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.
Mid Oregon Celebrates Milestone
35,000 Member Milestone!
Mid Oregon Credit Union, the only financial institution headquartered in Central Oregon, recently crossed the 35,000-member mark. As we move into the new year, Mid Oregon celebrates milestone of membership growth.
We have experienced record membership growth during the past several years as part of an emphasis on increasing access to a wide variety of affordable, high quality financial services to individuals, families and businesses in Central Oregon. Including those accounts which represent more than one person, such as minor accounts and those with two spouses as joint owners, more than 50,000 Central Oregonians would have accounts with Mid Oregon.
More Than Just An Expanding Population Base
“We understand that our growth is due partly to the expanding population in this region, but we’re also doing more than ever to meet the needs of existing residents who prefer a local option to manage their financial business,” says CEO Bill Anderson. “Since we’re focused on serving Central Oregon, our members know they can count on us, and our efforts to give back by investing in the local communities.”
Mid Oregon reached its 25,000-member mark in 2015, and welcomed its 30,000th member in May of 2018. The rate of member growth has far outpaced the national averages for high-performing credit unions of similar size. “Consumers want a combination of easy, global access and personal hometown service when it comes to their financial lives,” says VP Marketing Kyle Frick. “We continue to exceed that expectation through continual improvements in online digital services, data security enhancements, and convenient branch locations.”
Services Fitting the Needs of Central Oregonians
In addition to serving members with our core services of auto and credit card loans, checking accounts, and deposit options, Mid Oregon has recently expanded our capabilities to provide real estate lending (including investment properties), as well as commercial loans and accounts for businesses.
Learn more about our Real Estate lending, including mortgages and home equity loans
Learn more about our Commercial Services, including services for smaller, single-owner organizations and larger commercial businesses.
High Desert Museum 2020 Free Days!
Free Family Saturdays in January and February
Mid Oregon Credit Union welcomes the community to enjoy free admission to the High Desert Museum on January 25 and February 29, 2020. The credit union’s annual “Free Family Saturday” event gives local residents the opportunity to explore art, wildlife and living history right in Central Oregon’s backyard. Located five minutes south from Bend on Highway 97, the High Desert Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Rimrock Café open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Silver Sage Trading open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
See the January 25 Free Day Event on Facebook– Register your interest in going!
See the February Free Day Event on Facebook– Register your interest in going!
High Desert Museum Exhibits
“Mid Oregon Credit Union’s generous support of two Free Family Saturdays each year welcomes all members of the community to experience the Museum,” says High Desert Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. “The well-known Spirit of the West and By Hand Through Memory exhibitions are available to explore, as well as a few limited-engagement exhibitions, such as Fueling the Future/Energizando el Futuro and Nature’s Resilience. In addition, a new exhibition, Infinite Moment: Burning Man on the Horizon, will be featured during the February 29 Free Saturday.”
Visitors can also learn about the role river otters play in the ecosystems of the High Desert in the Otter Encounter, an expert-led talk at the Autzen Otter Exhibit that will take place on the hour from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Entire Central Oregon Community Welcome
“Free Family Saturdays is one of our signature community events every year,” says Kyle Frick, Mid Oregon Credit Union’s VP of Marketing. “Our team is always eager to open the doors and welcome the entire 
The Museum offers a 10 percent discount on all memberships purchased on Free Family Saturdays at the Museum, giving families the opportunity to save on future visits. For more information about exhibits, wildlife encounters, living history, and events, visit the Museum’s website at www.highdesertmuseum.org.
About the High Desert Museum
The High Desert Museum opened in 1982 and brings regional wildlife, culture, art and natural resources together to promote an understanding of the natural and cultural heritage of North America’s High Desert country. The Museum uses indoor and outdoor exhibits, wildlife in natural habitats, and living history demonstrations to help people discover and appreciate the High Desert. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate and is the winner of the 2019 Western Museums Association’s Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence. Visit www.highdesertmuseum.org
Bad Money Habits and How to Fix Them
Learning how to use money wisely is an essential skill that isn’t always taught to us as children. Some of us pick up bad money habits on our journey to adulthood. Often, we’re just not being mindful of where our money goes. It’s important to know your bad money habits, and how to fix them.
Five Bad Money Habits
See if you have any of the following bad money habits. Then read on to learn how to break them and replace them with good habits.
1. Use credit cards to pay for a lifestyle beyond your means – It’s easy to spend wildly with a card; you don’t see the money slip away until you get the monthly bill. If you can’t pay off your credit card balance each month, then at least pay more than the minimum payment. Remember that even if you don’t use the card, the interest charges will compound, increasing your total debt. To break a credit card habit, try using cash or your debit card instead for a few weeks and look at your checking account balance every day. You’ll quickly learn to stop and think twice before making a purchase.
2. Living paycheck to paycheck – If you’re spending as much as you earn, you’ll always be short of funds by the end of the month for your rent and bills, and you’ll never be able to save. So, first, get a clear picture of your essential expenses: your rent, utilities, gas, insurance, groceries. Add them up, then deduct that total from your monthly take-home pay. Ideally, essential expenses should take up only 50% of your income. If it’s more, then you’ll need to either find ways to reduce those expenses or get another job Of the remaining 50% of your monthly income, use at least 20% to pay down debt and add to savings and use the last 30% for everything else you want.
Emergency Funds Are Crucial
3. Not saving for an emergency fund or retirement – Life is unpredictable; you can’t always tell when your job may be downsized or your car needs a major repair. That’s why it’s important to build an emergency saving account that has enough to cover at least 3 months of expenses. Relying on a credit card will only send you further into debt. It’s also important to begin saving for retirement. The younger you are when you start, the more you’ll earn through the magic of compounding interest.
4. Keeping subscriptions you don’t use – If you have an automatic recurring expense, like a gym membership or a streaming service, but you aren’t using them consistently, then why are you paying for them? Review all subscriptions and if you haven’t used them on a regular basis for 3 months, cancel them. Put the money you save into your savings.
Uncontrollable Spending?
5. Not tracking spending. Just try it one month to get a clear idea of where you are spending your money. Keep a receipt for every purchase, categorize them in a budgeting app or spreadsheet, and add them up. You may discover that buying lunch everyday instead of making your own is costing you about $200 every month, money that could be used to pay down a student loan or credit card bill.
Like any bad habit, it will take some work to change bad money habits to good ones. Just know that the peace of mind a healthy financial status brings is priceless.