The Bottom Line
Small business is important to Central Oregon, and to Mid Oregon. Find tips and resources for business, and information about Mid Oregon’s commercial services and business members.
Are you expecting a tax refund? Make it count!
Your tax refund could help you reach your financial fitness goals.
For many of us, the New Year was a time for making resolutions—many of them financial. But it doesn’t take long to slip back into old habits and find yourself delaying saving, adding to credit-card balances, or generally fudging on your budget.
If you’re expecting a tax refund, you have a great opportunity to change the equation. That extra cash windfall doesn’t come along often, so think of some ways you can put it to work to reach your financial goals. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Retire some debt
If you’re trying to reduce your debt load, look for one debt you can eliminate altogether with your refund. Make it go away, and celebrate!
Then, use the amount you’ve been budgeting for that monthly payment and apply it to your next debt. It’s called the debt snowball (financial guru Dave Ramsey swears by it), and it’s a great way to get debt-free quickly.
Extra step: If you want to consolidate or refinance your remaining debt, check out our consolidation calculator, or apply now for a Mid Oregon debt-consolidation loan.
Get some breathing room
Are you ready to start a new monthly budget? Get off the credit card merry-go-round and use this infusion of cash to build a “cushion” into your checking account. Subtract your cushion amount from your check register or budget tracking software. Use this new amount as your working checking balance. Then, you’ll never have to rely on courtesy pay or your line of credit if you accidentally overdraw your account. Resolve to pay cash for necessities, and you’ll find your financial picture will improve dramatically!
Extra step: Register for our free “Build a Basic Budget: The Five Step Spending Plan” workshop, scheduled for February 27 at Mid Oregon’s East Bend Branch. Call 541-382-1795 or email us to reserve your seat!
Jump-start your dreams
Goals are just dreams with a deadline. Make your financial dreams closer to becoming reality by taking the first step right now! Use your tax refund as the initial deposit on your new Saver’s Club Certificate or Save to Win account. Add a small amount each month after that, and voilà—you just started your very own emergency fund, vacation account, or down payment for your first home!
Need more ideas?
One of the benefits of being a member-owned financial cooperative is that when our members do better, so do we. So we want to help you get financially fit! If you need more ideas, just give us a call at 541-382-1795, stop by your nearest branch, or browse the website.
Final 2018 Free Family Saturday at the High Desert Museum
Don’t Miss Out!
Did you miss the January Free Family Day? Want to spend a day for free at the High Desert Museum? Don’t miss the final 2018 Free Family Saturday at the High Desert Museum on Highway 97 just south of Bend. On Saturday, February 24th, the museum, a fixture in Central Oregon since 1982, will be open from 10 am to 4 pm. Anyone can take in the museum and its exhibits these days at no charge. Credit union membership is not required. In January, over 3,300 attended the first Free Family Saturday of 2018.
Surely you also know someone that would benefit from a free day in this quality educational and fun environment? Other family members? Co-workers or neighbors? Young families and others who might have a difficult time with admission fees? Would you share this opportunities with anyone and everyone you know?
High Desert Museum is Top Rated Opportunity
The High Desert Museum is consistently rated as the top Central Oregon attraction by Trip Advisor. With 135 acres and more than 100,000 square feet of exhibit space, it’s a “must see” for anyone in Central Oregon. Get a close-up view of native wildlife, such as river otters, bobcat, porcupine and badger. Talk with historic characters who share tales of early Oregon explorers and settlers. Visit an authentic homestead and sawmill from 1904. The attraction includes a Museum store and café.
Current exhibits include Dinosaurs Take Flight: The Art of Archaeopteryx, Innovation Lab: Design Inspired by Nature and the Autzen Otter Exhibit.
Museum & Mid Oregon Partnership
Mid Oregon is proud to offer this opportunity to Central Oregon residents, and is thankful for the partnership and excellence provided by the High Desert Museum staff and volunteers. Together we want to ensure thousands in Central Oregon can see the museum these days.
For more information about the museum, its exhibits and other details, visit www.highdesertmuseum.com.
Note your projected attendance and invite others through the Facebook Event Page.
Watch the Free Family Saturdays Video:
The Best Year Yet!
Our 60th — the best year yet!
2017 was a wild year, wasn’t it? Record snowfall, a once-in-a-lifetime eclipse in our own backyard and smoky skies were only the beginning of the excitement.
At Mid Oregon, it also meant some significant milestones and achievements. For instance, we experienced an unprecedented number of new members who joined our cooperative seeking the many advantages of credit union membership.
Loan and Asset Milestones
We crossed a key threshold of $250 million in assets, which reflects the growing strength of our cooperative, as well as the individual financial strength we’ve helped our members build over the years. We also exceeded an all—time—record of $200 million in current loans, as well as granting more than $1 billion in loans since our inception. Can you fathom the needs and dreams members have achieved for their families with those loans?
In addition, the team at Mid Oregon accomplished many goals to improve member service and convenience. We are working to keep our electronic services convenient and secure, and opened our seventh branch in the community of Sisters. We introduced a host of new free checking accounts for families and businesses.
Growth and New Faces on Our Team
Of course, all that growth also presented its share of challenges, too. As we’ve worked hard to promote our best team members to new positions, we’ve brought many new faces to our branches. We’re proud of our reputation as an employer of choice in our community. We are dedicated to continuing our culture of accurate and high-quality service to every member.
Beginning Our 60th Year!
November 2017 also marked the beginning of our 60th year as a member-owned financial institution. For many institutions, 60 years in business might mean becoming complacent, old-school, or irrelevant. For us, we are using it as a challenge to keep growing and evolving to meet your changing financial needs. We position ourselves as the financial institution that you’ll continue to rely on. In fact, we think our 60th year might be our best yet!
We thank you for your membership and support of your credit union and wish you the very best in 2018.