Concierge Car Buying

Concierge Service by AutoNation Direct is a division of AutoNation that has over 250 dealerships nationwide.  Recently they have partnered with Tropical Financial Credit Union to help create a warm and friendly way for you to make an educated buying decision when it comes to purchasing a car. This service is designed to provide our members with a new, different and (here’s the best part) stress-free way to purchase a new car.  They even can handle your trade-in! 

Members are assigned a salaried personal consultant who will handle the purchase – no haggling, no “let me talk to my manager,” no back and forth - simply excellent prices and excellent service!

Let me break it down for you.  With this new auto buying concierge service you get:

-          A personal consultant

-          Rebates and incentive information

-          3 day, 150-mile money back guarantee

-          Thousands of cars to choose from

-          The comfort of knowing the they are available when YOU are

-          A GREAT trade-in offer – they will buy your car even if you don’t buy one from them

-          Awesome financing options from your credit union

For more information check out the easy access website: TropicalFCU.AutoNationDirect.com
Or give them a call 7 days a week on their Member line:  877-585-6330

Let’s face it, the car buying process has been described as torturous, intimidating and simply not fun.  Although I love a new car, I totally dislike the hours of long, drawn out research, haggling, and wondering if I really got a good deal.  Auto Nation Direct gets that and created this service to put FUN back into car shopping.

Your time and energy are important so join the thousands of people across the country that are turning to concierge services for their auto buying needs.  Let Tropical FCU and AutoNation Direct help you be right where you belong, that is, in a NEW CAR!

^Kat

Don't Tax Tuesday

This week hundreds of credit union members, employees and supporters are in Washington DC to talk to our representatives about the value credit unions give to our members and our local communities. Today we are asking all our members and supporters to raise our voices together in one collective voice to tell Congress DON’T TAX MY CREDIT UNION!

Our Young and Free Florida Spokester, Alysha Klein, created a simple video explaining why:

Help us get the word out – if you use twitter, send out a tweet or two today with the hashtag: #DontTaxMyCU or #DontTaxTuesday and tag your representative to give it a little extra punch. You can also contact your representative through this simple website: www.DontTaxMyCreditUnion.org Use the hashtag on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media site that can help us get the word out.

Help us keep our not-for-profit status so we can continue offering our members the best financial services here in South Florida! 

^Amy

Black History Month in South Florida

February is the second month of the year, and more importantly the month dedicated to the celebration of African American history across the United States and Canada. Originally Black History was honored over the duration of a week, but in 1976 the expansion was made to Black History Month and was recognized by the U.S. Government.  President Gerald Ford encouraged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."

This Black History Month, South Florida has an enriched range of cultural celebrations scheduled for the month of February. Here are only a few of events occurring in South Florida this month:

• Coral Springs Museum of Art is hosting a fun family event appreciating African American Art including story telling by Madafo with musical performances. For more information call 954-340-5000. February 14, 2014 at 3:30 PM at 2855 Coral Springs Drive, Coral Springs.

• The Miami Black Heritage Cultural Experience Tours. Trolleys will visit historical sites in South Florida such as Coconut Grove and Lemon City among other locations. The City of Miami’s Black History Tours depart between the hours of 8:30 AM and 3:30PM from the Historic Ward Cultural Tourist Center Gallery located at 249 NW 9 Street, Miami, FL. February 15^th & 22^nd, 2014. For more information please visit http://www.theblackarchives.org, or call 305-636-2390.

• Historic Virginia Key Presents The Black History Month Drive-in Films: “Red Tails” February 12, 2014 at 8:00 PM. Additional movies this month are: “The Butler”, “Remember the Titians” and “42”. For additional information and show times, please visit http://bluestarlitemiami.vbotickets.com/events.

• African Art Exhibit “Civil Rights for All - The 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. U.S Attorney Wifredo Ferrer and art curated by Babacar  M’Bow. February 20, 2014 5:30 -8:30 PM at 200 South Biscayne Blvd. Suite 4900. To reserve your seat, please RSVP to caribbeanbarassociation@gmail.com.

• Macy’s Celebrates Black History Month: Eras of Black Style. A tribute to African American style with lively discussion with featured journalist and style experts hosted by Neki Mohan. February 22, 2014 at 2:00 PM. To reserve your seat, please RSVP to macys-celebrates-black-history-month-tickets

• Main Library Plaza will be hosting a Moonlight Tales: Storytelling Under the Stars. National story tellers and musical performances presented under the stars. Free admission. February 24, 2014 from 7:00 – 9:30 PM at 100 S. Andrews Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale. For more information call 954-357-7443.

I hope you take a moment this month and appreciate the amazing changes our country has undergone and the culture we have within our own backyard. Please feel free to share your experiences with us this month as well.

Well Wishes,

^Cari

 

SEEING RED



Today I'm seeing red.  Today is National Go Red Day for women's health and our employees are supporting the cause by sporting red!

Prior to 2003 nearly 500,000 American women were dying each year due to heart disease.  That number was actually higher than the number of men dying from heart disease.  Yet women paid very little attention to their heart health.  That was the year the American Heart Association took a stand and started Go Red for Women.  Not only is red the color of your heart, but it's a color that demands your attention and suggests urgency - a perfect color to use for a fight against the number one killer of women. And it's been working!

In the past 11 years, the Go Red Day or Wear Red Day has garnered tremendous support and attention throughout the country. Some of the strides that have been accomplished:

• 34% fewer women now die from heart disease, saving 330 lives every day
• 23% more women aware that it’s their No. 1 health threat
• Publishing of gender-specific results, established differences in symptoms and responses to medications, and women-specific guidelines for prevention and treatment
• Legislation to help end gender disparities

The fight is far from over.  Women still don't understand how critical their heart health is, or even what steps to take to prevent becoming a victim.  To find out what your own risk is, as well as what steps you can take to help fight heart disease, take the American Heart Association's Risk Assessment.  Think about your lifestyle and what you can change to improve your heart health.  Even little changes can make a big difference over time. 

As you go throughout your day today, as well as throughout the month of February, I hope you too see lots of red!

^Amy

Protect Yourself From Tax-Related Fraud

As you gear up to start your taxes, so are the identity thieves.  This time of year ID thieves are most often looking to get a refund from the government before their victim files their own taxes.  You won’t likely know that it’s happened until after you file and get a letter from the IRS telling you that a tax return with your social security number were already filed and your refund was sent someplace else. 

How does something like that happen?  Most of the time scammers will lure you into giving up your personal information by masking themselves as the IRS.  To protect yourself from becoming a victim, the IRS offers these warnings:

·       Be very careful when you get an unexpected communication from the IRS at the beginning of tax season.  If you get any tax notices and you don’t know if it’s real, contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490.

·       If you get a call on the phone from someone claiming to be from the IRS, don’t give them any personal information.  The IRS doesn’t make contact with taxpayers over the phone.  BUT scammers are known for posing as IRS agents to lure unsuspecting consumers to give up personal information that can help them steal identities.

·       The IRS also does not send emails or text messages to taxpayers.  If you receive an email from a group claiming to be the IRS do NOT reply or click any links inside the email.  Instead forward the email to phishing@irs.gov and then permanently delete the message from your inbox.

·       Finally if you do end up in a conversation with someone claiming to be from the IRS and they ask for your bank account PIN number, password or any other confidential information, that is a big clue that they are not from the IRS.  The government agency would never request such information.

If the IRS does need to get in touch with you, they will send you an official letter in the mail.  If you get a notification that someone else is using your social security number to file with the government you need to contact the IRS immediately.  Again, the number to the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit is 800-908-4490. 

If someone has stolen your social security number they may also try to open credit or fraudulently  utilize existing lines of credit, so it’s important to put a fraud alert on your credit reports with each of the credit reporting agencies:

·         Equifax – 800-525-6285

·         Experian – 888-397-3742

·         TransUnion – 800-680-7289

In addition you should create an Identity Theft Report with the FTC as well as filing a police report.

We all hope that we won’t fall victim to one of these scams, but identity thieves are becoming more aggressive and every year more and more people will fall victim.  It’s important to be proactive and guard ourselves by keeping a close eye on our credit.  One way to do that is to purchase a credit monitoring service like Identity Secure, but if you don’t want to pay for a service you should at least make it a practice to get an annual free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com

For more information on tax-related identity theft visit the sites set up by the FTC or the IRS. 

^Amy