's like the Parent Plus loan that the schools offer. My son is attending the U of M in the Twin Cities and their Parent loan offer to us was a higher rate of 6.9% AND for every advance, they charge a 4% origination fee...the LendKey program through the credit union has NO ORIGINATION FEE! (Interest rates are based on your credit.)
I can't say enough good things about this program." - Tammy B.