Giving back to our communities isn’t just something we talk about here at SEFCU; it’s a philosophy we live by. And many times, it’s the small things we all can do that really add up to make a huge impact – like Giving for Good!
 

As Cupid works his magic this month, SEFCU continues to work to raise money for, and awareness of, heart disease. You’ll notice our branches are all glowing red this month, staff wore red last week in honor of Go Red for Women, and heart discs are available for sale in memory or honor of someone who is battling cancer. Find out what else SEFCU is doing! 

On December 14^th, more than 30 SEFCU employees, along with their family and friends, volunteered their time with Wreaths Across America at Saratoga National Cemetery. Every year, through Wreaths Across America, millions of Americans come together to remember and honor our fallen soldiers by placing wreaths on all of the gravestones in every national cemetery across the country. The goal of this organization and the message for this day is to remember our fallen U.S. veterans, honor those who serve, and teach our children the value of freedom.

Changing jobs? What are you going to do with your retirement savings? Think about this:

Habits aren’t something that form overnight. It usually takes about 60 days to change a behavior and create a habit. Last month SEFCU’s Institute for Financial Well-Being provided tips for healthy holiday spending live on Facebook, but the tips can actually be used year-round to help you develop healthy spending habits.

10 Tips for Healthy Spending

Did you receive a new computer this holiday season? It’s important to properly configure your home computer before connecting it to the internet to keep it, and your information, secure. Because we input and view so much personally identifiable information on computers, it’s very important to maintain computer security.

The following are important tips that can help to make your computer more secure. When used together, these practices will strengthen your computer’s security and help minimize threats:

Are you thinking of replacing your phone? Maybe it’s time for an upgrade, or maybe you just like having the newest technology in the palm of your hands. No matter what, you’ll need to know what to do with your old device to safeguard your personal information. 
Since we use our phones so much, there is a lot of personal data on these devices – maybe even more than you realize – including:

SEFCU’s Institute for Financial Well-Being recently facilitated a four-part financial education series with clients at the Women’s Opportunity Center in Syracuse where they touched on a number of financial topics. 

The clients, who were 35-70 years old, were active participants in sessions focused on creating a personal spending plan, understanding credit reports and credit scores, finding the meaning of payroll deductions and payroll forms, and developing an effective pay down strategy.