Winter 2023 Newsletter

Annual Meeting Election Information

Your voice matters

Acclaim FCU will hold its Annual Meeting of Members on Friday, March 24, 2023, at 12:00 PM. This year’s meeting will be in person with a virtual option. If you would like to attend this meeting, please email Admin@AcclaimFCU.org for registration information. Elections will be held at the meeting to fill three seats on the Board of Directors. The nominating committee has made nominations for vacancies on the Board. The election will not be conducted by ballot and there will be no nominations from the floor when the number of nominees equals the number of positions to be filled. However, additional nominations may be made by petition prior to the meeting.

To be nominated by petition, a completed petition signed by at least 59 members must be submitted to the Board Secretary no later than Sunday, February 12, 2023 at the following address:  

Tommy Riggins, Nominating Committee, Acclaim FCU, PO Box 29527, Greensboro, NC 27429. 

If you would like more information about submitting a petition, please contact Valerie Marsh at the credit union office. 

Nominees:

David Dalton, Incumbent

David currently works as the Senior Director of Continuous Improvement at Ardent Mills. He has an educational background in Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering, and MBA, and an Advanced Statistics (Master Black Belt) certification. David has additional volunteer experience with Partners in Food Solutions through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the NC A&T School of Agriculture Advisory Board. David was appointed to the Acclaim Advisory Board in 2016 and elected to the Board of Directors in 2017.

Rick Artiga, Incumbent

Rick has been a resident of Greensboro for the last 13 years and is a local business owner. He has also served on a voluntary basis as the Chairman of the Board for The Pregnancy Network for the last 5 years. Rick was appointed to the Acclaim Advisory Board in 2021 and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2022.

Lisa Henninger, Incumbent

Lisa works in Human Resources as a Workday Technology Analyst at Kontoor Brands. She has worked for Kontoor/VF Corporation since 1999. She has a Certificate in Customer Service Technology from Guilford Technical Community College. Lisa was appointed to the Acclaim Advisory Board from in 2019 and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2021.

Use these apps to help you stay on track this year

Q: I’m looking for tools to help me actually keep the financial resolutions I made for the New Year, but I’m confused by all the options. What are the best personal finance apps that can help me stick to my money resolutions this year?

A: These days, there’s an app for virtually anything; and personal finance is no exception. The app market is flooded with personal finance apps, but there are a select few that stand out for their excellent functionality and ease of use. Here, we’ve reviewed five of the most popular personal finance apps to help you stick to your financial resolutions.

1. Mint

A quick look at this app:

• Function: Full money management
• Cost: None
• Free Trial: N/A
• Basic Features: The wildly popular money management app lets you track your bills, categorize and review your spending and monitor your credit health, all at no cost. 

Mint excels at providing a complete financial picture in one location. You can link your credit and debit cards to the app, and Mint will read your transactions, categorize them and show you how you’re spending your money. Access your credit score and get a breakdown of how your score is determined. You can also easily create a budget within one of the most popular personal finance apps on the market. 

The one significant downside to Mint is the ads, which many users find excessive, intrusive and annoying. 

2. Personal Capital

A quick look at this app:

• Function: Budgeting and investment tools
• Cost: Budgeting tool is free. Wealth management costs 0.89% of the balance, up to $1,000,000.
• Free trial: No
• Basic features: Allows you to manage your assets and investments along with your everyday spending. 

Personal Capital promotes itself as an overall personal finance app, but it really shines at investment management. Track your portfolio by account, asset class or individual security and identify new opportunities for diversification and risk management, all on the app.

The disadvantages of Personal Capital include the relatively high cost for wealth management and complicated budgeting features. 

3. You Need a Budget

A quick look at this app:

• Function: Budgeting and tracking expenses
• Cost: $98.99/year or $14.99/month
• Free trial: Yes
• Basic features: Import transactions from your checking account and apply them to each budget category to get a full picture of your spending habits. Adjust budgeting categories as necessary and review detailed reports of how spending is progressing throughout the month. 

You Need a Budget (YNAB) is an app built around YNAB’s famed four rules for improved overall financial health:

1. Give every dollar a job.
2. Embrace your true expenses.
3. Roll with the punches.
4. Age your money.

The app provides highly detailed budgeting tools and spending reports for the ultimate in money management. YNAB claims its users save an average of $600 in the first two months, and more than $6,000 in the first year.

The cons of YNAB include a premium subscription price and multiple features that can be confusing for new users and those who prefer a simpler interface. 

4. Prism

A quick look at this app:

• Function: Bill payment and tracking
• Cost: Free
• Free trial: N/A
• Basic features: Track and pay your monthly bills with ease.

Prism takes the stress out of bills. Sync the app with thousands of billers nationwide, add your bills and Prism will automatically track them for you. You’ll get friendly reminders when a bill is nearly due and you can even use the app to schedule payments several days in advance. Never miss a bill payment again!

Prism is an excellent app for bill payment, but it’s otherwise limited in its money management functions. You won’t be able to create a budget or track expenses outside bill payments on the app.

5. M1 Finance

A quick look at this app:

• Function: No-fee investing
• Cost: Free
• Free trial: N/A
• Basic features: Blends automated investing with expansive portfolio customizations.

M1 Finance offers more than 60 pre-built portfolios, or “pies,” for users to choose as their own investment strategy. There’s also the option of building your portfolio on your own in the app. M1 can be a fabulous tool for investors who are looking for automation that aligns with their personal preferences, risk tolerance and investment goals.

While M1 shines as a no-fee investment app, it fails at offering several key features that other competing apps boast, including tax-loss harvesting, advisors and syncing external accounts for investment purposes. 

It’s a new year, and a new chance at improving your financial wellness. Use this guide to find the perfect apps to help you reach your financial goals this year.

Dora Maxwell Award

Giving back to our community

We are excited to announce that The Carolina’s Credit Union Foundation has selected Acclaim Federal Credit Union as First Place winner in the $50 – $250 million dollar asset category for the 2022 Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award in the Carolinas for the second year in a row. The Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award is given to a credit union or chapter/multiple credit union group for its social responsibility projects within the community. The award is given for external activities. Concern for community is one of the credit union movement’s founding principles and this credit union’s actions exemplified this philosophy.

2022 marked the bicentennial anniversary for Acclaim Federal Credit Union, founded in 1972. We are so thankful for our members and community for their continued support over the years. In honor of this milestone, we decided to celebrate our members, community, and staff throughout the year by launching a 50 Acts of Kindness campaign.

These acts took on a variety of forms such as kind notes, treats, giveaways, donations, and volunteer efforts. Some of our efforts included volunteering at Backpack Beginnings, a program designed to feed children and families in need, stocking local little libraries with book donations, raising money for the Triad Flight of Honor organization, donating pet supplies to our local animal shelter, participating in the Give a Kid a Coat Campaign, and surprisiung various locals of several different professions with snacks or gift cards.

Through our actions  we’ve been able to create a more positive community by inspiring empathy and compassion leading to a heightened sense of interconnectedness along with enhanced physical and mental health. We are so honored to be recognized in these efforts in giving back to our community.

Crockpot Chicken Dinner

It doesn’t get much easier than this cozy and budget-conscious dinner for the slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of chicken thighs 
• 1 16-oz. package frozen green beans
• 1 pound of fingerling potatoes
• 1 ranch seasoning packet
• Salt and pepper 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hrs., or on high for 4 hrs. 

Servings: 4

Try these variations:

Switch the Ranch seasoning packet for Italian dressing packet.

Switch up the green beans for carrots or bell peppers.

Q: All the news I am seeing suggests that our economy may be approaching a recession (or even in one already!). I’m worried about what this means for my finances and I’m wondering what steps I should take now. How can I prepare for a recession?

A: Economists are divided on whether we’re already in a recession or likely heading toward one. All signs seem to be pointing towards a recession: inflation has hit a 40-year high, interest rates have hit a two-decade peak and investing in the stock market now is like riding a terrifying roller coaster. 

Taking steps to improve your financial health in case of a recession is a responsible and forward-thinking move. Here’s how to be in position for weathering a recession.

Take stock of your financial reality

Before you actually make any financial changes, ask yourself these questions:

• Am I making it through the month, meeting all my expenses and putting some money into savings?
• What is my total monthly income?
• What is the total of my monthly expenses?
• What is the total of my outstanding debt?
• How much money do I have in savings?
• How much liquid funds do I have?
• Do I have any major and expensive life events coming up in the next year, such as a wedding, the birth of a new baby or a household move?

Build up your emergency fund

If you don’t already have a well-padded emergency fund, now’s the time to work on building one up. Ideally, an emergency fund should have enough funds to keep you afloat through three-to-six months without any income. 

Having this money set aside in case of an emergency, or unexpected financial stress, can help you avoid getting tangled up in a cycle of debt or even losing your home or car. Pinch pennies wherever you can to get that fund ready for a recession. It may be challenging now, but the security of having money safely tucked away to get you through difficult financial times will be more than worth the struggle.

Diversify your investments

With stock market fluctuations expected to be more extreme and to happen more often during a recession, it’s crucial to keep your investments diversified. Make sure your investments are not all tied up in one asset or asset class so that a poor-performing investment won’t bring down your entire portfolio. Mutual funds and index funds both provide a great way to keep your portfolio diversified.

Get rid of high-interest debt 

It’s never a good idea to hold onto high-interest debt. In a rising-rates environment, such as that of a recession, this monthly bill can increase significantly. If you have one or more outstanding credit card balances, work on consolidating the debt by moving the balance to a personal/unsecured loan. You can also transfer the debt to a new credit card that features no interest, or a low interest rate. Just be aware that many of these deals are promotional, short-term offers. When the introductory period ends, you’ll be hit with interest rates that may be even higher than the rate you are paying now (so be prepared to transfer again if you don’t pay it off in full before that intro period concludes).

Stick to a budget

This is the perfect time to flex those budgeting muscles! If you tend to blow your budget and overspend in various categories, work on learning to stick to your budget. Revise your budget as necessary, avoid temptation by keeping away from stores and areas where you typically overspend or only shop with the cash you need to make your purchases. Training yourself to live within your means is one of the best ways to improve your financial health ahead of a recession.

Look for ways to increase your income

Did you know that the average millionaire has seven sources of income? You don’t have to go that far, but establishing additional income streams can be a great way to prepare for a possible recession. Consider starting a side hustle that plays to your strengths, moonlighting for a company like Uber and/or finding a passive income stream like a real estate investment.