TOMORROW IS SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!

This Saturday, November 30th is Small Business Saturday® - a day to support the small businesses of our community as well as thanking them for all they do to give back to the communities they serve.

Small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities.  They are the ones supporting our children’s schools and clubs.  They create jobs in our neighborhoods and build our economy and the money stays in our community.     

On Facebook Check out the Small Business Saturday page.  For Business Owners - the Facebook page has info about FREE advertising opportunities and materials. For Shoppers -  the Facebook page has discounts, freebies and other offers all just for shopping locally. 

Tropical Financial Credit Union is also a small business, we live and work in your neighborhood and we are here to help and support you, our members.  Over the years we have expanded our services and are now offering, some of the best auto loan rates,  mortgage rates, and credit card programs you are going to find in this market!  Whether you have a car you would like to refinance, you're in the market to buy a house, or just want to earn money by using your debit card for every day purchases you can do that right here, locally, at Tropical Financial Credit Union.

Tropical FCU is heavily involved in our communities with a group called T-CAT, Tropical Community Action Team.  Our employees give time and money to help out others in our community.  We also sponsor local sports teams, participate in local Relay For Life walks, donate to our troops and their families locally, we adopt families for the holidays and help raise money for organizations like American Red Cross and Children's Miracle Network.  We do all this because as a local business it's an important part of our mission.

As you're finishing up your Black Friday strategies for the best deals, be sure to have some spending money to spend right her locally as we celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for our community. 

Happy shopping!

^ Kat

BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING!



My sisters and I are ready for
BLACK FRIDAY 2013!

As we sit down at the dinner table the last Thursday of the month of November, surrounded by friends and family we share a meal prepared by all and give thanks for all the bountiful blessings we’ve experienced. My family finds this time of year to be extremely sacred. With every family, come traditions. My family’s tradition is a little off beat. As soon as we finish stuffing our faces and leaning back in our chairs, my older sister T finds her second wind. She opens her bottomless bag and presents the four remaining sisters the Holy Grail: five fat newspapers filled to max capacity with coupons and savings. Yes dear friends, thus begins the Black Friday Tradition. 

We sit around and make a game plan. We scope out the locations the day prior, and estimate wait times. Like in any mission, we’re prepared. We packed chairs, blankets, jackets, sodas, candy, gum, notes books, pens, shopping lists and our coupons. We price match and compare store vs. manufactory warranties. We believe in the honor code, and never cut the line. Last but not least, we have uniforms. We sport a t-shirt and festive holiday pajama pants.  “IT’S A SHOPPING THING” is proudly displayed on the front, and our designed Thing number on the back. Sneakers are mandatory.

While sitting in line, my sisters and I would look into our wallets and make financial decisions on which credit card would be used. At times, major deals and discounts were given to shoppers who purchased multiple items. This is where the sisterhood was tested. We thought it was best to place ALL gifts on one credit card, and sort the madness later. When you have a receipt that reaches the floor, we can celebrate the savings but one sibling has taken on a giant financial burden, which could lead to a complicated situation down the road. I was able to save a specific amount for Black Friday, but I consistently felt the financial hit during the holiday season. Starting the New Year in the red isn’t my ideal plan. Thankfully, Tropical Financial Credit Union has officially rolled out their Black Friday Loan of $1,000.00 for your holiday shopping. You have the convenience of completing your holiday list at once, without the financial burden. You have up to one calendar year to repay the loan, thus creating an excellent rapport for upcoming shopping year. Don’t forget, while you’re waiting in line, you’re able to monitor your accounts with our MobileWeb-Enabled Banking capabilities.

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Black Friday Shopping,

^Cari

HEALTHY HOLIDAY MEAL

Last week we talked about the preparation, which is half the battle, don’t you think?

This week we are going to talk about eating healthy over the holidays…we’re gonna try anyway!

Have you all received the asparagus email? Asparagus is being heralded as an anti-inflammatory food and according to many reports, asparagus is full of antioxidant nutrients which are some of the best risk reducers known for common chronic health problems including some types of diabetes and heart disease. These nutrients also have special risk reducers in the case of certain cancer.  Do your research and ask your doctor!  I know I will be incorporating asparagus into our Thanksgiving meal and hopefully every meal thereafter! 

Some of the tips my family finds fairly easy to follow are:

·         Enjoy your food, simply eat less 

·         Use smaller plates – therefore you don’t over eat

·         Drink water – especially tap water, as  in most parts of South Florida the tap water contains fluoride

·         Check the sodium levels on your purchases, it should be less than 3%

·         If you are a milk drinker, switch to 2% milk, then gradually to skim milk

·         To combat your allergies and for sweetener, use raw, local honey just a teaspoon a day

·         For mental health – incorporate berries into your diet, strawberries and blueberries

Statistics show that we are living longer, not necessarily healthier lives, but definitely longer lives.  Let’s not be a burden on our families and try to get healthy now while we are able. Let’s enjoy the holidays and start the New Year with a new philosophy by gradually moving to healthier alternatives for ourselves and our families. 

Our shopping is done, we will start the marinating Wednesday, Thursday morning the scrambling will begin and Thursday night, lookout Black Friday here we come!

We will reap the benefits when we get older and we will be thankful we did!
Happy Thanksgiving!

^ Kat

PREPARING FOR THANKSGIVING

The leaves are falling, the temperature is changing albeit ever so slightly, but it is a little bit cooler.  Could it be the start of Fall?  Do we native South Floridians even know what Fall is?  Regardless, Thanksgiving Day is just a week away – and it’s time for us to start thinking about the preparation.  Usually by this time, someone has volunteered their home, others have donated their specialty dishes and those that are cooking- challenged have offered to bring the drinks and the paper supplies.  Our family’s table will have a few more seats this year.  We have invited a few elderly out-of-town relatives who have become recently widowed and would otherwise be all alone.  We thought no one should be alone during the holidays!!

We will have the traditional turkey, sweet potato pie, green beans and ham, and all the fixins.  And we are also serving, lechon, moros and arroz con gandules.  Everyone will eat too much and drink too much, and be uncomfortably full, but we will do it together!    We all have a role to make our holiday come together.  Uncle Ray and his boys will get the tables and chairs and lots and lots of ice, Auntie Linda will prepare her dips and Uncle Raul his always bring a special, surprise dish, which we will all be waiting for.  Tio will prepare the Cuban foods, Titi Ily prepares the Puerto Rican side dishes and Grandma makes real mashed potatoes and some apple pies while Uncle Pete provides the liquor!   Gramps, from the mid-west will spend his first Thanksgiving in Miami with us and bring his special touch to the table as well.  Uncle Tom has been experimenting with his culinary skills on desserts, and his pumpkin pie is out of this world! He does not know it yet, but he’s been nominated/volunteered to bake our desserts this year!  Check out Martha Stewart’s site, she has lots of great tips including what to do with your leftovers.  Pinterest has also given me some great ideas on decorating, and some very easy to make recipes – check it out! 

Titi Ily will lead us in prayer, giving thanks for all that we have and the health that we enjoy.  We will each offer our thoughts on what we consider our blessings.  The younger kids will always come up with something that they are thankful for, and it is not something we usually expect!  The day will end with some going to Mass, others straight to bed and still others straight to the living room to watch the game, any game, just as long as it’s a game!  A few hours later they will all be conked out on the sofa.

Then the dreaded clean-up will start but the reward… deciding where to begin our Black Friday shopping.  The newspapers will be out and the specials piling in, our email box will be jammed with offers and each store will compete to be the first to open and the one with the best deals.  We all agree to stick together, but that never happens.   We all have special deals from each store and we all have our Tropical Financial Visa credit card, and our Visa ATM/Debit cards which offers Purchase Rewards, so we will look for the deals and we will charge ahead!  Note:  Hang on to those advertisements, many merchants will MATCH any advertised price; you just need to show it to them!

Our Thanksgiving celebration involves creating memories, gathering together, inviting a few loved ones with no place to go. I am thankful for my family and friends, our health, Tropical’s members and my coworkers past and present including the wonderful retired TFCU ladies (and Bob, too…he’s our TFCU retired man).

I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I hope you eat a lot, talk a lot and have a lot of fun.  Be safe and be happy! 

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.  ~William Arthur Ward

^ Kat

Get the Most From Your Tuition Planning Strategy

With tuition costs on the rise, planning for college is one of the biggest hurdles parents will face. With the average annual cost of attending a public university last year set at $22,261, excluding meals and housing, four years would run the bill up to a staggering $89,044. And since tuition is destined to go up annually, you could reasonably expect those numbers to double by 2030 when factoring in inflation and yearly increases.

Here’s the good news: plenty of tools and strategies exist that can help you prepare for this major financial step. Whether you’re already waiting for responses to college applications or getting ready for an event that’s still eighteen years away, you can take active measures to improve your college savings plan. When it comes to successfully raising enough money to pay for a college education, a comprehensive game plan can make a big difference.

 Start planning and investing early

The sooner you can start saving, the better – in fact, starting from birth is ideal. A 529 plan is one of the best financial vehicles for college savings. The money you put into it for college expenses is tax-free and it’s more flexible than other programs you may find out there, including prepaid tuition programs. You can also open a Coverdell ESA; however, this program comes with some restrictions, like a cap on the amount you can deposit each year.

The reality is that few families could send their kids to school without the help of some student loans, but the more you can pay out of pocket, the better. You’d need to save $200 per month from birth for each child to get within the ballpark of covering their entire tuition by the time they reach college age, and if they’re headed to one of many private colleges, you’d need to sock away $300-$500. Don’t be discouraged by these numbers – every dollar you save before the start of college is a dollar your child will avoid paying interest on had they received it from a loan provider. Consult a financial advisor or credit union representative to work out the best strategy that fits your situation. Be sure to ask about tax deductions and education credits.

Seek family support

If extended family members want to help shoulder the burden of your child’s tuition costs, invite them to explore the same higher-return options that you might choose. A well-meaning grandparent who gives your child a savings bond may not even be aware of the advantages of newer savings vehicles like 529 plans. Creating a family strategy will help lighten the burden and optimize your savings plan.

Research scholarships and awards

If you haven't saved enough and need extra funds, scholarships can make all the difference, and there are thousands available. You should begin researching while your child is still in their middle school and early high school years. Local civic clubs, employers and religious organizations are some of the most common sources of scholarships. You can search for scholarships online through special search engines, as well as publications like the The Ultimate Scholarship Book.

Consider a junior college

You can save a lot of money if your child attends a junior or community college for their first two years. Junior colleges typically offer excellent support services and can be a strong transitional step between high school and a four-year university. Most Junior Colleges offer two-year block transfer degrees that can be transferred into a four-year institution. With that said, you want to make sure that everything is transferable ahead of time to ensure the credits will apply toward your child's four-year university pick.

Your child can work part-time while studying

Many students take advantage of part-time jobs to help with expenses; in fact, this is becoming more and more the norm rather than the exception. Working part-time can give your child real-world experience that will supplement their academic education. Plus, it can produce the satisfaction and responsibility of contributing to their own education.

Even though the numbers can be scary, there are many ways to mitigate the struggle of saving for college. Aim to start a savings vehicle like a 529-savings plan as soon as possible, save what you can and add more whenever you’re able. Don't be afraid to ask family members for assistance, research scholarships and consult a financial planner. Savings up for college doesn’t need to be as daunting as you might think!

 

^ Sara Collins, NerdWallet

 

Special thanks to our friends at NerdWallet for sharing their expertise with the members of Tropical Financial Credit Union.  As a mom with a senior in high school, this information is especially valuable to me.  Who would have thought saving $50/month in a 529 plan for 18 years wouldn't be enough. Hope you have enjoyed Sara's tips for getting the most for your tuition planning strategy, looks like a job at college is definitely in my daughter's future - thanks Sara! ^Amy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEDDING PLANNING IS FINANCIAL PLANNING

Do-It-Yourself projects can save a LOT of money
in wedding planning

Twenty five is a pretty important number. It can be the number of cents you crave to satisfy your caffeine fix at the vending machine. It can be number of college credits required to graduate on time, or the number of points you need on your credit score to be considered for a home mortgage.  It can even be the number of dollars you must deposit in your checking account to avoid the risk of an overdraft fee. In my case, it’s the number days until I walk down the aisle and say “I do”. 

Looking back on the past year of planning, I’m very proud of the strides I’ve made to prepare for my marriage. Marriage counseling is considered beneficial to strengthen your relationship, but realigning my financial responsibilities and commitments was considered my number one priority. I created for myself a rigorous payment and saving schedule. The goals I wanted to achieve prior to marriage were:

1)      Have little to no personal debt

2)      Make bi-weekly deposits to my savings account

3)      Limit personal spending 

My social activities plummeted, but all it took was a glance at my savings account to turn my entire mood around. As the wedding approached, I grew hesitant about the budget. I refused to liquidate my entire savings for one day. I decided to research and learn my way around a hot glue gun. I’m happy to report that I personally made 85% of my wedding décor, stayed within budget, continue to maintain my savings account, and we are still able to afford a honeymoon of our choice.

Saving for my wedding was considered a short term goal. Saving for my future will be a long term goal that I’ll continue to strive for. If you’re interested in starting a savings account to prepare for your future and any financial goals, Tropical Financial Credit Union representatives are at the ready to assist you with planning for your future.

^Cari

THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN...

Occasionally we get stories from our members about a great experience with Tropical and we LOVE to hear them. This was a unique story from a person who is in the process of becoming a member. His story is a unique one as it involves something as simple as a pen. This was from an e-mail to our Pembroke Pines manager:

Hey Elsa - This is Darrin, from your BNI group and soon to be customer (as soon as I can get some free time to make it happen) at Tropical Financial. We had our monthly power team meeting at your branch on Wednesday and you gave me a pen to use with Tropical's logo and info on it. After our meeting, I headed down to the mall and sat at a local Starbucks to send out a few business emails. I was using your pen to write down some notes from my voicemail. While drinking my coffee, a lady I've never met before came up to me and commented on how great Tropical Financial is because of your great customer service and "homey" feel. She went on to tell me about her poor banking experiences at other banks. I told her that I knew a manager at your location a few miles down the road and that I would be switching over to Tropical Financial soon. It was a great conversation that all started with a logo on a pen that you gave me. Keep up the good work. What you are doing is working.

Thank you Darrin for sharing your story, we look forward to serving you as we have more than 55,000 other members right here in Southeast Florida! To make it super easy to open your account, feel free to jump online and open it any time day or night. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and understand why we say at Tropical Financial Credit Union, you're Right Where You Belong!

^Amy

YOUR NEXT VACATION IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

Congratulations! Take a breather and realize you’ve made it to the 11^th month of year 2013. Congratulate yourself because you’ve accomplished more than you may realize. You may have finished another college semester with flying colors or embraced your new healthy life style by keeping your weekly workout commitments. You’ve graced your presence at all of your required physician appointments, and happy to report you only had ONE cavity (Thanks Halloween). Now it’s time to celebrate, but how?

I’m aware that we’re rounding the corner of the time of year where we spend a few extra dollars on wrapping paper, updated electronics, and a giant tree that will take up residence in your home for the next two months. My favorite time of year is a tad different from others: planning my following year vacation! My fiancé R and I have begun our diligent research for the best vacation package. Now, when we plan, we plan BIG. We set aside 10 days and determine travel arrangements, narrow down an array of hotels to the perfect accommodations (spa for me and full gym for him), local restaurants, outlet shopping, site seeing, and exciting excursions.   

Now, how do you juggle your monthly requirements, end of year expenses, cushion for the upcoming year, holiday shopping AND be able to book your steal of deal vacation months prior? I wouldn’t call myself a travel guru, but I have learned a few things along the way. In the past, I’ve used my personal debt card as my life line. I was committed to only spending what I had set aside. On one particular vacation I was thrilled to find a rare vintage book but at the time of purchase I was declined. Not only was I overdrawn by my recent purchase of 22 gallons of gas over 2,000 miles away, but I faced a few complications for the duration of that trip. From that point forward, I vowed to travel only on credit cards. I’m able to use a credit card with the comfort knowing that I’m safe, secure, and have the financial availability in the event of an emergency.  With proper planning and budgeting you’ll be able to book your travel plans for optimal savings, without hindering any progress you’ve made in personal account.

Tropical Financial Credit Union offers VISA Platinum Rewards Credit Card with CURewards points for every dollar you spend that can be redeemable for merchandise, travel, gift cards AND cash. It’s definitely something I’m checking out for my travel plans in 2014. After all, you’ve made it this far in 2013 and all accomplishments deserve a celebration, no matter how small. It’s time to Reward yourself.

P.S.  Don’t forget make sure to notify TropicalFinancial Credit Union prior to any travel arrangements. Put your mind at ease knowing that Tropical will protect you along the way.

Happy Travels,

^Cari

GIFT OF TIME

November ushers in the season of Thanksgiving and the joy of bringing families together for the holidays.  It also signals the ending of Daylight Savings Time and that wonderful feeling of gaining an extra hour early Sunday morning. 

If you’re like most people you’ll look at that extra hour as an “extra hour to sleep in” but the reality is that our bodies are pretty well timed to sleep the same amount of time, so more than likely you won’t really be sleeping an extra hour Sunday morning.  What you’ll find is that during the day on Sunday you’ll feel pretty good about the fact that you’re an hour ahead of where you usually are and hope that you can get a few extra things done before the new workweek begins.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to challenge each of you to consider that extra hour as a time for random acts of kindness.  What can you do this weekend to help out your neighbors…maybe return a cart from the parking lot to the store you’re visiting, or maybe hold the door for people coming behind you as you enter that store? I plan to write out a few notes to friends and family telling them how thankful I am that they are part of my life.  What can you do?

So when you’re turning your clocks back early Sunday morning, think about what you can do to make a difference in that hour and remember that at Tropical Financial Credit Union we are thankful for our members and for being part of such an amazing community!

^Amy