9 components of personal finance
There is a lot more to an effective financial plan than balancing your checkbook and sticking to a budget each month. You should be creating a financial plan that aligns with, and helps you achieve [...]
News Archives
What “Brangelina” can teach your credit union
September 20, 2016…a day that will live in infamy. People will remember this day and ask, “Where were you when you learned Brangelina was over?” The news coverage, memes, talk show commentary, video mockery, [...]
Defining your financial institution’s 2020 blueprint
As financial institutions, we pursue an empowered consumer to be a part of their financial journey. Our key offerings include deposits, loans, and payments. We would like to be the primary or only financial institution [...]
Bear business: Three essentials for growing a community
Make no mistake about it, O Bee Credit Union placed larger-than-life (2-3 times larger) images of The Berenstain Bears in the windows of their Yelm branch to capture the attention of thousands of motorists traversing [...]
The pros and cons of a reverse mortgage
A reverse mortgage turns the equity in your home into cash. For some retirees this can have a lot of value, but for others, the downside may be too great. Here’s a look at [...]
5 ways to lower your bills
When you are looking for more ways to save money, the best course of action is always to cut back on spending. Once you cut out all of the unneeded expenses from your life, you [...]
The high cost of BSA and anti-money laundering violations
We in NAFCU’s regulatory compliance department are constantly reminded of the seriousness of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) does not play around when it comes to compliance with [...]
Score one for the CFPB
My mother would occasionally tell my father that he was never right. His response was that even a broken clock was right twice a day. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in the minds of [...]
If Big Blue can pivot, so can you
When asked to think of an agile, design-focused business, Apple or maybe Tesla probably come to mind. IBM probably won't – but maybe they should. Having invented everything from mag stripe cards and the ATM, to [...]
3 weekend money traps you need to avoid
After a hectic workweek, it’s natural to want to decompress over the weekend. Watch out though, because these two days can be the most expensive of the entire week. Here are three common weekend [...]
4 ways to quickly raise your credit score
Don’t miss a payment This is the number one thing that credit bureaus look at when determining your credit score. Your payment history makes up 35% of your FICO score. If you have trouble [...]
The power of truth in credit union analytics
New technologies are enabling credit unions to collect a vast array of data only dreamed about in the past. However, this massive amount of data will only create more confusion if it is not organized [...]
4 inventive ways businesses can utilize Snapchat
You've heard of Snapchat, you understand how it works (for the most part), but you're not using it because you're not a 13 year old girl. Well, I'm here to tell you why you should [...]
Setting 2017 goals for your member experience program
Every year at planning time, we receive numerous phone calls from Member Loyalty Group participants and non-participants with questions about setting goals for their Member Experience Program and Loyalty or Net Promoter Score. Having collected [...]
Financial advice for new parents
As prepared as you’d like to be for a new arrival, nothing can absolutely ready you for this enormous change to your life. Don’t let financial stress overshadow the excitement of welcoming a [...]