Brain Scams

Maybe it’s happened to you – you log in to Online Banking to see if your rent check has cleared yet and you discover that, unbeknownst to you, you bought 17 pizzas and 186 gallons of gas last night in Ohio! Fraud happens. And it’s not fun. In our next few posts, we are going to share some stories and tips all about the fraud and how to avoid it. Have you ever... Read More

6 Ways to Conquer Job Burnout

It happens to all of us at some point in our career—getting burnt out.  If you have been lucky enough to have had a job during the Great Recession, you may be experiencing that right now.  A lot of people have been at the same company, doing the same thing, and for the same pay for more years than they like to admit.  You may wake up in the morning and wonder how you will muster... Read More

The Chicken or the Egg

Which comes first?  After almost 20 years in the credit union business, I think this is the question that I get asked the most and is the most difficult to answer.  Some members are just reaching adulthood and have dreams of owning a new car or a new home and some members are recovering from either poor life decisions or circumstances that left them with less than perfect credit. ... Read More

Résumé Rescue

With the downturn in the economy, it is unfortunate for some that employers have the ability to be unreasonably picky since there are so many people competing for a single position, especially for entry level positions. While there is no magical potion for a résumé that will get someone an interview, there are some things that I guarantee will help. As the Human Resources Coordinator... Read More

Something Smells “Phishy”

We have had several members contact us in the last few days because they received a telephone call from “their financial institution” informing them their debit card has been compromised.  The caller asks our member for their card number and other identifying information explaining that they can help our member obtain a new card. As consumers, we all know not to give our information... Read More

What does the merger with Sparks City Employees Federal Credit Union really mean?

In mid-February, the board of Great Basin agreed to a merger with Sparks City Employees Federal Credit Union. Prior to the actual merger, at least two key steps must occur including getting the regulatory approval and then the members of Sparks City need to vote and agree to the merger. So assuming these things happen, what does that really mean to Great Basin members? Well, for... Read More

Want to Retire Tomorrow?

I tell members they ­might be able to, but it depends on how much money they want to live on.  Some people prefer to work longer so they can have a higher income; others are willing to live on less if they can retire earlier.  That’s why financial planning is such an individual process. Setting goals is the first most important step.  I worked with one member who needed to... Read More

When WordPerfect and Lotus Roamed the Earth

We’ve had a number of members contact us asking us why we changed our online banking system. “It wasn’t broken”;” the new one is so different”;” I liked the old one better”; “I lost this or that function” and yup, all of these statements are understandable and accurate.  The credit union was faced with an expiring contract with our online banking provider and... Read More

The Good and Bad News…

The Good and Bad News… about being a Financial Cooperative (ie. a Credit Union) What’s the difference to Joe if he loses the car to the credit union or the bank? To Joe, there’s probably not a lot. It’s personal, it’s painful, no one seems to understand and he’s angry. Every now and then I have to take my lumps in the public, I assume from someone whose car we had to... Read More

Group Hug for the Choir

Rather an interesting creation, Bank Transfer Day, this past November 5th. Started by the frustration with her big bank, the owner of a small art gallery in SoCal went viral on her FaceBook and blog, and created a national protest that told people to leave their big banks and go local. Hundreds of thousands moved nationally in October alone. Credit unions were a major beneficiary.... Read More