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Summer 2014 51035 - Q3NL - 0614 Spotlight Introducing Our Education2014 Scholarship Winners! Each year, your Credit Union awards two $2,500 education scholarships based Beach Municipal FCU on academic achievement, extracurricular activities and commitment to the community. Please join us in congratulating this year’s winners, Jordan Barnes Celebrates Two and Trudee Wiltshire. Jack E. O’Connor <------ Jordan currently attends Tidewater Community College and hopes to one day become a middle or high school teacher. Memorial Scholarship In addition to her studies, Jordan works part time for the City Recipients of Virginia Beach at the Princess Anne Recreation Center where she assists with sports programs and the afternoon and day camp Beach Municipal FCU members Graicen programs. She also spends time as a volleyball coach and referee Gonse and Cora Jean McKittrick were for Courthouse Recreation Association. Her love of sports is chosen as recipients of the 2014 Jack nothing new as she lettered in basketball and volleyball and participated at E. O’Connor Memorial Scholarship the travel team level while at Kellam High School. Her ultimate goal is to offered by the Tidewater Chapter of coach volleyball for a middle or high school team. Credit Unions. <------ Trudee is a recent graduate of Ocean Lakes High School’s The Jack E. O’Connor Memorial Math and Science Academy where she was honored with the Scholarship is offered to qualified President’s Award for Educational Excellence, recognized as a graduating seniors who plan to attend a National AP Scholar and received Ocean Lakes High School’s 1800+ college or university. This year, eleven SAT Award. In addition to her academic studies, she belonged to $1,000 scholarships were awarded to the National Honor Society, participated in student government graduating seniors that are members of and was a member of the swim team for which she received the credit unions in the Tidewater area. Coach’s Award. This fall Trudee will head to the University of South Carolina Congratulations, Graicen & Cora! where she will major in engineering and minor in Spanish with the goal of becoming an electrical engineer. Both Jordan and Trudee exemplify the values of leadership, integrity and service upon which Beach Municipal Federal Credit Union was founded. Please join us in wishing them the best of luck in school and in the future. Congratulations, Jordan and Trudee! A Publication of Beach Municipal Federal Credit Union We Love SEA TurtLES, and we need YOUR HELP to save them! TOP 5 SEASONAL SAVERS PRIZE • Two Aquarium admission tickets Beach Municipal FCU has joined forces with the • Sea Turtle Behind-the-Scenes for up Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center to save the to 4 people sea turtles, and we need your help! • Beach Municipal FCU prize pack We’ve created a foldable sea turtle bank that • Small plush sea turtle encourages children to save change for the Aquarium’s • Listing on Aquarium website conservation efforts while also learning about money. Everyone who participates receives a prize! The top GRAND PRIZE PACK savers each season will be entered into a grand prize • Aquarium “Crab” Membership drawing in which they could win the opportunity to • Behind-the-Scenes tour with the help release a stranded sea turtle back into the wild, Stranding Response team name a baby sea turtle on exhibit, win an Aquarium membership, Busch Gardens tickets and so much more! • Hands on help returning a sea turtle to the wild The sea turtle banks can be picked up at the Aquarium • Name a baby sea turtle on exhibit or any Beach Municipal FCU location and then returned to either the Thalia or Marketplace branch. Visit our website • Movie & Busch Gardens tickets for more information about the Small Change program and • Goody bag & more! a full list of prizes. Budgeting for College Students Leaving home for the first time is both exciting and a little bit scary. This is a big step into adulthood because you will need to manage your money on your own. Here are a few ideas that can help: Have “the talk” with your parents. Talk to your parents about money before you leave to find out what expenses you can expect to pay. Ask what they are willing to pay for and what you need to buy for yourself. Be sure to find out what has already been paid, like tuition, and what still needs to be covered, like room and board or rent. Create a spending plan. You must have a budget to know what you can spend on food, transportation, fun and other things. You can go hi-tech and use budgeting apps to make your budget or go old school and track everything on a spreadsheet. How you create your spending plan doesn’t matter, but be sure it’s in a format you will use on a regular basis. The most important step is to check the spending plan to ensure you’re sticking to your budget before you spend money. Cut back if needed. If your spending is out of control, you won’t have the money you need for things like rent. If you do need to cut back, look to see which areas are over budget, like dining out, and pledge to get things under control. To find out where you’re going over budget, track your spending. Track your spending. Write down everything you spend. If you buy a cup of coffee, write it down. If you give your friend a dollar to buy a soda, write it down. There are lots of free apps available for your smartphone that make tracking easy; but if you don’t know where your money is going, you’ll be forced to ask yourself where it went. Check your account. Monitor your checking account on a regular basis to ensure everything is correct. You should also reconcile your account as soon as you receive your monthly statement. If you ever find an error, be sure to contact the Credit Union right away. Prioritize. If you go out with your friends on Friday night, will you have the money you need to pay your power bill? If the answer is no or you’re not 100% sure, make different plans. Remember, the little mistakes you make now may still be with you 10 years down the road. Sticking to a budget all the time can be really tough, but it’s the only way to know whether or not you’ll have enough money to cover all your bills. College is a great time to learn smart financial habits. If you can handle the expenses now, you’ll be ready to tackle mortgages, estate planning and investments in the future. A Publication of Beach Municipal Federal Credit Union Protect Info on your PHONE from THEFT A study by Consumer Reports (April 17, 2014) reveals that more than 3 million smartphones were stolen from American consumers in 2013. Whether you become a victim of physical theft or you simply lose your phone, someone you don't know might end up accessing a pocket-sized summary of your digital life: photos of the places you've been and the people you know, what you've posted on Facebook or bought from Amazon, the content of your text messages, where you keep your money, web searches and more. Before your phone is gone, here are some ways to guard your personal information and increase the chances of recovering your phone: n Enable encryption on your smartphone. Encrypting data can protect you against identity theft and the loss of sensitive data. If your device doesn't offer encryption by default, ask your carrier to recommend additional security software. n Use a strong screen lock. You don't have to settle for the four-digit PIN options among your cellphone's security features. Consider creating a strong password that contains a string of at least eight letters, numbers and special characters that don't form recognizable words or phrases that could be associated with you. n Install and regularly update anti-theft software. Look for an app from your provider or manufacturer that will locate your phone from any computer, lock it to restrict access, erase sensitive data (contacts, messages, browser history, social media posts) and emit a loud sound to help police locate it. But don't rely on it. Thieves know that for the app to work the phone must be turned on, have a network or Wi-Fi connection and GPS must be enabled. n Regularly clear the browser history. This prevents smartphone thieves from retracing your digital steps to hijack your accounts. n Make your lock screen display "if found" contact information. If your missing phone is found, it might be returned to you. Provide only safe contact information such as an email address or alternate phone number. Search for carrier-approved apps to help you create a lock screen that meets your needs. n Back up photos and videos. Most carriers and manufacturers offer free over-the-air backup for your phone. Select a carrier-neutral source, such as Apple's iCloud, Android's Google+, or Microsoft's OneDrive so you can retrieve your information if you get your next phone from a different carrier. Explore your phone's settings, search the web and ask your wireless carrier about ways to accomplish these tasks. For related information, read "What to Do if You Lose Your Smartphone" in the Home & Family Finance Resource Center on our website. Wherever you’re going, bring your Auto Loans to Beach Municipal FCU and Reduce our already low auto loan rates up to an additional % SAVE! 1/2 APR* WITH ANY TWO OF THE FOLLOWING: n Direct deposit of net pay n Payroll Payment, n $5,000 or more in a ACH Payment or Beach Municipal FCU Automatic Transfer Share Certificate n Using our online n eAccounts loan application *APR= Annual Percentage Rate.