Archive for March, 2009

eStatements Drawing Winner: Week 3

March 30, 2009

I know you’ve been on pins and needles in anticipation, but the wait is over. The eStatements drawing winner this week is none other than the lovely

Ms. Judy Wilkins

Congratulations Ms. Wilkins! I enjoyed chatting with you on the phone earlier and I hope you have an excellent Monday!

As for the rest of you, maybe you’ll win next week…

Or maybe you aren’t even eligible to win the $50 drawing because you haven’t signed up for eStatements yet. You better get on it. There are only 12 more chances to win!!

Learn about eStatements here and then sign up for eStatements here.

And try to have a fantastic Monday, even if you didn’t win…

Jeans and Pancakes

March 27, 2009

We would like to wish you a very happy Friday! It’s almost the weekend!  

Fridays can be pretty crazy around here and the rain coming down this morning could make it even crazier, but sometimes we get to wear jeans on Fridays, and who doesn’t love wearing jeans to work?

Some Fridays are jeans days for charity where we pick a deserving charity and everyone chips in to wear jeans.

Some Fridays are free jeans days just for fun. Today was one of those ‘just for fun’ Fridays. And not only are we having fun wearing our favorite denims, we also got to start the day off right with a pancake breakfast!

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Our fabulous chef (aka Director of Financial Services) whipped up some excellent pecan, chocolate chip, blueberry, and even cranberry pancakes. And I don’t want to forget the sweet potato pancakes…now doesn’t that sound fancy?

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Someone seems to be catching up on the news while they eat.

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Turns out, jeans and pancakes are the perfect recipe to brighten up this rainy Friday.

What’s the Big Stinking Deal: Part Three

March 26, 2009

Time for the third part in our series on what the big stinking deal is about credit unions. The last part of the series of will appear next week. Want to know the last big stinking deal? You’ll have to wait! In the meantime:

Lesson Three: Democratic Control

Lest you think this is going to turn into a conversation about politics, let me clear this up. Every member-owner of a credit union receives one vote when electing the Board of Directors. At a bank, you can only elect the Board of Directors if you are a stockholder, and even if you are a stockholder, the number of votes you receive depends on how large your shares are.

The Board of Directors is important. Really important. They oversee the credit union management and provide guidance on the overall strategic direction of the credit union. When necessary, they prevent credit union management from doing something unwise, thus protecting your interest in the credit union.  Electing the Board is kind of like a small scale election of the President; voting on the right candidate makes all the difference in how well things run. (Somehow, politics weaseled its way in.)

Even more important is that the Board of Directors at a credit union is made up of members who volunteer to serve. Banks have to pay their Boards, and their Directors may not even be customers. Unlike a bank, this means that a credit union Board not only has little possibility for ulterior motives in decision making, but they also make decisions that are wise for members because they are members themselves!

What’s the Big Stinking Deal?

You have a say in how a credit union operates. Banks can’t offer that.

Frugal Fun

March 25, 2009

Everywhere I turn lately, I hear something about saving money. It seems it’s on our minds, and on our minds it will stay until something big changes. 

In my ‘saving money’ conversations with friends we have discussed saving money on the following: the water bill, the power bill, purchasing a vehicle, eating out, eating in, gym memberships, cable television and the ever-necessary Internet.

I’m learning how to save a little money here and a little money there on all of these things, but a very important item seems to have been left off of the list and out of my recent conversations for some reason.

Clothing! We’re in the middle of season change which usually means it’s time for an entire wardrobe change, or at least some new shirts and a pair of shorts. And maybe some shoes…

So let’s discuss, shall we?

At my high school, it was the ‘cool’ thing to wear what they call ‘vintage’ clothing. You know, the retro t-shirts with cool logos and tag lines like “Have a Coke and Smile.” Love that t-shirt!

I saved tons of money in high school shopping at thrift stores for t-shirts instead of going to the mall. But even if the thrift store t-shirt doesn’t seem to be the trend of the moment, let’s not disregard these stores too quickly.

If you are looking for some new (new is a relative term here, meaning new to you) clothes for the family and you need to save as much as possible, start at a thrift store or a consignment shop. 

Here in Rome, there are two Salvation Army stores for your thrift shopping convenience and a few consignment shops:

  • Finders Keepers on Dean Street
  • Smartypants on Broad Street for the kidos
  • Posh over on Glen Milner Blvd.
  • Little Lilies in West Rome

There are others around town and of course there are more shops outside of Rome in places like Rockmart, Cedartown, and Calhoun to name a few.

Don’t forget to drop off your gently used clothes that don’t quite fit anymore and take up too much space in the closet. You can get a tax deduction for donating items at the Salvation Army or you can try to sell your items at consignment shops.

So, here’s the bottom line, the mall isn’t your only option and finding a great deal while thrift store shopping is always exciting!

Happy shopping!

Week Two eStatement Winner

March 23, 2009

This week’s winner of $50 cash is Jerri Knowles! Yes, Jerri is our Assistant Branch Manager. No, this isn’t fixed. But I wish it was. {evil laughter}

If you didn’t win, it’s either because we didn’t randomly select you (duh) or you haven’t enrolled in eStatements with Check Images (double duh). If you’re the former, hang on! There’s 13 more chances to win! If you’re the latter, then get on the eStatement bandwagon today. Here’s why you should.

We’re Watching Your Back

March 23, 2009

It’s a big bad world out there. I realize this every time I do these things:

  • Read the news
  • Drive in Atlanta
  • Eat too much dessert and see the number on the scale go up. Dang it.

We realize that the world can be a tough nut to crack, which is exactly why NWGACU has fraud alert service for your debit card. The best part is that you don’t have to do anything. If you have a debit card at NWGACU (and you use it), your card transactions are being continually monitored for unusual and suspicious activity. If something looks funny, our fraud alert service will give you a call to verify that funny little transaction to make sure that no bad guys have compromised your card. Sometimes a live person will call you. Sometimes an automated message will call you. Either way, the fraud alert service will verify your identity with the last 4 digits of your social before discussing anything about your strange/mysterious/unusual/funky transaction. Of course, if you ever travel overseas, give us a call so we don’t worry when you suddenly have transactions in Kyrgyzstan. (Yes, people, that’s a real country.)

Auditors are People Too

March 19, 2009

This week , our internal auditors have been on site. We hire these guys and gals from Nearman Maynard Vallez to make sure that we are in compliance with the many regulations that are required of us. They spend their days pouring over our financial records, asking lots of questions, and making recommendations that keep us on the right side of the tracks. But lest you think that auditors’ personalities are less sparkling than their brains, read on.

This is Jason.

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Jason has come here several times. He is going for his certification to be a CPA in April AND he loves roller coasters. A winning combination. As you can see from his picture, he’s quite a thinker. Two years ago, we gave Jason an air shooter with our logo on it, and he still uses it. Jason+Air Shooter= Cool Auditor.

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This is Jackie.

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Jackie is a yoga enthusiast who has done a lot of traveling throughout Asia. Two things that I wish I did more often. Or ever. Very interesting lady.

This is Adrian.

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Adrian wears cool ties. He also has a military background, so we made sure we did everything Adrian said.  Sir yes sir!

There was another auditor on site, Cynthia. Cynthia managed to avoid getting her picture taken. Sneaky, sneaky, huh?

So the next time you meet an internal auditor, give them a hug. For crying out loud, they aren’t the IRS!

What’s the Big Stinking Deal: Part Two

March 18, 2009

Welcome back to our series on what the big stinking deal is about credit unions. In Part One of What’s the Big Stinking Deal, we talked about why member-ownership is so important, and why it’s better than being a bank customer. In Part Two, we discuss (drumroll, please)…

Lesson Two: Not-For-Profit

You’re probably thinking, I don’t get it. Why would a credit union stay in business if it wasn’t for profit?

Good question, young grasshopper.

Both banks and credit unions earn income through loan interest rates and fees, and the profit is what is leftover after expenses are paid. The difference is where the profit goes. At a bank, the profit goes to stockholders because, well, they own the place. At a credit union, the profit goes to the members because, well, you own the place.  Profit is given back to members in the form of dividends (interest) on deposit accounts, reduced rates on loans, free or inexpensive services, and lower fees. The “not-for” portion of “profit” means that our purpose for existence is not earning money– it’s helping people with their personal finances without ripping them off.

What’s the Big Stinking Deal?

Stuff is usually cheaper at a credit union. Because you have a hand in the ownership, you reap the financial rewards.

For real.

Our First eStatements Drawing Winner

March 17, 2009

Now that eStatements with Check Images are up and running, it is time to start the weekly drawing!

We love drawings around here. It’s fun to give people a chance at free money.

For 15 weeks we’ll have a list of everyone signed up for eStatements, and every week we will be drawing one name from that list. That name gets 50 bucks put straight into their account.

All they had to do was sign up for eStatements…I love free money!

So, without further ado, the winner of the first eStatements drawing is…

Kris Kostreba

Congratulations Kris!

If you haven’t signed up for eStatements yet, you can do that here. Sign up soon, you only have 14 more chances to win that free money!

eNews

March 16, 2009

If you have had an account at Northwest Georgia Credit Union for more than six months you probably used to receive a paper newsletter along with your statement once every quarter. Turns out, paper is out this season.

In our effort to jump head-first into the 21 century, we have changed our newsletters a little. Our paper newsletters are no longer making it into mailboxes all across Rome, they are now online, which is totally in this season.

Change Direction is our eNewsletter and is now sent to our members one time per month. It is a straight-to-the-point little newsletter with some very valuable information for our members. If you want to see a few previous eNewsletters, check ‘em out here. And if you haven’t signed up yet, you can do that here.

In more eNews, eStatements are here! You no longer have to receive a paper statement in the mail, you can now check your statements and view your check images anytime online! Get more information here and then sign up through your Online Banking account here.

Man, this 21st Century things is kind of fun. Not only have we gone paperless with our newsletters and statements, we are also doing a little ‘social networking’ on facebook and twitter.


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