To save money, you have to spend less than you earn. Simple enough, right? The truth is that it’s easier said than done. Saving money takes discipline, especially when you’re fresh out of college. No more classes and no more homework, but there are bills to pay and plenty of opportunities to spend your hard-earned money now that you’ve entered “the real world.” 5 money-saving tips for college graduates To save money, you have to spend less than you earn. Simple enough, right? The truth is that it’s easier said than done. Saving money takes discipline, especially when you’re fresh out of college. No more classes and no more homework, but there are bills to pay and plenty of opportunities to spend your hard-earned money now that you’ve entered “the real world.” To save money, you have to spend less than you earn. Simple enough, right? The truth is that it’s easier said than done. Saving money takes discipline, especially when you’re fresh out of college. No more classes and no more homework, but there are bills to pay and plenty of opportunities to spend your hard-earned money now that you’ve entered “the real world.” Here are five simple tips for how to stay on top of your savings after you graduate college. Start with a simple budget You can certainly keep a running list of expenses and then add it up at the end of the month to see if you spent less than you earned, but making a budget might be more helpful. Consider the 50/30/20 approach to budgeting. Set aside 50% of your budget for your “needs” like rent, utilities, and groceries, 30% for your “wants” like road trips, tickets to concerts, and pizza on Friday nights, and the last 20% for savings. The idea is to figure out how much you have to spend on what you need, so that you know how much you can afford to spend on what you want. Make your student loan payments According to the most recent statistics, about 45 million Americans have student loan debt. If you’re one of them, the sooner you start making payments, the better off you’ll be. Most student loans have a six-month grace period after graduation, but you’ll save on interest if you can start paying off that debt sooner. Most importantly, make sure you are making your payments on time. If you have federal student loans and are struggling to make payments, it might be worth considering applying for an income-driven repayment plan. Work on building your credit Need another reason to make your student loan payments? Well, aside from the fact that that debt isn’t going anywhere unless you start paying it off, making payments helps build your credit. It’s an opportunity to show lenders that you are a responsible borrower, improving your chances of being approved for a mortgage or a car loan. You should also explore other ways to build your credit, like applying for a credit card. Just remember to spend responsibly! Keep enough in your savings for emergencies Not all savings is for retirement. And considering you’re a recent college graduate, it’s safe to say retirement is probably not in your immediate future. Savings at your age is about creating breathing room, because a budget will only get you so far before an unexpected expense wrecks your budget. You can start by aiming to save at least 20% of your paycheck and setting it aside in a high-yield savings account. Consider that your emergency fund. If you can reach the point where you have at least $500 set aside for emergencies, you’ll have a great start. Understand the basics of investing The next best thing to saving your money is investing it. Now before you start dreaming about trading on Wall Street, there are simpler ways to invest than buying individual stocks. You can invest your income in a retirement account like a 401(k) or IRA, allowing your money to grow over time due to compound interest. Retirement may be in your distant future, but your future self will almost certainly be thankful you invested as early as you did. If you are interested in learning more about how you can start saving post-graduation, please get in touch with us . The learning never stops, even after college! Previous Item Next Item

Opening a checking account is a big deal for a lot of people. Suddenly, you have a place to put your money besides your wallet, your piggy bank, or under your mattress. But what does a checking account mean for your credit? It may not be as important as you might think, but knowing what does and does not affect your credit score can be helpful as you start to build your credit history from scratch. Will a checking account affect your credit score? Opening a checking account is a big deal for a lot of people. Suddenly, you have a place to put your money besides your wallet, your piggy bank, or under your mattress. But what does a checking account mean for your credit? It may not be as important as you might think, but knowing what does and does not affect your credit score can be helpful as you start to build your credit history from scratch. Does opening a checking account affect my credit score? Even though opening a checking account is usually the first box you check when you first take steps into the financial world, the cold hard truth is that your credit score does not care. As far as your credit score is concerned, your deposits and withdrawals are your business. There are a handful of exceptions, though. The lender you open your account with may perform a hard inquiry on your credit report. To be clear, this isn’t the norm. Most financial institutions will only make a soft inquiry before opening a new checking account. Soft inquiries have no impact on your credit score, but a hard inquiry could drop your score a few points. Lenders have also been known to make hard inquiries if you sign up for overdraft protection. On that same note, not signing up for overdraft protection and then overdrawing your checking account could impact your credit score. Should you fail to repay the amount in a timely fashion, the lender could turn the matter over to a collections agency. The same thing could happen if you close your account with a negative balance and don’t pay the lender back. Long story short, your credit score is not as excited as you are about your new checking account, but it will be paying attention if you mismanage that account. What affects my credit score? What exactly is a credit score? And who exactly is keeping score? Two good questions that not everyone knows the answer to — even if they might pretend like they do. “Credit score” is such a common financial term today that many people never even question it, when actually understanding how it is calculated can help you boost your score. Credit bureaus are the ones who calculate your credit score. Each of them has their own unique algorithm for calculating credit scores and they are all as tight-lipped as a magician’s assistant when it comes to revealing the specific math behind their algorithms. But what we do know is that five basic financial categories are the keys to determining your score: Payment history. Your payment history accounts for 35% of your credit score. Credit utilization. The amount of credit you have available to you and the percentage of that credit you are using regularly accounts for 30% of your score. Length of credit history. The age of your accounts is 15% of your credit score. The longer your credit history, the better your score, usually. Types of credit. The different types of credit you utilize — credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, etc. — accounts for 10% of your score. New credit. The final 10% of your credit score is determined by how many new lines of credit you have applied for. Opening multiple new accounts in a short period of time can be seen as a sign of financial troubles to a lender. What is a good credit score? Your credit score is a number between 300 and 850. If your score is less than 600, you have what is considered a poor credit score. The sweet spot is between 661 and 780, which is where the good credit scores live. If you’re an overachiever, aim for 781 or higher. If ever you find yourself with a credit score higher than 781, you have done pretty well for yourself. You deserve a gold star, but you’ll have to settle for a great credit score instead. If you are interested in opening a new checking account or have questions about your credit score, please get in touch with us . Math is our specialty! Previous Item Next Item

Is it just us, or does Black Friday feel more like Black Autumn lately? If your inbox is like ours, you’ve been receiving early holiday deals from your favorite retailers since the first week of October. Your Guide to the Best Guides to 2023 Black Friday Deals Is it just us, or does Black Friday feel more like Black Autumn lately? If your inbox is like ours, you’ve been receiving early holiday deals from your favorite retailers since the first week of October. Is it just us, or does Black Friday feel more like Black Autumn lately? If your inbox is like ours, you’ve been receiving early holiday deals from your favorite retailers since the first week of October. We’re all for getting your shopping done early and staying home watching football and eating leftover turkey sandwiches instead of braving the crowds before sunrise—but, especially this year, it makes sense to try to get the maximum bang for your holiday buck. Whether you prefer to shop online or in person, the good news is that there’s now a whole cottage industry devoted to evaluating the newest products and tracking down the latest deals. Here are some of the most useful. The best guide when you’re shopping for the best (fill in the blank): The Wirecutter Thinking about getting someone you love a digital piano? An espresso maker? A new bike? If you haven’t got your heart set on a specific make and model, a great place to start your search is The Wirecutter . The site offers buying guides for everything from down jackets to insulated coffee mugs to computers and kitchen appliances—and not only offers readers the best options based on value or overall quality, but also provides up-to-the-minute pricing information from big retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target. The only downside is that the site produces such thorough, easy-to-use reviews that it was purchased by The New York Times a few years ago, which has recently started charging for a separate subscription to the site. Now, you can only view 10 articles for free each month—but the good news is that unlimited access only costs $5 a month. (Even better, The New York Times now allows you to cancel your subscription online, without speaking to a customer service representative, if you plan to log in for the holiday season only.) Do they publish specialized Black Friday deal finders? Yes! Typical review: The best fitness trackers The best guide when you need a little gifting inspiration: The Strategist Are you the kind of person who wants to know which products your favorite celebrity can’t live without? Or perhaps someone who wants gift suggestions for teenaged girls made by actual teenaged girls? How about an introduction to the best choices for some luxury item (velvet duvet covers, cashmere socks, fancy moisturizers) you never considered buying before? Then New York Magazine ’s shopping blog The Strategist offers exactly the kind of advice you’re looking for. One of the site’s specialties is combing through all the latest sales and compiling all the best available deals in a single list—which is a great way to find yourself suddenly buying a $400 state-of-the-art cordless vacuum and a cute ceramic pie plate when you had no previous intention to purchase either. Beware, impulse shoppers! On the bright side, you can read their content without paying for a full New York subscription. Do they publish specialized Black Friday deal finders? Yes! Typical review: The Best Secret Santa Gifts on Amazon under $25 The best guide when you’re making a major purchase: Consumer Reports Consumer Reports is the granddaddy of product review sites—in fact, it got its start as a print magazine that it still publishes. It’s still the gold standard for evaluating big-ticket items from refrigerators to trucks. Of course, they review smaller appliances, as well as some truly unusual items like flooring, paint, and portable generators. Their monthly subscription rate ($10) is pricier than The Wirecutter, but an annual subscription is only $39.95. What’s more, Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization that puts all the money it earns back into its labs, scientists, researchers, and technicians. Think of them as the only credit union in a market full of banks. Do they publish specialized Black Friday deal finders? Yes, and organized by category and price (for those of you who don’t want to spend more than $50 on Aunt Hilda) Typical review: All-Season Tires (searchable by year, make and model of vehicle) The best guide for checking whether you’ve found an actual bargain: Google Shopping As a review site, Google Shopping offers minimal content—just the average consumer rating from Google's own review system, as well as advertisers, sellers, and other third-party sites. But once you think you know what you want, it’s a fast and easy way to check if there’s a better price available. Just plug in the name of the product you want to buy, and it will bring up listings from multiple retailers and their current advertised price. Google also understands that all retailers aren’t created equal—and that many consumers are afraid of getting ripped off if they purchase an item from a retailer they don’t recognize. If Google finds reviews attesting to fast shipping, an easy return process, and good user ratings, it will indicate that a retailer is a “trusted store.” Do they publish specialized Black Friday deal finders? No, but they can find you a deal on a DVD of the horror movie Black Friday Typical listing: Diptyque Feu du Bois Scented Candle (available for $40 compared to a list price of $72) The guide for wasting your time: BuzzFeed Shopping It should come as no surprise that when BuzzFeed shops, it shops in clickbait-y headlines: “30 ShopDisney Products So Good, You’ll Be Tracking Delivery Until They Arrive. ” “37 Travel Products that Will Make You Want to Book Your Next Flight ASAP .” “33 Things To Help You Fit Way More Stuff In a Small Space .” Most featured products don’t include original reviews, just links to purchase the product and a couple of representative consumer reviews copied from retail sites. But, hey, it’s free, so long as you’re willing to put up with a dozen different banner ads flashing past as you scroll and to reward this kind of lazy content with your precious clicks. Do they publish specialized Black Friday deal finders? Yes, but their coverage of early Black Friday specials is … not great Typical review: Target Finds (sponsored by Target) The guide that’s not a guide, just a really good place to spend Black Friday: Vibrant Coffeehouse and Kitchen This is the Black Friday destination that has everything: ample parking, delicious coffee and food, comfortable seating, and a wide assortment of everything from hoodies to mugs to locally made earrings for sale. Grab a holiday mocha and sip while you browse—or stake out a booth and use our WiFi to shop online while you enjoy free refills of house-roasted P.O.B.C. (that’s “plain old black coffee”). Do they offer special Black Friday deals? Well, members save 20% on food and drinks when they pay with a Vibrant credit or debit card every day—but keep an eye out on social media for some last-minute surprises and exclusives! Previous Item Next Item

With the back-to-back-to-back failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate Bank, followed by widespread turmoil in the financial markets, it's only natural to wonder whether your own money is safe where it is. Understanding recent bank failures and what they mean for you With the back-to-back-to-back failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate Bank, followed by widespread turmoil in the financial markets, it's only natural to wonder whether your own money is safe where it is. With the back-to-back-to-back failures of Silicon Valley Bank , Signature Bank , and Silvergate Bank, followed by widespread turmoil in the financial markets, it's only natural to wonder whether your own money is safe where it is. The most important thing to know is that these recent bank failures were the fault of decisions made by those institutions specifically — and that they don’t necessarily reflect on the financial stability of other banks and credit unions. Nevertheless, their collapse is a timely reminder to learn more about the financial health of your own credit union or bank. Here are a few tips for evaluating how safe your money is. If you have less than $250,000 in deposits with a single NCUA- or FDIC-insured financial institution, you’re not at risk. If you have less than a total of $250,000 deposited among your accounts (including checking, savings, money market, CD, IRA, and Revocable Trust accounts), your funds are protected. If you share any of those accounts with another person, then both of you are individually insured up to $250,000 in deposits. That means that if you and your spouse share a checking account and a savings account, then you’re protected up to $500,000 of deposits. Three account owners? Then you’re protected up to $750,000. How do you find out if your financial institution is NCUA- or FDIC-insured? Deposit insurance for credit union members is provided by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). All federal credit unions and nearly all state-chartered credit unions (including Vibrant) are protected by NCUA deposit insurance. You can confirm your credit union’s NCUA status by searching the NCUA member database . You should also see notices about its NCUA insurance posted on its website and on its premises. Deposit insurance for U.S. banks is provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Nearly all U.S. banks are FDIC-insured. As with the NCUA, the FDIC also requires member institutions to post notices about its FDIC membership on its website and on its premises. You can also confirm a bank’s FDIC status through the FDIC website. If you DO have deposits in excess of FDIC or NCUA limits, take a closer look at your financial institution’s performance. There may be situations where you need to maintain a total balance above the deposit insurance limit of $250,000 — for instance, if you’re running a business with large cash requirements for payroll or inventory or if you're trying to maximize your interest earnings by consolidating your money in a single account with the best available rate. If that’s the case, here are some ways to assess your financial institution’s overall health. 1. Find out where your credit union or bank invests its deposits. Financial institutions generate revenue in two ways — either by lending money out and earning interest on those loans or by investing in other forms of equity — stocks, bonds, and other securities. You can look at Vibrant’s statement of financial condition to get a broad overview of where we invest deposits. In the case of Silicon Valley Bank, by comparison, more than 40 percent of its income came from investments — many in the form of long-term Treasury bonds, which have lost value as interest rates have risen in the last year. Meanwhile, Signature and Silvergate heavily invested in cryptocurrency, which has also lost significant value in the past year. 2. Look for steady deposit growth. When people and businesses continue to deposit their money with an institution, it’s a sign there’s strong confidence in how the institution manages its assets. In Vibrant’s case, total deposits have grown from about $407 million at the end of 2012 to about $774 million at the end of 2022 — a 47 percent increase in deposits over the last decade. (You can access past financial statements for Vibrant or any credit union via the NCUA website if you really want to get in the weeds.) 3. Look at the institution’s capitalization classification. Every NCUA- or FDIC-insured financial institution must meet certain capital requirements that ensure it has enough cash on hand to meet its depositors' needs. NCUA considers a credit union “well capitalized” if it has a net worth ratio above 7 and a capital ratio above 10. For reference, Vibrant’s current net worth ratio of 9.48 and capital ratio of 14.93 place it well within the "well capitalized" category. (Capitalization classifications are available for every credit union within the quarterly call reports posted on the NCUA website.) Why a credit union can be a less risky choice than a bank The bank run that led to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank resulted from widespread panic among depositors after its financial reporting showed the bank might not have funds available to meet all its financial obligations. Rather than risk losing any deposits in excess of FDIC insurance limits, many customers decided to withdraw their funds while they could and move them elsewhere — making Silicon Valley Bank’s existing issues even worse. In general, credit unions like Vibrant are far less likely to experience bank runs because the overwhelming majority of their deposits are federally guaranteed. More than 90 percent of credit union deposits fall within deposit insurance limits, while only about 50 percent of bank deposits do. Additionally, credit unions tend to prioritize safe, sound, and fiscally responsible investments over the pursuit of the ever-higher profits expected by bank shareholders. As member-owned nonprofits, credit unions don’t answer to Wall Street — only to their members. For Vibrant, that means lending money at affordable rates and providing a fair return for members who put their savings into money market accounts and certificates of deposit. If you’re considering moving your money now, talk to us about how we can help safeguard your deposits while enabling you to meet your financial needs. Open an account today . Previous Item Next Item

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We all start a new year with the best of intentions, but building new habits is hard. If you want to take better control of your personal finances in 2022, here are a few things you can do that won’t require a lot of time—or a lot of willpower. 5 New Years resolutions that will be easy to keep We all start a new year with the best of intentions, but building new habits is hard. If you want to take better control of your personal finances in 2022, here are a few things you can do that won’t require a lot of time—or a lot of willpower. We all start a new year with the best of intentions, but building new habits is hard. If you want to take better control of your personal finances in 2022, here are a few things you can do that won’t require a lot of time—or a lot of willpower. Resolution #1: How to save more money One reason New Year’s resolutions fail is because they are too easy to break. You can turn regular savings into a habit by automating the process. Set up an automatic transfer each pay day that transfers a small amount of cash into your savings account. It’s okay to start small—you don’t want to be tempted to cancel your transfer because you suddenly need that money for something else next month. You can always increase the amount in the future. Time required: 2 minutes to log in to online banking and set up a new automatic transfer Resolution #2: How to reduce your debt One of the fastest ways you can reduce your monthly debt expenses is by reducing your borrowing costs. With interest rates still near record lows, it’s a great time to explore refinancing your mortgage, your auto loan, or consolidating your debt into a single monthly payment. Right now, for instance, credit card rates average about 16% APR (annual percentage rate). If you have good (or better) credit, you can probably find a personal loan that charges considerably less. Time required: 60 minutes (and often far less) to fill out an application, talk with a banker, and sign documentation Resolution #3: How to reduce your spending Are you spending money right now on things you don’t even use? Take a look at your subscriptions—streaming services, magazines and newspapers, websites—and think hard about the value they provide. Do you watch enough baseball to justify a $129 subscription to MLB? Are Spotify’s ads really that annoying? Time required: 5 minutes or less to cancel an account, depending on whether it's one of those companies that makes you call instead of letting you cancel online (definitely stop giving those guys your money) Resolution #4: How to earn more money (easy mode) First, an easy thing you should check right now: Are you earning your full employer match on your retirement savings? Many employees, including Vibrant, will match your contribution dollar-for-dollar up to a certain percentage. If you’re not contributing at least that percentage of your salary to your retirement plan, you’re essentially telling your employer to keep an extra 1, 2, or even 5 percent of your annual salary for themselves. Time required: 15 minutes or less to ask your HR department what you need to do to increase your contribution Resolution #5: How to earn more money (advanced) Second, there’s never been a better time to think about changing jobs—or renegotiating your current salary. The latest economic data shows there are more than 10 million open jobs right now, while the number of Americans collecting unemployment is lower than 2 million. Lots of people are finding better jobs right now—which could mean that your current employer might be more willing to increase salaries to keep experienced workers from moving on. It’s probably a good time to mention that Vibrant is hiring—and we offer a 401(k) match up to 6 percent of your salary. Check out our current openings . Time required: As little as a couple of weeks to six months or longer, depending on your field and your location Previous Item Next Item

If your personal or financial information has not yet been compromised by a data breach, count yourself lucky. In 2022, Statista reports there were 1,800 data breaches reported in the United States, everywhere from Twitter to Uber to the credit reporting agency Experian. What to do if your personal data is compromised If your personal or financial information has not yet been compromised by a data breach, count yourself lucky. In 2022, Statista reports there were 1,800 data breaches reported in the United States, everywhere from Twitter to Uber to the credit reporting agency Experian. If your personal or financial information has not yet been compromised by a data breach, count yourself lucky. In 2022, Statista reports there were 1,800 data breaches reported in the United States , everywhere from Twitter to Uber to the credit reporting agency Experian. If you receive a notification that your personal and/or financial information has been compromised, here are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Change your passwords. And while you’re at it, make sure you’re not using the same passwords for more than one login. That’s easier said than done when the average person has dozens of logins to manage, so consider using a password manager like 1Password or Dashlane . These applications will not only remember your login information at every site, they’ll make it easy to choose a unique, hard-to-crack password any time you create an account. But don’t get overconfident—even the password manager LastPass experienced a data breach in 2022 —that’s how common data breaches are.) Set up multi-factor authentication—especially for that password manager you probably just started using. Multi-factor authentication enables you to add an extra layer of protection between your password and your data. After your login information has been correctly entered, with MFA, you’ll automatically receive a phone call or a text message asking you to confirm that you’re the person attempting to access your account, along with a one-time code you can use to prove you’re really you. Take advantage of any free credit monitoring or identity theft protection services you are offered by the organization that was breached. Most companies will offer these services as compensation for the inconvenience they have caused you. Consider adding a verbal PIN or passphrase to your financial accounts. If identity thieves acquire enough of your personal information, it’s possible that they can assume control of your checking and savings accounts by contacting your financial institution and pretending to be you. One way to protect yourself at Vibrant—call us and set up a verbal PIN or passphrase we’ll ask you to provide every time you call. Scammers won’t know you have one unless they call – and it’s much more difficult to crack a password on the phone. Consider setting up a credit freeze. You can place a credit freeze on your credit report, preventing any lender or retailer from pulling your credit as part of a credit application. If you’re not actively in the market for a loan or credit card, then setting up a security freeze on your credit report is an effective way to keep identity thieves from signing up for credit cards of their own. If you later need to apply for credit, you can remove the security freeze either temporarily or permanently. The process is simple, free and can be completed online, via phone, or through the mail. Make sure to contact all three main credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) to ensure you’re completely protected. Get complete instructions on setting up a credit freeze from USA.gov. Watch your bank and credit card accounts for suspicious transactions. If you see a transaction that doesn’t look familiar, contact your financial institution immediately to file a dispute. If your card has been compromised, your financial institution can issue you a new number and close the old account. Check your credit report regularly to make sure no one is taking out credit in your name. If you’ve signed up for online banking with Vibrant, it’s easy to keep an eye on your credit report. Log in , go to the TOOLS menu, and choose CREDIT TRACKER. You’ll receive an alert any time your credit report updates—from decreases in your available credit to new accounts added. Consider investing in identity theft insurance. Many homeowners and renters policies include optional identity theft protection that can cost as little as $15 a year. This coverage can provide compensation for attorneys’ fees, lost wages if you need to take time away from work to rectify the damage, and for administrative costs including certified mail, long-distance calls, or notary fees. Talk to our partners at Vibrant Insurance Group to find identity theft coverage that fits your needs. Feeling overwhelmed? Get expert advice from IdentityTheft.gov . This free program from the Federal Trade Commission will walk you through everything you need to do in the event of a data breach or documented case of identity theft (e.g., you have found a fraudulent charge on your credit card). Previous Item Next Item

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Plan your next visit to Rock Island, IL - ATM only. Get hours, services, and driving directions. Rock Island, IL - ATM only 2365 11th St Rock Island, IL 61201 United States (800) 323-5109 Get directions ITM (digital banking) hours Services Cash-dispensing ATM FAQ

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