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.
Celebrating 12 Years of Adopt-a-Bear!
Adopt-a-Bear at Mid Oregon
Mid Oregon Credit Union is happy to announce our 12th year in support of Healthy Beginnings Adopt-a-Bear campaign. In 2004, our CEO, Bill Anderson, and Healthy Beginnings Executive Director, Holly Remer provided a perfect solution to a fundraising dilemma with a creative campaign called “Adopt-a-Bear”. The colorful “teddy bear” became the vehicle to expand community awareness and provide needed revenue.
Our staff and members “adopt” bears with their donations to Healthy Beginnings. The die-cut bears become the “wallpaper” at all their branches in Bend, Redmond, Madras, Prineville, and La Pine during the weeks of April 4 through 22, 2016. The campaign efforts have raised $19,644 to date.
Adopt-a-Bear for Healthy Beginnings!
Healthy Beginnings provides no cost health and developmental screenings to preschool children in our communities ensuring they are ready to learn when they enter kindergarten. The state has identified universal community screenings as a best practice. They provide consistent, reliable, valid, evidence based screening for young children – but there is no state funding. For the past 21 years, Healthy Beginnings relies on community donations to keep their screenings free for all families who utilize their services. Healthy Beginnings serves over 700 children and families each year in Bend, Redmond, La Pine, Madras, Prineville, Sisters and Sunriver.
Community residents may make a donation to Healthy Beginnings at any Mid Oregon Credit Union location, or you can call 541-382-1795. For information about child screenings to go www.MyHB.org.
Help Children and Yourself
If you can’t make it in during the week, on Saturday April 16 we have a special opportunity! We offer free personal shredding to the community at four of our branch locations. After you drop off your documents, you can watch them being shred and make a donation to Healthy Beginnings at the same time! We will be at our Olney & 2nd Street location in Bend, and at our Madras, Redmond and Prineville branches for your convenience. Our partner Secure Shred will there to do the document dirty work. Stay tuned for more details.
We have lots of opportunities to help. Please consider a donation at one of our nearby locations starting Monday, April 4.
Tax Time is Not about Luck
Don’t let tax time be a mystery that’s out of your control. As your circumstances and tax rules change, review and tweak your tax situation:
Review your withholdings
If you’re employed, at some point you used form W-4 to tell your employer how much tax to withhold from your paycheck. When filling out a W-4, the more allowances you claim, the bigger your paycheck will be, since fewer taxes are deducted. But what you don’t pay during the year, you’ll owe when you file your tax returns.
Conversely, if you have too much tax withheld, you’re giving the government a free loan. You’ll get a refund— without interest—at tax time.
Fortunately, you can Google the IRS withholding calculator and use it to make sure you’re on the right path. If you decide you want to make changes, complete and submit a new W-4 to your employer.
Pay your estimated taxes
If you expect to owe more than $1,000 in taxes, you might need to pay estimated taxes four times a year, usually the 15th of January, April, June, and September. If you don’t make those payments, you could face penalties.
Meet the Affordable Care Act requirements
The Affordable Care Act requires everyone to have health insurance. If you are purchasing your own health insurance plan from the marketplace and are receiving advance payments of premiums, you must keep the marketplace updated with life changes that would affect those payments.
If the marketplace decides you are receiving more assistance than needed, you will have to pay it back when you file your tax return.
At tax time, there’s no such thing as luck. Plan ahead, talk with your tax adviser, and prevent surprises on your next tax return.
Teach Your Children Financial Independence
Are your kids on the right track to financial independence?
For many of today’s young adults, the weakest link lies in learning the basics. According to a 2015 survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Junior Achievement USA , the number of teens who think their parents don’t spend enough time talking to them about managing money significantly rose (21 percent in 2014 to 32 percent in 2015). It’s more important than every to teach your children financial independence.
Achieving economic prosperity is difficult, and it’s especially hard for young people who’ve never learned how to manage money.
The Power Of Education
Your credit union is ideally positioned to respond because we believe in the power of education. Mid Oregon is here to help you launch the youth in your life toward financial independence, and here’s how:
Join. For starters, open a Mid Oregon savings account for each child in your family. As soon as your children can write, have them write their deposits and withdrawals in their savings book. Guide teenagers through using a debit card and tracking transactions.
Share. Include your children in household money discussions. Show them how you budget income and expenses. As their skills improve, give them challenges—such as finding a better cell phone plan, calculating the total monthly cost of owning a car, or sticking to a budget for back-to-school or holiday spending.
Coach. Remind your children to ask for help when they need it. And turn to your credit union when you want help. Our tradition of service and philosophy of self-help make Mid Oregon Credit Union and all credit unions a natural partner in pursuing financial security.
We’re here to help. For more information, contact us at (541) 382-1795 or visit one of our five (soon to be six!) Central Oregon branches.