Dear Home & Family Finance Resource Center Subscriber:

Credit Counselors Help Balance the Bills

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What are the options when the gap between your income and your bill payments has become so big that you’ve given up hope of them ever meeting again? A statement stuffer from CUNA, “Credit Counselors Help Balance the Bills,” encourages members to seek reliable professional help in getting a handle on debt, while telling members what to look for and what questions to ask when selecting a credit counselor.

And, be sure to read "Steer Clear of Credit-Counseling Bad Guys" featured this month in H&FFRC (see below for details).

Good Habits Protect Your Plastic Cards Against Fraud

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Plastic card fraud statistics are up, and much of the fraud comes from criminal activities we can’t control. But safeguarding your cards--and identity--from the risk of exposure starts with keeping constant control of your cards, card numbers, and any other information about your financial information. A new statement stuffer from CUNA, “Good Habits Protect Your Plastic Cards Against Fraud,” tells members how to make good habits and stop bad ones when it comes to minimizing plastic card risk. Easy-to-read tables are a quick reference for members.

Help Members Reach Their Financial Goals

Did you know that?

• For more information, contact Joe Day at 800-356-9655, ext. 5794, or click here.

  People struggle with their finances for three years before filing bankruptcy or going on a debt-management plan.
• 50% of bankruptcies come as a surprise to credit unions.
• 55% of people who file bankruptcy have no idea there is an alternative solution.

Help members achieve their financial goals through Accel Members Financial counseling. Accel not only enhances the financial well-being of members, this unique service also offers participating credit unions the opportunity to differentiate themselves from other financial institutions.

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New Home & Family Finance Resource Center content featured in August:

Prefab Housing Becoming Pretty Fabulous (featured week of Aug. 7)
More consumers, designers, builders, and developers are unfurling creativity on manufactured housing. Find out if prefab might be right for you. (ml-1585)

Steer Clear of Credit-Counseling Bad Guys (featured week of Aug. 14)
If you could use help getting credit under control, we can identify the real helpers. (Originally featured in Home & Family Finance print magazine.) (cr-590)

Eight Essential Estate Planning Tips (featured week of Aug. 21)
This article outlines eight estate-planning steps to help you plan for the future. (mm-1586)

How to Own Property: Multiple Choices (featured week of Aug. 28)
When you’re talking about owning property, the form of ownership you pick has legal consequences that affect ownership of the property now and in the future. The form of property ownership you choose can lead to results you may not have predicted. (mm-1587)

Fast Fact: Con Artists Switch From Phishing to Vishing (featured week of Aug. 28)
There’s a new scam on the block, dubbed vishing, and it’s coming to a telephone near you. This Fast Fact explains this new scam and the steps you should take to avoid being “vished.” (fr-1590)

Home Equity Loans/Line of Credit Video Clip
Catch the newest H&FFRC video clip as the vice president of the Center for Personal Finance talks about tapping into your largest single asset--the equity in your home. He explains what equity means and what you can use it for, as well as the difference between a home equity loan and a home equity line of credit. He also encourages members to visit your credit union for these types of services. Look for this new video under the New & Cool section on the Resource Center’s home page in August.

Use these "In the next issue..." messages in your traditional newsletter and online to regularly tell members what's coming in the Home & Family Finance Resource Center as you remind them to visit your Web site. Also remind your members to participate in August’s Snap Survey about common budget busters (featured beginning Aug. 7).

In the September issue (available beginning Sept. 4)

Get the October articles here.

Financial Elderly Abuse: Do You Know the Signs?
Phony telemarketers and Internet schemers aren’t the only groups ripping off older Americans. The culprit is closer to home. Family members are more often the abusers than any other group. This article tells you what to watch for and how to get help.

Four Strategies to Bring Out the Millionaire in Everyone
Financial planners have more faith in your ability to accumulate personal wealth than you do. Here are some of the proven wealth-building strategies that have helped create many millionaires and that almost any motivated individual—including you—can master.

Make Up for College Savings Shortfalls
If your savings failed to keep pace with the cost of your child’s college dreams--or you didn’t save at all--it’s not a reason to tear up those college applications. Read on for some ways to get back on track.

What’s in Your Garage? 14 Experts Tell What They Drive
Experts are always telling us what to drive; we wondered what they drive and why. (Originally featured in Home & Family Finance print magazine.)

Fast Fact: Watch for Disclosure Signs at Checkout
If you write checks, you’ve probably experienced an electronic check conversion. Now you need to be on the lookout for new disclosure signs--both at the checkout and on your statement.

Looking for fresh ways to attract members to your Web site and to the Home & Family Finance Resource Center? Send these "coming soon" announcements to your sponsor/sponsors and suggest that they be posted on the Intranet or published in the sponsor newsletter every month.

What do you like about your Home & Family Finance Resource Center subscription? What would you change? What would you tell colleagues at another credit union about the Resource Center if they were considering a subscription? Have good ideas to share about how you promote it to your members?

Click here to let us know.