With just a few days left in the holiday shopping season, many people turn to online shopping to check off the remaining items on their shopping lists. Learn how to protect yourself from fraud with these helpful tips:

Its effect is subtle, yet significant. In retirement, you face a quiet financial threat. Over time, inflation may erode your purchasing power. If you want to maintain your quality of life in retirement, investing to beat inflation may be essential.

As we rely more and more on our on mobile devices for business and personal use, maintaining strong security protocols should be a top priority. It’s important to understand the two main types of mobile security – physical and data – and how you can protect your devices and your data.

Physical Threats

This summer, SEFCU’s Institute for Financial Well-Being provided free financial education to teens and young adults in more than 15 summer youth programs and summer camps across 10 counties in New York State. The youth employment programs provide teens and young adults an opportunity to gain on-the-job training where they are paid to work approximately 20 hours each week.

It’s human to want each year to be better than the last, but if you’re going to achieve any major improvements – in your health, money, or family life, for instance – there’s no time like right now to lay out a plan for your New Year’s resolution goals. Here are three tips to get a head start.

SEFCU’s Institute for Financial Well-Being provided free financial education to teens and young adults participating in summer youth employment programs across New York State. The youth employment programs provide teens and young adults an opportunity to gain on-the-job training where they work approximately 20 hours per week and are paid for those hours. SEFCU worked with participants in these programs to give them a basic understanding of saving, budgeting, and spending now that they are earning what might be their first paycheck.

In the sports world, a mental error can cost your team the big game. When you are investing, a mental error can put your retirement portfolio at risk. Mistakes often result from letting misconceptions and emotions affect your decisions.

There are a lot of issues that couples need to think about when tying the knot – wedding preparations, family, and, of course, finances. Addressing personal finance and investment issues before the big day may help improve your odds of being together years later.

On June 17, 2019 SEFCU joined area business leaders and the Mayor of Albany Kathy Sheehan to announce the Summer in the City movie lineup at the Palace Theatre in Downtown Albany.

“For the fifth season in a row, the Palace will provide free summer movies, open to the public every Tuesday afternoon during the months of July and August. Thanks to this program, more than 8,000 families and children participated in this program last year,” said Billy Piskutz, Managing Director for the Palace Performing Arts Center.

In 2018, more than 5,000 individuals attended a learning event across New York State. Attendees were surveyed and reported favorably on both the classes and their instructors. Are you ready to change your financial future and attend a free session?

View 2018 impact report

View current seminars

Perhaps your doctor, lawyer, and accountant are trusted advisors. Through years of working with them, they have come to know your family and your particular needs. How about your investment representative? Have you built the same kind of trusting relationship with him or her?

With rates of homelessness going up and temperatures going down, the individuals turning to many of the shelters throughout SEFCU’s geographic footprint may be a little cozier on cold nights, thanks to the outpouring of generous support from the credit union’s employees and members. 

This spring, SEFCU’s Institute for Financial Well-Being facilitated a four-part series of financial education sessions with the youth of Pretty Girls Rock, (PGR) operated by PGR Foundation, Incorporated in Syracuse, with young women ages 11-18. 

According to Feeding America: Map the Meal Gap 2018, 10.4% of adults and 13.5% of children in the Capital Region are food insecure which means those individuals don’t know where their next meal is coming from. SEFCU is committed to not only meeting immediate food needs by making monetary donations (last year for our year end giving program $300,000 was donated to food pantries and rescue missions), but also investing in sustainable programs which will allow communities and organizations to provide food for those living right in their neighborhoods.

In 2018 more than 5,000 people attended one of SEFCU’s free financial education sessions covering topics like saving, budgeting, and reducing debt. If you’re struggling with one of these topics or others, we want to help you build confidence and learn practical methods for financial improvement. Individuals can click the button below to view upcoming sessions. If your organization would like to offer free sessions to your employees, complete the Financial Request Form at sefcu.com/financial-education.

Phishing scams can take many forms. Sometimes scammers use fraudulent emails or texts or mimic websites that you trust to get you to share confidential, personal information – like account numbers, Social Security Numbers, or usernames and passwords. Phishing scammers usually give their targets a false sense of security because they make the text message, email, or website look like one the victim is familiar with. Worst of all, they usually make the message seem extremely urgent or there will be negative consequences.

Protect yourself by following the tips below:

As you start to count down the days until you hit the beach or travel abroad for your summer vacation, make sure you are taking steps to ensure that your dream vacation doesn’t become a nightmare.

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