How to Keep Calm about Your Finances

Is CALM the first word that pops into your mind when you think about your finances? I think if you’re like most people, that’s not the first word… or the second word or any of the words that come to mind. But that can change! There are actually ways to “keep calm” about your finances. Keeping calm means less stress and less thinking about money. Does this sound like something you want? Here’s how to keep calm about your finances:

Set up automatic transfers: Need to save money, send money to your mom, or pay money on your loan? An automatic transfer makes this super easy. If you are depositing your income into one account and need to regularly move that money elsewhere, set up an automatic transfer. The transfer can be sent to a club subaccount, a loan, or another account entirely. It doesn’t cost a thing, plus it won’t cost you time each month manually moving that money around.

Start online bill pay: No one likes paying bills. And while this solution doesn’t mean you can stop paying them, it does mean you can stop stressing about writing checks, sending cash, and hoping it gets there on time. You can pay bills one time or schedule recurring payments; either way they’re paid automatically. Plus you can see your payment history and pending payments. It’s easy to start it up, and more importantly you’ll feel much calmer about paying bills each month.

Keep your information secure: One of the reasons we feel stressed about money is because of all the issues with keeping our information secure. The possibility of things like stolen identities and debit card fraud is enough to stress anyone out. Keeping your passwords secure and disposing of personal information properly are a couple ways you can be proactive about keeping your info secure. Another big way is to choose a financial institution that takes the necessary steps to protect your information.

Here at HCCU, we want to help you keep calm about your finances. That’s why we offer automatic transfer and online bill pay; and that’s why we take steps every day to keep your personal information as secure as possible. Keep Calm and Credit Union On!

Post by: Noelle C.

Step into the 21st Century with online and phone banking!

http://bizmology.hoovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/online-banking.jpg

Now more than ever, banking is high tech. Go back twenty years and we didn’t have nearly as many convenient ways to control our finances. It can be easy to get overwhelmed with all of the opportunities, and so it’s possible you’re not taking full advantage of them. To break it down a little bit, there are three main ways you can use technology to make your financial life easier.

1) Online Banking. This is a huge one because of how many things you can do with it and how easy it is to access. Most banks and credit unions offer some type of online banking. Here at HCCU, you can get to your online banking from any mobile device or computer at any time. From there, you can check your balances, transfer money, view and print copies of cleared checks, make a loan payment, balance your check book, and a lot more. You are automatically enrolled in online banking when you set up an account with us, and you’re free to check it as little or as much as you want.

2) Phone Banking. If you have your phone handy, but don’t have access to Internet, don’t fret. There’s still plenty of ways to have peace of mind about your finances. One of those ways is through CU Talk, an automated number that can be used to check balances, verify amounts and dates of transactions and cleared checks, transfer money, make loan payments and check interest rates. The second way is through text banking. This is especially great for doing a quick balance check while you’re in line to purchase something.

3) Online Statements/ Bill Pay. If you’re using online banking, why not get online statements? They’re more secure than paper statements, and you can access current and past statements anytime. Online Bill Pay is another free service that allows you to pay bills just one time or monthly. It saves you a few stamps, and it’s one less thing to worry about each month.

Overall, there are some tech options out there that are free, convenient, and will probably save you some time. So figure out which ones are best for you, ask an MSR how to get set up for any of these services and step into the 21st century!  

Post by: Noelle C.

Tips for Managing your Accounts

Image courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

No one likes the embarrassment of over drafting, having a transaction declined or returned, or throwing money away in fees. But let’s be honest, are you REALLY doing what you should to manage your accounts and prevent that from happening? Most of us just check the balance in our accounts online a couple times a week, pay a few bills, and just call it good. For a lot of people, the days of diligently keeping a checkbook register and balancing to the penny are long gone. Don’t worry, though, there are other alternatives you can use to keep track of your accounts in a fast and convenient way.

• Use online or mobile banking. Keep copies of your receipts from purchases and match them up as they clear in online banking. Verify that the amounts match up, and view transactions that are pending so that you know what your true remaining balance is. Don’t forget to also subtract out any checks or automatic payments that you have written or authorized.

• Use electronic bill pay. If remembering what checks haven’t cleared yet or what automatic payments haven’t posted is giving you headaches, try online bill pay. Bill pay allows you to schedule transactions in advance or pay them one-time, and the funds are deducted out of your account right away instead of later when the check posts. This can help prevent overspending and prevents you from using the funds that should be set aside for your bills.

• Try e-Alerts. You can sign up through It’sMe247 Online Banking to get alerts sent to your email or phone if a deposit or withdrawal posts, if you balance falls below a certain level, or if a payment is due. This can provide a quick heads-up so that you can transfer funds or think twice before making that next purchase. 

• Set up overdraft protection. Overdraft protection options include another account at the credit union, or a line of credit. If you have funds in separate account, you can link that to your checking account to cover in the event that you forget about an outstanding transaction or if you need gas but didn’t check your balance first. The funds will transfer over for a smaller fee than if you had just plain drawn your account negative. You can do the same with a line of credit, but with a line of credit you avoid paying a transfer fee.

• Sign up for direct deposit. Enrolling in direct deposit for your payroll or retirement funds gets them posted to your account faster than if you received them as a paper check. They will be posted prior to the opening of business on the day you get paid. You don’t have to worry about finding time to get to the credit union to make a deposit. 

• Understand debit card overdraft services. If you opt-in and select the coverage, we will allow your everyday, one-time ATM or debit card transactions to be approved, at our discretion, even if the funds are not available in your account. However, there is a fee for posting transactions to your account when the funds are not available. If you do not choose this coverage, in other words opt-out, your transaction will be declined at the merchant if the funds are not available in your account. This choice only applies to one-time transactions such as buying a coffee, getting gas, or buying groceries. If you have recurring payments set up through your debit card for things such as a monthly subscription, you cell phone bill, or your gym membership, those transactions will still be allowed to bring your account negative. A credit union employee can tell you how your account is currently set up, and you can change coverage at any time in online banking or by speaking to a team member.

These are just some of a long list of options for keeping better track of your finances. If it is something that you have struggled with, or if you just know you should be doing more, stop in and sit down with a member of our staff to review your accounts and find the solutions that will work best for you.

Post by: Erin S.

EcoChecking...keep the green in the environment and in your wallet!

Do you use your debit card often? Have direct deposit that is deposited into your checking account? Use our online bill pay?  Receive e-statements?  Have a checking account or looking to get one?  If you answered Yes to all of these questions, you may qualify for our new EcoChecking account!

Why EcoChecking?

Let’s go green and stop all that paper wasting!  Choose EcoChecking and put those checks away for good!  By opting for electronic services instead (debit card, eStatements, and ACH/online bill pay – all more convenient anyways, right?!) you can earn a higher interest rate on your checking account.  Members who enroll and qualify for EcoChecking earn a higher interest rate of 2.0% APY on balances up to $10,000.00!  Much higher than our 0.05% standard checking account rate!

What does it take to qualify?

It’s easy!  Each calendar month you would need to have:

• 12 debit card transactions that post and settle from your EcoChecking account 
• 1 direct deposit, ACH withdrawal, or online bill pay transaction in your EcoChecking account
• eStatements

*You cannot write checks from an EcoChecking account.  If checks are presented against your EcoChecking account, you will be charged a $2 transaction service fee per check at the end of the month.

Not within driving distance of HCCU or any of our affiliated ATM locations but need cash?

Use any ATM you can find!  HCCU does not charge you for using non-affiliated ATMs.  However, other financial institutions may charge you a fee for using theirs.  With an EcoChecking account, we’ll reimburse you that fee!  You can receive up to $10 in ATM surcharge refunds per month (paid at the end of the month) if you get charged for using non-HCCU ATMs.  How awesome is that!?

Let’s help keep our environment healthy while keeping our wallets full!  Call or stop in today to get more information to see if EcoChecking is for you, or to get your new EcoChecking account set up!

Post by: Kelly V