Again, Thank You and Fort Community Credit Union for finding ways

Volume 25, Issue 2
Spring 2015
www.fortcommunity.com
Fort Community Credit Union
A quarterly newsletter for Fort Community Credit Union Members
Community Calendar
Some of our FCCU
staff met with local
politicians to
advocate for credit
unions and our
members.
Fort Atkinson
Employees
participated at
the Bowl-a-Thon
to benefit the
Children's
Miracle Network.
3/12 First Home Buyers Seminar
5/2 FCCU Shred Event (Main Branch)
5/25 Fort Koshkonong Rendevous
6/18 - 6/21 Generals Baseball Festival
Jefferson
4/25 FCCU Shred Event
5/2 City Wide Rummage Sale
5/30 Jefferson County Dairy
Breakfast
7/8 - 7/12 Jefferson County Fair
Whitewater
5/9 FCCU Shred Event
7/3 - 7/5 4th of July Festivities
FCCU staff
volunteered at the
Special Olympics
Basketball
Tournament at
FAHS.
Holiday Hours
4/3 Good Friday - open normal hours
5/25 Memorial Day - Closed
7/4 Independence Day - Closed
Locations
Buzz made an
appearance at the
Tomorrow's Hope
Hoops for Hope
event.
Fort Atkinson
(Main Office)
800 Madison Ave
920-563-7305
Southside
1610 Janesville Ave
920-563-0869
Jefferson
100 North Main Street
920-674-7020
Whitewater
203 East Milwaukee
262-473-2130
JOIN US!
Please join us at our annual meeting on Thursday, March 19th
at 4 pm, located at our Jefferson Branch in the Puerner Room.
Join the Buzz Kids Club!
Ella Dehnert $25 VISA Gift
Card Winner!
Bring your membership card in each month.
Make a deposit of $5 or more and get a gift
each month. Do this 3 months in a row and we
will enter your name into a drawing to win a
$25 VISA Gift Card!
First Home Buyers Seminar
FCCU will be holding a First Home Buyers Community Seminar for anyone who is
interested in purchasing a home.
This info session will be held on Thursday, March 12th from 6:15 - 7:15 pm in the
FCCU Community Room - 732 Madison Ave (between Crimson and MK Cellular).
Please RSVP to Marissa at mweidenfeller@fortcommunity.com or by phone 920723-0943. We hope to see you there!
Don't Forget About Shredding!
Protect your identity this year by shredding your confidential documents with
FCCU. We will ensure that your confidential information is shredded and disposed
of safely.
Jefferson Branch 4/25 from 9 am to 11 am
Fort Main Branch 5/2 from 9 am to 11 am
Whitewater Branch 5/9 from 9 am to 11 am
Congrats on Retirement Ed!
As sad as we are to see Ed leave, we are happy that he
has the freedom to travel and will be spending time with
his family and friends. We celebrated Ed's retirement at
our annual employee meeting in January. A teary eyed
staff listened as Ron gave his final remarks on Ed's
retirement. As our FCCU family ate dinner together, we
were able to hear some memorable stories about Ed and
his time at FCCU.
We thank you Ed for your time and commitment to FCCU and we wish you nothing
but the best for the future!
Impacting Our Communities
FCCU initiated the Buzz Points reward program as a way to promote spending
locally. Rewards include gift cards to local merchants and the ability to donate your
reward points to local charities. We recently received this email from one of the
local charities that has seen a positive impact because of Buzz Points.
We want to truly Thank You for starting the Buzz Points Program. We
just hit the $500 mark of donations to the Walworth County Alliance for
Children. Thanks to Fort Community Credit Union, the Buzz Points
program has made a significant difference in the lives of abused and
neglected Children in Walworth County. For that, we are truly Grateful.
We are proud to say we are now at 21% spending locally! Buzz
Points has made a difference in where we shop, making sure we support
our Local Businesses. The awareness you bring for supporting the Local
Businesses is great! Again, Thank You and Fort Community Credit
Union for finding ways to support your Members and the Community.
Take Care,
Ron & Sandy
Building and Maintaining a Strong
Credit Score
Originally, credit scores were meant to help lenders figure out whether you were
likely to pay back borrowed money. They’re still used primarily for that purpose, but
over time their use has expanded. Now landlords check them to choose the best
tenants, and even employers think they’re an indication of how responsible a job
applicant may be. But it’s all too easy to end up with poor credit because of a
medical emergency, identity theft or just plain bad luck.
Understanding the factors that go into credit scores makes it easier to reach the top
of the ladder and stay there. Here’s a quick guide.
Payment history: 35%
This category has the biggest impact on your score. Lenders want to see that all
debts have been paid on time. The only thing you can do to remedy a spotty history
is to make and keep a commitment to pay all bills on time. Obviously, bills like credit
cards, student and car loans shouldn’t be neglected, but some utilities also report to
credit agencies, so don’t let those slide either. In fact, paying a mortgage and
certain utility bills late can do even more damage than other types of delayed
payments.
Amounts owed: 30%
Improve this part of your score by reducing your overall debt, especially on credit
accounts. If you do carry unpaid balances, be mindful of your debt-to-credit ratio.
That’s the amount you owe compared with the level of credit available to you. A
lower ratio helps your score, so reducing debt on cards that are almost maxed out is
a good idea.
Length of credit history: 15%
This category refers to the age of your accounts. The longer your history is, the
higher your score. If you’re young or just started building your track record, you’ll
have to be patient with this one. One way to begin amassing a track record is to
have a parent or grandparent authorize you as a user of one of their accounts. If
you’re well established as a borrower, it’s worth keeping older credit lines open in
most cases, and avoiding opening too many new cards that will bring down the
average age of your accounts.
Continued on next page
New credit: 10%
Here’s another good reason not to open a bunch of new accounts. Every time you
apply for a new loan, for instance, it creates what’s called a credit pull on your
account—and too many of those in quick succession will cut your score. Open only
the accounts you really need, and focus on responsibly using what you already
have.
Types of credit: 10%
Credit scores are weakened when you only have one type of account—only credit
cards, for instance, or just student loans. Judiciously spreading your borrowing
across many types of financial products looks good to lenders, so diversify if you
possibly can. If you already have a credit card and student debts, consider applying
for a personal loan from a financial institution like Fort Community Credit Union.
If your debt is out of control and you’re making payments late, tinkering with the
other components of your credit score won’t help you much. So make a plan to
reduce what you owe, and put behind it a rock-solid commitment to pay everything
on time. Do that, and your credit score will gradually improve.
Virginia C. McGuire, NerdWallet
Wanna Feel that Summer Wind in your Hair?
With warmer weather approaching, a number of things come to mind, such as
flowers blooming, trips to the beach, and car washes. What better way to
celebrate the nice weather than to have your windows down in a new car!
FCCU is the place to go for a new or used car loan. Check out our awesome
rates below! Speak to a FCCU loan officer or visit www.fortcommunity.com to
learn more.
*APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Some restrictions apply. Loan rates are subject to qualified
credit.
**Term may be limited based upon age of vehicle and credit history.