Insurance

Holy handout, you just received an e-mail telling you—yes, YOU!—that you’re the winner of the $1 million 2011 Facebook Sweepstakes!

And as if that wasn't lucky enough, another e-mail arrived informing you there’s a 55-pound trunk from the U.K. (via Africa) filled with $2.8 million in cash waiting for you at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta.

This is certainly your lucky day! But before you call the boss and tell him your 9-5 days are over, take a deep breath. Repeat to yourself, “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.” Why would the owner of Facebook simply hand over $1 million to you? How did some big trunk from Africa filled with millions of dollars in cash find it’s way to you at an airport in Atlanta?

Are you ready for some football?!

It's crunch time for the professional football season. The play-off picture is shaping up, although our hometown Rams have had better seasons (understatement of the year!).

What does football have to do with your credit union? Personal finances, of course! While most of us can’t begin to imagine life with the salary of professional athletes, we can see that they have many of the same financial problems we do, just on a much grander financial scale. It’s true. Just take a look at a few NFL players and former players who’ve had a tough time with finances for various reasons.

We received this information from our friends at Chippewa Animal Hospital and thought our pet-loving members would appreciate us passing it along…

Lights, decorations, good food... every year, as we celebrate the holidays, we fill our homes with seasonal cheer for ourselves and our families. However, what may seem beautiful and harmless to us may pose hidden dangers to our pets. Don't let an emergency spoil the festivities! Below are some common holiday hazards for dogs and cats and ways to prevent them.

Welcome to 2012! Well, almost. How’s that list of resolutions coming along? While a new diet or the promise of a new workout routine is nice, don’t overlook your financial health. The new year is a perfect time to review your finances and insurance needs. Oftentimes things change and you need to adjust accordingly.

Sleigh bells ring, are ya listening? Well, let’s hope you’re listening or you just might find yourself as a hood ornament on that sleigh.

Yes, you need to consider safety even around the holidays, maybe even more so as many people’s minds are filled with more sugarplums than common sense. To keep the “happy” in “Happy Holidays,” be sure you keep your thoughts on the safety of you and your family. Here are some things to consider.

“Please mom, oh please, please, puuuuuhlease!”

Who hasn’t heard the desperate plea for pet ownership? A free puppy, a displaced kitten … a cute addition to the family? Pretty hard to resist, we know. While we’re not advocating a no-pet policy here, we do want you to consider the costs associated with pet ownership before caving to the cuteness factor. What costs? Here’s what Americans spent on their pets in 2010 …

So your checking account is at a bank—like the U.S. MegaBank of Wealthy Stockholders… That’s okay, we won’t hold it against you. But your bank keeps adding more drama (and cost) to your relationship with more fees. Again? Well, keeping their stockholders happy is job one. Unfortunately, keeping YOU happy is job two … maybe even three or four. Don’t keep playing second fiddle to those huge entities out there in financial space. Break up with your bank! That’s right, cut the ties. Ditch the deviance. Move on to someone who will appreciate you and treat you with respect. And hey, we know just the credit union!

So maybe we’re a little impartial when it comes to places that offer financial services. O.K., we’re intensely impartial. We’re down with credit unions, all credit unions. We’re a pretty unique bunch of financial institutions, we are. But when people talk about credit unions as alternatives to banks, many times there are questions, which is good; you want to be as informed as possible when it comes to something as important as your money. So to put minds at ease, let’s take a look at some of the concerns involving credit unions.

If you’re a smart consumer, you shop around. You compare prices at a number of different stores. You check ad fliers for sales. You don’t make the purchase until the conditions are favorable to your budget. But have you ever just come out and asked for a better price? Have you ever haggled? With many stores underperforming in sales, there’s never been a better time to seek better pricing on your favorite items. Retailers have grown tired of blowing dust off merchandise that’s been sitting on the shelves for too long.

But before you stride confidently into your favorite retailer ready to negotiate the deal of the century, keep these points from Bankrate.com in mind:

They may call them The Dog Days of Summer, but it certainly isn’t because the hot weather is a breeze for our furry friends. As the summer heat really takes hold, it’s time to do the best you can to keep your pets happy and healthy. After all, they can’t ask you to turn down the thermostat.

Here are some things to consider when making summertime as safe as possible for your pets.