January 27, 2010 by Kelly
Turns out, our trendy new tees are pretty popular this season. You may have even spotted a few of them around town already.
Actually, Christi spotted one in our lobby just the other day.
Take a look:
This is Mr. Cochran – a very loyal member.
So, here it is:
This is the new Northwest Georgia Credit Union t-shirt. It says ‘Un-banking. Unbelievable’ and it is for our most loyal of members.
What does it mean to be a loyal member at NWGACU?
Well, it’s not about how many times you come see us in the drive-thru (although we do love it when you come see us!) and it’s not about how often you check our website (but of course we love it when you check our website!).
A loyal member at the credit union is a member that has a checking account with an active debit card, direct deposit and eStatements. And now a loyal member at the credit union is also the owner of one very cool t-shirt.
If you already have one of our t-shirts, send us a picture of yourself wearing it around town – we may even show it off on this here blog.
Posted in Life at the Credit Union | Leave a Comment »
January 7, 2010 by Kelly
Big banks are so last season.
Why?
Dan Mica, President and CEO of the Credit Union National Association, answers the ’why’ question in the Huffington Post today. Read it here.
Great article! But if you’re already a credit union member I’m sure you already know why.
[P.S. Judy is the big winner in our Thashers Giveaway! Congratulations Judy!]
Posted in Better than a Bank | 1 Comment »
January 4, 2010 by Kelly
I am holding in my hands two (very hard to get) passes to attend the Atlanta Thrashers pre-game skate for THIS SATURDAY!!
Would you like to have these passes?
Just tell us which product or service you love at NWGACU. Or, tell us about a product or service that you’d like to see us offer.
Leave a little note in the comments section with your favorite product or service and we’ll draw a name at random. Contest ends Thursday, January 7.
And be sure to leave your e-mail address so that we can reach you.
*Employees and their families are not eligible for this contest.
Posted in Life at the Credit Union | 2 Comments »
December 29, 2009 by Kelly
In the world of personal finance a great way to step up your game and take even more control of your money is to know what is going on with your taxes.
- Be in the know about whether you’ll owe money or if you should expect a refund.
- Dig deep or ask a professional to find out what tax deductions or tax credits you may qualify for.
- Check out any changes from the IRS or any changes from the state of Georgia.
And if you are a member of Northwest Georgia Credit Union, you can file your simple return for FREE with TurboTax or get $30.00 off when you let Jackson Hewitt handle your return. Save a little money and start the year off in the right financial direction!
Here’s to a financially smart new year!
*The above information is in no way intended to be used as tax advice, since I am clearly not a tax professional.
Posted in Fascinating Finds, Making Cents | Leave a Comment »
December 21, 2009 by Kelly
Have you see the new website? It’s beautiful – I know.
But, I’m not here to talk about how it looks. Here’s what I want you to do:
Over at www.nwgacu.org, move your mouse right across the red menu bar until you see the button titled ‘Rates’. The last drop-down menu item is ‘Financial Calculators’. Click this: it’s gold.
The first calculator is for those of us with a lazy/forgetful pen. Our pens seem to drop the ball when it comes to writing down when we write checks or make deposits. So, maybe this Checkbook Balancer will do the job. Just enter checks you write and deposits you make and watch the balancing begin. It even has a graph for the visual peeps.
The next calculator is Dealer Financing vs. Credit Union Financing. When you are looking into buying a car, check here first. You’ll see how just a few interest rate points can make a HUGE difference in your monthly payment!
Don’t Delay Your Savings is the calculator for those thinking about retirement. I know, your first thought is people 50 and over, but if you have a job, you should be thinking about retirement! Play with this calculator and don’t delay your savings!
Moving right along to the best calculator on the website – Home Budget Analysis. The pie chart is so organized and colorful and even more importantly – it’s so helpful!
Last but not least, the Loan & Line Calculator will help you see what your payment would be on a new loan or line of credit. Always good to be prepared – just like the boy scouts.
Also very cool: Below each calculator you’ll find some helpful definitions.
Enjoy!
Posted in Fascinating Finds, Making Cents | Leave a Comment »
December 14, 2009 by Kelly
It may be a rough time financially for some, but others are back to their usual buying, spending, and charging. Mint.com shows the surprising 2009 increase in spending from 2008.
Before you venture out into the crazy world of holiday shopping, take a look at these tips to protect your wallet and help prevent fraud:
5. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be cautious.
4. Shop online with trustworthy merchants who require security information like address verification and security codes located on your card.
3. Review account activity online daily to be sure transactions are accurate.
2. Be sure that receipts reflect the correct transaction amount before signing.
1. When using a debit card, you may select ‘credit’ on the card machine, which requires a signature and extends the VISA zero liability to that transaction.
Enjoy your holiday shopping and don’t forget to stick to your budget!
Posted in Fascinating Finds, Making Cents | Leave a Comment »
December 9, 2009 by Kelly
This coming February will bring a lot of changes to the credit card market and if you have a credit card, these changes could be great for you.
Here are a few of the new rules that will be effective in February 2010:
- Interest rate hikes on existing balances will be allowed only under limited conditions.
- Significant changes in terms on accounts cannot occur without 45 days’ advance notice of the change.
- Payments will be due at least 21 days after they are mailed or delivered. Consumers have complained about due dates that change without notice, giving them less time to pay their bills and increasing the likelihood of late fees.
- When consumers have accounts that carry different interest rates for different types of purchases (i.e., cash advances, regular purchases, balance transfers or ATM withdrawals), payments in excess of the minimum amount due must go to balances with higher interest rates first.
- Consumers must “opt in” to be able to spend more than the allowed limit and therefore be charged over-limit fees.
- No one under 21 can have a card unless a parent, legal guardian or spouse is the primary cardholder.
These new rules are great and they will protect consumers, but one of the unintended consequences is that credit card companies must look for new ways to increase their income.
Right now credit card companies are increasing rates, adding new fees, increasing fees, and increasing minimum payments to squeeze as much money out of their customers as they can in the next few months.
If you have a credit card with a bank or credit card company, be watchful of the fine print over the next few months.
And while we’re being honest about all of this credit card stuff, I should let you know that Northwest Georgia Credit Union will not need to make any changes to our VISA® Platinum credit card!
Since our credit card process is already consumer-friendly and will NOT be changing, we have no need to seek extra income by nickel and diming our members!
Read more here.
Posted in Better than a Bank, Making Cents | Leave a Comment »
December 2, 2009 by Kelly
Have you seen these crazy new loan rates at the credit union?
Yowzah!
Apply Online
Or stop by and see us.
Posted in Better than a Bank | Leave a Comment »
November 16, 2009 by Kelly
Can you believe that Christmas is only SIX weeks away?? With temperatures in the 70s, it is easy to forget that it’s mid-November!
Gift giving is just around the corner and with a tightened belt around the wallet, we could all use some cheap gift ideas. Wisebread.com is a personal finance blog with tips for anything and everything financial, and they posted an article today with some great gift ideas that involve very little cash.
Making your own Fudge or Russian Tea are just two ideas for gifts that will be easy on the wallet, but will still be fun for the receiver – everyone loves homemade goodies!
Click here to see gift ideas from wisebread.com.
Happy thrifty spending!
Posted in Fascinating Finds, Making Cents | Leave a Comment »
November 2, 2009 by Kelly
Halloween was a super fun day at the credit union. On top of all the candy and treats we gave out, we invited kids to come to the main office and show off their costumes. 3 judges, completely unbiased, came to help us find the most creative costumes.
Here are a few that the judges had to choose from:
As you can see, it was a very tough choice, but they did have to choose some winners.
And the winners are:
From the 5 and under category:
The smallest SWAT team member and the sweetest little butterfly. Congratulations!
In the category for 6-10 year olds, here are the winners:
The hilarious Grandma and straight from the video game world, Luigi! You guys did great!
The winners received money to help add to their savings.
We were glad to see so many young credit union members show up for our fun Halloween festivities!
Posted in Events, Life at the Credit Union | Leave a Comment »
