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.
Kevin Cole Joins Mid Oregon Executive Leadership Team
Mid Oregon Credit Union adds CFO to Executive Leadership Team
Bill Anderson, Mid Oregon Credit Union President/CEO announces the hiring of Kevin Cole, MBA, CFA as Chief Financial Officer. In this position, Cole’s main responsibilities include corporate strategy implementation along with financial and enterprise risk management.
“We are very pleased to add Kevin to our executive team,” said Anderson. “Kevin comes to us with a depth of experience that will help lead the credit union to even greater levels of success.”
Strong Credit Union Leadership History
Mr. Cole is an experienced finance executive with a Masters of Business Administration and the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. Prior to joining Mid Oregon Credit Union, he served as Chief Financial Officer at Maps Credit Union in Salem, Oregon where he was responsible for developing financial strategy to consistently improve earnings within established risk limits. Cole has over nineteen years of experience in the credit union industry including CEO at Heritage Grove Federal Credit Union, and CEO at Eagle Credit Union in Stockton, California. Throughout his career, Cole has been recognized for significant improvement in positive financial results.
In his spare time, Kevin Cole enjoys the great outdoors, running, tennis, hiking, skiing and spending time with his kids.
Kevin Cole looks forward to this newest phase in his financial career: “I am honored and excited to join Central Oregon’s leading community financial institution and look forward to working with the team to meet the needs of Mid Oregon members.”
Enjoy the High Desert Museum for Free!
Free Family Saturday at the High Desert Museum
Free admission to the High Desert Museum, courtesy of Mid Oregon Credit Union, is scheduled for January 21. A second free day will be on February 25, 2017. The “Free Family Saturdays” complimentary admission program supports the community with the opportunity to explore wildlife and living history- right in Central Oregon’s backyard. The museum is located five minutes south from Bend on Highway 97.
The Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., including the Rimrock Café and Silver Sage Trading Store.
“Mid Oregon Credit Union’s generous support of two Free Family Saturdays this winter provides the community an opportunity to experience wildlife up close and engage with exhibits like the Buzzsaw Sharks of Long Ago,“ said High Desert Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, PH.D.
Free Shuttle Available for Offsite Parking
Because the parking lot can easily get full, a free shuttle system will be in operation. Operated by Wanderlust Tours, it will run from Morning Star Christian School, located at 19741 Baker Road. Transportation will be to the Museum and back on both free days. For more information about exhibits, wildlife encounters, living history performances, music, and tours, visit the Museum’s website at www.highdesertmuseum.org.
“Every year we meet and greet all the families who come out for the Free Family Saturdays,” said Kyle Frick, Mid Oregon Credit Union VP of Marketing. “No matter what the weather, we see young and old alike who are smiling and excited to spend time enjoying this amazing Central Oregon resource!”
View the short informational Free Family Saturday’s Video on YouTube- great for sharing with family, co-workers and friends!
Facebook January 21 Free Family Saturday Event Page– Share with others and check-in that you will be there! Please share to encourage others to attend.
High Desert Museum Facebook Page– Keep up with the latest at the museum.
Some Exhibits Currently at the Museum:
- Smokejumpers: Firefighters from the Sky
- The Buzzsaw Sharks of Long Ago
- Spirit Of The West
- Autzen Otter Exhibit
- Whose Home? Younger children climb, slide, explore and dress up in this playful, indoor exhibit.
Make FAFSA Easy
The worst part of being a college student, besides dining hall food and always being broke, is finding financial aid. There’s nothing that will get you down in the dumps more than coming up with thousands of dollars for your education. Nothing seems to make FAFSA easy.
What’s slightly less painful is filing the free application for federal student aid, or FAFSA, each year. You can make FAFSA easy with a few key steps.
The hardest part about filing your FAFSA is usually convincing your parents to file their taxes right away. The actual application itself is not that difficult, and once you’ve done it for the first time, it’s a piece of cake.
Students whose parents are on an even salary have a pretty good idea about how much aid they’ll get the next year. Students who work or have parents who own their own business may have income that fluctuates a great deal every year. Regardless, these FAFSA facts will blow you away!
First, file as soon as you can.
It’s not just some myth that financial aid is first come, first served. There’s an option to estimate your household income based on last year’s taxes, so do that LITERALLY RIGHT NOW so you can make sure you get it taken care of right away. Then, once you and your parents file, remember to file a correction. While you’re at it, set a reminder for January 1 of next year.
Use that handy IRS Data Retrieval tool.
The data retrieval tool makes it easier for the IRS to confirm your income information, meaning you’re less likely to be sent verification forms. If you’ve never received a verification form, it’s a painful and lengthy application to prove your income.
It’s also a good idea to research your state’s filing deadlines.
There’s really no excuse to miss out on thousands of dollars because you don’t want to file your FAFSA before your state’s filing deadline. You can easily locate this information on the FAFSA website, FAFSA.gov.
While we’re on the topic of websites, don’t fall for a fake FAFSA website.
There are plenty of fake FAFSA sites out there ready to steal your identity, which frankly can be a bigger problem than having no money for college. The only legitimate FAFSA website out there is FAFSA.gov. That’s it. There’s no FAFSA.com or .net. The .gov, secure mark and ://https by the URL signifies that the website is safe and okay to input your personal information.
Last and easiest piece of advice: Don’t wait to apply for a pin number.
When you have the pin number, write it down and keep it somewhere safe. It can take weeks to get a pin during peak application season, but only a matter of minutes during the off-season. This is quite possibly the simplest part of the entire process, so hop to it!
Now, all you need is your 1040 (or other tax return document), bank statements detailing your family’s net worth, and you’re ready to file. Getting to this point is the hardest part. If you’re struggling, check to see if your college or local credit union offers free filing counseling. This could give you peace of mind before filling out such an important document.
Additional Resources
Learn more about financial aid and research resources and information on the U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Age webpage Financial Aid Tookit. There you can learn about types of aid, student eligibility, the FAFSA® (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), and loan repayment. You can also filter resources by file type, audience, topic, and the time of year the resource is most relevant.