Friday Brain Teaser: Fast and FuriousA bus driver was heading down a street in Colorado. He went right past a stop sign without stopping, turned left where there was a “no left turn” sign, and went the wrong way on a one-way street. Then he went on the left side of the road past a cop car. Yet, he didn’t break any traffic laws.Why not?

Friday, March 27, 2020

Happy Friday!Today is National Scribble Day...A great activity for the kids while we are Socially Isolating at home.Thanks to: http://new.dianealber.com/scribbleday/

Friday, March 27, 2020

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞? 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲!COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on normal life around the world. For many people, navigating this crisis successfully means being stuck at home for 14 days or more. If you’re one of the millions of Americans waiting out the crisis at home, be proactive about spending your time productively.Here are some ideas to get you started:𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞. Why not use the extra time at home to learn a second language? There are many free language apps, like Duolingo, that make mastering a new language almost effortless.𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝. Socializing in person may be out, but the old-fashioned phone still works just fine. A leisurely chat with an old friend can be a wonderful way to pass the time.𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭. There are lots of exercises you can do at home without any equipment like lunges, squats, sit-ups and more. You can also turn on one of the many fitness classes on YouTube for a similar experience.𝐑𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐲. It’s time to dust off that guitar or pull out the modeling wood and pick up the hobbies you never have time for during your busy working schedule.𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬. Why not use this time to get stuff done around the house? If you’re missing some important tools and supplies, it’s best to order them online instead of running out to pick them up to minimize possible exposure to the virus.𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞. Visit blogs like Thefinancialdiet.com, MoneyNing.com or Mr.MoneyMustache.com, for interesting reads on a wide range of money topics that can help you broaden your financial knowledge.𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫. Carve out some time to get started on spring-cleaning your home. Clearing out clutter takes lots of time, and you likely have more time than you know what to do with right now. There’s no better time to freshen up the house than springtime!𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭. Use the spare time you now have to review your monthly spending of the past few months and see if your budget needs tweaking.𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐞𝐬. The government has postponed the deadline for paying tax bills, but tax returns still need to be filed by April 15 unless an extension is requested. Taking care of this necessary chore will make the future you glad that you did when this is all over.𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧. Keep calm during this stressful time by ensuring you’re getting enough sleep and minimizing anxiety triggers as much as possible. This can mean limiting the amount of times you check the news each day, and/or practicing yoga and meditation. Apps like Headspace can help you achieve complete mindfulness to further reduce stress levels.Wishing you and yours continued health and safety as we navigate this challenging time together.𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧: How are you keeping busy during your time at home? Share your best ideas with us in the comments.

Thursday, March 26, 2020

𝐖𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩.𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩:𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: If you are experiencing a loss of income or related financial hardship, contact our member support or loan support immediately at 815-226-2260 or 815-484-1160. When providing loans and other financial services to our members and our community, we do so with financial products aimed to save our members money and provide real value. If you find yourself in a situation where you are having trouble paying your bills, give us a call as soon as possible. We may be able to help.𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠: Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by monthly bills or would like to have a little extra money at the end of the month, look at refinancing your loans or even consolidating them at MembersAlliance. Our loans are designed for the customer to save you money. With favorable terms, low interest rates, and a variety of loan options, there is most likely a good fit for whatever your goals may be. Call to speak with a credit specialist today or if you know what you'd like to accomplish you can start your loan application online.𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 & 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬: We have a variety of financial education tools available to our members for free. Our "Banzai" software, for one, offers a variety of online and interactive tools such as calculators, digital financial coaches, and a wide array of resources to help you with anything from budgeting, home buying, starting a savings plan, and so much more. Plus, it offers an interactive option to help learn about money management with different session options available for pre-teens, teenagers, or adults that can be taken individually or as a family, and taken at your own pace. Pause whenever you need to, take a brain-break and watch some Netflix/TV, and start back up when it's convenient for you!𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: As we remain mindful of the health and well-being of our members and employees and continue under the shelter in place order from the governor, we want to remind you that our drive-thru, night depositories, and member/loan support staff (by phone) remain available to assist you at our 2550 S. Alpine Rd and 6951 Olde Creek Rd locations during regular business hours (Walmart branches including night depositories remain closed until further notice with only ATM access available). We also continue to encourage you to take advantage of our free digital banking solutions whenever possible, including:• 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠• 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭• 𝐀𝐓𝐌𝐬• 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 (𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠)𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://www.membersalliance.org/

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Fun Activities to do with Your Kids at HomeIt isn’t easy to be holed up at home with only your family for company. As the parent, though, you have the unique opportunity to set the tone in your home and decide if these weeks will be a nightmare for everyone or filled with precious memory-making and family bonding activities.Here are some fun activities to keep your kids busy while you wait out the pandemic at home:Marshmallow Tinker-Toys: For a fun twist on the classic building toy, take pretzel sticks and mini-marshmallows and let your child build a world of sweetness. Have them create pretzel-marshmallow people, houses, and entire towns. When they’re done, they can eat their sweet creations!Scrapbook. Spend some quality time reliving precious memories by digging out the scrapbooking supplies and old photos for creating a timeless masterpiece.Teach a Household Skill: Instead of complaining about the endless housework, enlist your child’s help! Even very small children can help sort laundry, load the washing machine and press the buttons to turn it on. Have the older ones help bake, letting them put their math skills to use by adding fractions in recipes.Simon Says, “Draw!”: Set up a table with paper, crayons, markers, stamps and any other fun coloring supplies you have. Seat your kids around the table and begin an intense game of Simon Says, only instead of movements, instruct your kids to draw something. You can have them draw basic shapes in specific colors or something more complex, if they’re a little older. If anyone messes up, they’re out!Balloon ping-pong: Tape large popsicle sticks to the backs of paper plates, blow up a balloon and have your preschoolers play ping-pong with their makeshift paddles over your empty kitchen table!Let it snow!: In a large pan or bin, mix 3 cups of baking soda with ½ cup of hair conditioner. Note: If you don’t have enough baking soda, you can also use shaving cream for your “snow.” Keep stirring until the mixture turns cold, soft and feels like … snow! Dig out the toy cars, beach shovels and collection of Playmobil people and let the fun begin!Scavenger hunt: Set up hints around the house and have your kids race from clue to clue searching for the treasure you’ve hidden for them. If your kids are too young to read, this can work with picture clues as well.No, it isn’t easy to be holed up at home with your kids. But with some creativity and a positive attitude (and lots of coffee and chocolate), you can fill this challenging time with warm memories your children will remember for the rest of their lives.Your Turn: How are you keeping your kids busy during the pandemic? Share your best ideas with us in the comments.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

𝐓𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞The coronavirus pandemic has taken the world as we know it and turned it upside down. Hospitals are scrambling to meet the needs of their patients as the federal and local governments are issuing stricter guidelines to help stop the spread of the virus.Shopping malls that were filled with crowds just a week ago now stand vacant. Universities and schools have emptied out and students are continuing their education online to diminish the spread of the virus. Small businesses have shuttered their doors as they choose their health and the health and safety of their customers over profit.As part of this upheaval, millions of Americans have been sent home from work with laptops in hand and strict instructions to remotely tend to their usual workload. Unfortunately, this can prove to be a lot harder than it sounds. If you find yourself struggling to complete your workload from home during the outbreak, we can help!Here are some tips on how to stay focused, on-task and productive as you work from home.𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Propping up your pillows and working in bed can sound like a good idea until you find yourself nodding off in front of your computer screen. To keep your brain focused and in “working mode,” it’s best to designate one area of your home to serve as your workstation as you wait out the outbreak. Keep the area clean and stocked with all the supplies you may need during your work hours.𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬. A major boon of working from home is choosing your own hours — but this can backfire quickly. Lack of a proper schedule is the biggest enemy of the procrastinator. To keep from finding yourself with a huge amount of work to complete in an impossibly short amount of time, set up working hours and stick to them. If there are children home with you, work around their routine by scheduling your work hours during naptime or late at night when they’re asleep.𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞. For most of us, home is where we unwind and kick off our shoes after a long day of work. Keeping focused and staying on task when working in your own comfortable surroundings can be super-challenging. Bring home some of the motivational work atmosphere by collaborating with your colleagues as much as possible. Utilize video conferencing to swap ideas, plan long-term projects and communicate on platforms like Slack, which is created just for this purpose.𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. It can be hard to keep your mind on work when each beep of the phone brings more horrific news and updates about the spread of the coronavirus. If you can, hide or shut off your phone during your work hours. If that’s not possible, consider turning off your notifications and social media apps. You can also use an app, like Cold Turkey, which makes it easy to minimize distractible apps and websites on your phone.𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧: Are you working from home? Tell us how you’re making it work in the comments.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐨𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤Q: What steps should I be taking to protect my personal finances during the coronavirus outbreak?A: The coronavirus outbreak has already generated consequences for the national and global economies — and experts say this is only the beginning. The virus ended one of the longest bull markets in history, as the stock market plunged by a full 25 percent in one month. Businesses have also been adversely affected by the outbreak in many ways: production lines have been put on hold as the delivery chain is disrupted while countless industries have been negatively impacted by a dearth of supplies, decreased spending and a shortage of personnel.With all this uncertainty, it’s easy to fall into a panic and wonder if there are some concrete steps you should be taking to save your personal finances from impending ruin. Here are some practical dos and don’ts to help maintain financial stability and peace of mind during this time.𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭: 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬Both seasoned investors and those simply worried about their retirement accounts can find it nerve-racking to see their investments continuously drop in value. It can seem like a smart idea to sell out just to spare further loss, but financial experts say otherwise. According to The Motley Fool, most sectors of the economy will recover quickly as soon as the outbreak clears.𝐃𝐨: 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠As the economy heads toward a probable recession, this can be a good time to get lifestyle inflation in check. Work bonuses, raises and promotions are not handed out as freely during a recession. Some people may even find themselves without a job. Trimming your discretionary spending now can be good practice for getting through the month on a smaller income.𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭: 𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡Physical health should always take priority. If you’re feeling unwell, and especially if you’re exhibiting any of the symptoms of the coronavirus — such as fever, coughing and shortness of breath — call in sick. Do the same if you’ve been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days. As part of the government’s relief efforts, you’re entitled to two weeks of paid leave if you are unable to work because of the coronavirus.𝐃𝐨: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞Refinancing an existing mortgage at A lower rate can potentially save homeowners several hundreds of dollars a month. That extra breathing room in a budget can be a real boon in case of salary cuts or even a layoff during a recession.Your Turn: What steps have you taken toward protecting your finances during this time? Tell us about it in the comments.

Monday, March 23, 2020

Monday Motivation...Shelter in place day 2. Let's be safe.

Monday, March 23, 2020

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐬

Sunday, March 22, 2020

𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐬: Credit CardTalking Points:• Can you explain the problem with David’s line of thought?• When does it make sense to buy something using a credit card? When does it not?• Why do you think many people carry high credit card debt?

Sunday, March 22, 2020