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Financial Self Defence: Beware of Job Scams

It’s an amazing employment opportunity–or is it? Scammers often hijack the job market to ensnare job seekers. Here’s what to know about these scams.

How the scams play out

There are several variations of job scams. Here are the most common:

  • Bogus job listing. There’s a Help Wanted ad for a dream job. The eager job-seeker applies, sharing their information,and even paying a small fee for an interview or resume submission. Unfortunately, the job doesn’t exist and they’ll never hear from the “employer” again.
  • Imposter hiring. An alleged rep from a well-known agency or hiring firm reaches out to a target, asking them to send funds to cover a job screening. While the job may exist, the “representative” is a scammer, and the money the victim shares will go directly into the scammer’s pocket.
  • Phishing emails. In this scam, a victim is targeted by email. It offers the victim a fantastic job, but asks that they first share confidential info. If the victim complies, they’ll be giving their personal information to a scammer.
 
How to spot a job scam

Learning to identify the signs of a job scam can help you avoid them. Here are some red flags to watch for when job-hunting:

  • The emails the “company” sends are highly unprofessional.
  • There’s no street address for the company.
  • You’re asked to pay an upfront fee before you’re even hired.
  • You’re asked to share personal information before an official contract is signed.
  • When “hired,” you’re underworked and overpaid.

Before applying to or accepting a job offer, do thorough research. Ask for references of past or current employees and check out the company website to see if it’s secure and has real information about the firm, including a street address. Check out the company’s social media accounts, too. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask the employer any questions you may have about the company or job.

Job-hunting can be stressful, but getting caught in a job scam can bring that stress to a whole new level. Stay alert and stay safe by following the tips outlined here.

12 Steps to Financial Freedom: Step 4: Have The Money Talk With Your Partner

12 Steps to Financial Wellness

12 Steps to Financial Freedom. -4 Have the Money Talk With Your Partner

Step 4: Have The Money Talk With Your Partner

Communicating openly about how you manage your money is a big part of having an honest and trusting relationship. Here, we’ve compiled six tips to help guide you in this super-important conversation.

  1. Plan in advance

Broach the topic with your partner a few days before you want to have the “Big Money Talk” and ask if you can have an open discussion about money sometime soon. This way, you’ll both be ready to focus on the conversation and won’t be caught off-guard.

  1. Start with a vision

Instead of starting the conversation by bringing up a time your partner overspent, talk about a vision you can both share. For example, you can rhapsodize about how wonderful it would be to take a luxury vacation to the Cayman Islands, or how you’d love to start saving for a home. This way, you’re putting a positive spin on your money talk, which will set the tone for the rest of the conversation.

  1. Listen carefully

Your partner will have their own ideas about money management, and you may be surprised at the insights they have to share into your own spending habits or expensive vices.

  1. Talk openly about sharing expenses and savings

At a certain point in your relationship, you may decide to share expenses and pool your savings. If you plan to bring up the topic now, be sure to talk openly about the way you feel to better avoid future resentment. For example, if you earn more than your partner, should you be splitting expenses evenly? Can one partner take additional financial responsibilities in lieu of contributing an equal amount of income to the pot? All of these questions, and more, are important to discuss upfront.

At this time, consider linking one of your accounts or opening a shared account at AGCU

  1. Consider having a slush fund

Sometimes, you just want to splurge without having to explain the purchase. You may also want to spend money on a surprise gift for your partner without them knowing you’ve just dropped a large sum of money on something. Having a slush fund, or money set aside for your “just for fun” spending, can help you maintain a sense of independence and keep some of your purchases private. You can keep this fund in a separate checking account under your name at AGCU

  1. Set up a weekly or bi-weekly time to talk money

It’s a good idea to touch base about finances once a week, or once every two weeks. You can talk about recent purchases, big expenses that are coming up soon, surprise bills, and more.

Be sure to stick to your commitments and to bring up any money issues that may arise during your regular money talks for continued harmonious collaboration about all financial matters.

 

Read Step 1: How to Track Your Spending

Read Step 2: Creating a Budget

Read Step 3: Pay Down Debt

Read Step 4: Have the Money Talk With Your Partner

Read Step 5: Practice Mindful Spending

Read Step 6: Pay It Forward

Read Step 7: How to Pay Yourself First

Read Step 8: Know When and How to Indulge

Read Step 9: Build and Maintain an Excellent Credit Score

Read Step 10: Plan for Retirement

Read Step 11: Start Investing

Read Step 12: Review and Tweak

 

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Much more than a catchphrase, our tagline is our passion, our reason why we do what we do. This is the impact of your membership with AGCU.
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Springfield FCA Golf Classic

FCA Hole in one sponsor

AGCU is honored to once again support the Greater Springfield Fellowship of Christian Athletes Golf Classic.

Join us Monday, May 16 at Highland Springs Country Club as we partner with FCA while enjoying a fun but competitive day of golf. AGCU will be the Hole-In-one Sponsor during the event.
The proceeds from the Golf Classic go towards providing bibles and ministry materials for the next school year.

Click here to learn more or register your team!

The FCA Golf Classic

The FCA Golf Classic is one of their largest Springfield Area-specific fundraising events. Please be in prayer that the Lord uses this event to grow our FCA Community and provide those participating with opportunities to hear how the FCA ministry works with students and coaches in our schools and spark in them a fire to be a part of it.

 

Thank you Sponsors. FCA Raised $10,000

 

FCA Mission:

To lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church.

Banking With A Purpose

Much more than a catchphrase, our tagline is our passion, our reason why we do what we do. This is the impact of your membership with AGCU. Learn More About Banking with a Purpose

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Last-Minute Tax Tips

Last-Minute Tax Tips to Know Before You File

It’s time to file your tax return! Before you do, though, read through our list of last-minute tax tips.

Consider filing Taxes electronically

The IRS e-file is available to all taxpayers, and many people can file electronically at no cost.

-Get started here.

Re-check your Social Security numbers

Make sure every Social Security number on your return, including your own, your partner’s and each of your dependent’s, is correctly listed. Check that the SSNs related to claims for Child and Dependent Care Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit are accurate as well.

Don’t forget any deductions

Here are some of the deductions people often forget to take:

  • The home office deduction.
  • Out-of-pocket charitable contributions, such as the cost of meal prep for the help you do at a soup kitchen or gas used while driving to a charity drop off.
  • Student loan interest you’ve paid, or that someone has paid on your behalf.

Claim the full Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit

The American Rescue Plan increases the Child and Dependent Care Credit and makes it fully refundable. The changes to the Child and Dependent Care Credit that apply only for tax year 2021 include:

  • The highest credit percentage increased to 50% of qualifying expenses.
  • Qualifying child and dependent care expenses increased from $3,000 to $8,000 for one qualifying dependent, and from $6,000 to $16,000 for two or more qualifying individuals.
  • The adjusted gross income (AGI) level at which the credit percentage starts being reduced increased to $125,000.

Double-check your figures

If you are filing a paper return, double-check that you have correctly calculated the refund or balance due.

Get your return in on time

If you won’t be ready to file your return by April 18, you’ll need to request an extension. It’s important to note, though, that an extension to file does not include an extension for payment.

Sign your form

Don’t forget to sign and date your form, and to also have your partner sign if you’re filing jointly. If you’ve hired someone to prepare your return, have the preparer sign the form and enter their Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).

It’s tax time! Use the tips outlined here to maximize your refund and ensure there are no mistakes on your tax return.

Banking With A Purpose

Much more than a catchphrase, our tagline is our passion, our reason why we do what we do. This is the impact of your membership with AGCU. Learn More About Banking with a Purpose

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How long does editing take?

Accurate estimation is an important factor in running a successful business (or department). Whether you are paid by the hour or by the project, you need to have a reasonably good idea of how long you (or someone else) will take to edit a document. Even if money isn’t a problem, time may well be. The time that editing takes is related to another question: how many writers can an editor support?

Editors know (though their clients and managers may not) that “how long” depends very much on what level of editing is required. A detailed, heavy edit requiring major rewriting is obviously going to take a lot longer than a light copy-edit. So the first thing you need to do is clarify exactly what the client wants. (Be prepared to negotiate the “want list” when, as almost always happens, the client decides your initial estimate is too long and too expensive.)

Here are some of my editing estimates, based on my personal experience. They are within the range suggested by writers such as Carolyn Rude (Technical Editing, second edition, 1998), JoAnn Hackos (Managing Your Documentation Projects, 1994), and others.

Some assumptions in the estimates:

  1. A “standard page” contains 500 words. If a document contains a lot of illustrations, it has fewer words per page, but I still have to give the illustrations some attention, so I try to take that into account when people give me page counts. For example, if someone tells me the document has 350 pages, most of which contain one screen shot, I may decide that 1 document page equals 2/3 of a “standard” page and adjust my estimate accordingly. If the paper size is unusually small or large, a document page may be more or less than a standard page.
  2. I am typing my comments and changes into the file, not writing on paper. (I usually work faster that way, though not everyone does.)
  3. I am marking every occurrence of a change, not instructing the writer to “find and change all instances of (whatever).”

Full substantive (heavy) edit, possibly including some rewriting: 1-2 pages per hour

Medium edit: 4-6 pages per hour

Light edit (skim document, correcting obvious errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, consistency and completeness): 8-10 pages per hour

Final or production edit: 20 pages or more per hour (varies widely depending on what’s involved)

For online help, if link-checking, index editing, and “is it helpful” analysis is involved, I would use the lower range of the estimating metrics. Help can be very fiddly and time- consuming to check, as you need to use a compiled file (if at all possible) but enter your edits into an uncompiled file.

(Remember to convert the number of help topics to page- equivalents. A commonly-used conversion factor is 1 help topic equals 0.5 page; field-level help, pop-up glossary terms, and other short help topics are each equivalent to 0.25 page.)

For Web pages and Web sites, I use the same metrics as for online help.

What is your experience?

I am very interested to hear about others’ experiences: do my numbers seem too high or too low for your situation? What’s different about the materials you work with, or the conditions you work under?

Last-Minute Tax Tips to Know Before You File

Last Minute Tax Tips

Last-Minute Tax Tips to Know Before You File

It’s time to file your tax return! Before you do, though, read through our list of last-minute tax tips.

Consider filing Taxes electronically

The IRS e-file is available to all taxpayers, and many people can file electronically at no cost.

-Get started here.

Re-check your Social Security numbers

Make sure every Social Security number on your return, including your own, your partner’s and each of your dependent’s, is correctly listed. Check that the SSNs related to claims for Child and Dependent Care Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit are accurate as well.

Don’t forget any deductions

Here are some of the deductions people often forget to take:

  • The home office deduction.
  • Out-of-pocket charitable contributions, such as the cost of meal prep for the help you do at a soup kitchen or gas used while driving to a charity drop off.
  • Student loan interest you’ve paid, or that someone has paid on your behalf.

Claim the full Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit

The American Rescue Plan increases the Child and Dependent Care Credit and makes it fully refundable. The changes to the Child and Dependent Care Credit that apply only for tax year 2021 include:

  • The highest credit percentage increased to 50% of qualifying expenses.
  • Qualifying child and dependent care expenses increased from $3,000 to $8,000 for one qualifying dependent, and from $6,000 to $16,000 for two or more qualifying individuals.
  • The adjusted gross income (AGI) level at which the credit percentage starts being reduced increased to $125,000.

Double-check your figures

If you are filing a paper return, double-check that you have correctly calculated the refund or balance due.

Get your return in on time

If you won’t be ready to file your return by April 18, you’ll need to request an extension. It’s important to note, though, that an extension to file does not include an extension for payment.

Sign your form

Don’t forget to sign and date your form, and to also have your partner sign if you’re filing jointly. If you’ve hired someone to prepare your return, have the preparer sign the form and enter their Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).

It’s tax time! Use the tips outlined here to maximize your refund and ensure there are no mistakes on your tax return.

Banking With A Purpose

Much more than a catchphrase, our tagline is our passion, our reason why we do what we do. This is the impact of your membership with AGCU. Learn More About Banking with a Purpose

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12 Steps to Financial Wellness-Step 3: Pay Down Debt

12 Steps to Financial Wellness

12 Steps to Financial Freedom. -3 Pay Down Debt

Step 3: Pay Down Debt

You’ve tracked your spending, designed a budget for your monthly expenses, and you’re on a good path to financial wellness. In this next step, you’ll create a plan for paying down debt.

Consumer debt can be one of the biggest challenges to financial wellness. With some intentional action and commitment, reaching true financial wellness is possible.

Here’s how to pay down or off your debt in five simple steps.

  1. Organize your debt

List every credit card you own along with an outstanding balance. Jot down the amount owed to each card issuer. Next, list the interest rate of each card. Repeat these steps for other loans you may have as well.

  1. Choose your debt-crushing method

There are two approaches generally advised to folks who are seeking to get rid of their debt:

  • The snowball method involves paying off your smallest debt first, and then moving to the next-smallest until all debts have been fully paid.

  • The avalanche method involves getting rid of the debt that has the highest interest rate first before moving on to the debt with the next-highest rate until all debts are paid.

Choose the method that makes the most sense for your personal and financial circumstances.

  1. Maximize your payments

Once you’ve chosen your debt-crushing method, find ways to maximize your monthly payments. You can do this by trimming your spending in one budget category and channeling that money toward your debt. You can also find ways to get some extra cash for your payments, such as freelancing for hire.

  1. Consider a debt consolidation loan

When you consolidate debts to one low-interest loan, it’s a lot easier to manage the monthly payments. Plus, the savings in interest you won’t pay can be significant, especially if the new loan has a low-interest rate. If this approach sounds right for you, consider taking out a personal loan.

  1. Negotiate with your creditors

Many credit card companies will be willing to lower your interest rate once you prove you are serious about paying down debt. After kicking off your debt payment plan, it’s worthwhile to contact each credit card company to discuss options.

No matter which strategy you go with or the methods you use for paying off your debt, commit to not adding more debt onto your card while paying it down. Paying off a large amount of debt will take time and willpower, but living debt-free is key to financial wellness. Best of luck on your debt-crushing journey!

 

Read Step 1: How to Track Your Spending

Read Step 2: Creating a Budget

Read Step 3: Pay Down Debt

Read Step 4: Have the Money Talk With Your Partner

Read Step 5: Practice Mindful Spending

Read Step 6: Pay It Forward

Read Step 7: How to Pay Yourself First

Read Step 8: Know When and How to Indulge

Read Step 9: Build and Maintain an Excellent Credit Score

Read Step 10: Plan for Retirement

Read Step 11: Start Investing

Read Step 12: Review and Tweak

 

 

Banking With A Purpose

Much more than a catchphrase, our tagline is our passion, our reason why we do what we do. This is the impact of your membership with AGCU.
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Now is the Time to Refinance

Now Is The Time To Refinance

Cash Out Refi

HOW CAN EXTRA CASH HELP?
YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE MATTERS Decrease the burden of medical debt. 1 PAY MEDICAL EXPENSES HOME IMPROVEMENT Increasing the quality of your life and home. GROW YOUR SAVINGS AND RETIREMENT SCHOOL TUITION Use equity to help start your retirement. Pay off school debt, or this year’s tuition.HIGH-INTEREST LOANS CONSOLIDATE DEBT Your debt will be easier manage under one low interest rate
MORE WAYS TO REFINANCE
RATE-TERM REFI Shorter term — Go from a 30-year loan into 15-year loan: Longer term — Go from a 15-year loan to a 30-year loan: Pay less interest over time, save thousands. Refinance to save money by changing your loan’s terms. Monthly mortgage payment can drop by hundreds. Eliminate private mortgage insurance (PMI) if you have 20% equity. Roll a piggyback loan into your first loan (they often have higher rates). Switch from an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) to a fixed-rate loan orvice-versa: ARMs are suitable for people who plan to only stay in their homes a few years, need liquid cash each month, or who expect a boost to their income in the near future.
Bonus BORROWERS WITH FHA, VA, AND USDA LOANS MAY BE ELIGABLE FOR A STREAMLINED REFINANCE.² Less paper work No income verification Appraisal may be waived No debt-to-income (DTI) evaluation

Visit our Home Loan Center to get started!

AGCU is committed to helping find the right home loan option for you. We offer a variety of products to meet your requirements. Whatever your lending needs are, AGCU is here to help you navigate the process.

Have a question or want to get started with an application? Connect with an AGCU Video Banking Representative or apply online today!

Start a Call Video Banking
Speak face-to-face with an AGCU Video Banking Representative from anywhere.
Give it a try today! Video Banking Hours (CST): Mon – Fri: 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

Contact a Mortgage Officer

Apply now, or contact our mortgage professionals at 866-508-2428, email us for more information, or complete the form below and we will contact you.

1 CoreLogic, Homeowner Equity Insights report, data through Q3 2021.

2 The Mortgage Reports, “The Streamline Refinance: Get Today’s Low Rates With Almost No Paperwork,” February 28, 2020.

12 Steps to Financial Wellness-Step 2: Creating a Budget

12 Steps to Financial Wellness

12 steps to financial freedom.- Step 2 Creating a Budget

Step 2: Creating A Budget

Budgets play a crucial role in promoting financial awareness, which leads to more responsible money choices.

Let’s take a look at how to create a budget and review some popular budgeting systems, as well as how they work.

Create a budget in 5 easy steps

  • Track your spending and income. This includes all your financial documents, like your account statements, bills and pay stubs. [If you’ve followed Step 1, you’ve already completed this step–nice work!]
  • Tally up your totals. Calculate the totals of your monthly expenses and all streams of income.
  • List your needs. Your needs include anything that is essential for living and basic functions, such as mortgage payments. As you list each need, write down its corresponding cost. Sum the total of all your needs when you’ve finished.
  • List your wants. This includes anything that is not essential for living, like entertainment costs. Here, too, note the monthly cost of each item on your list and add up the total when you’re done.
  • Assign dollar amounts to your expenses. Open a new spreadsheet and copy your list of expenses. Assign an appropriate dollar amount for each of these costs.
  • Review and tweak as necessary. You will likely need to adjust the amounts in each expense category at least once a year to keep your budget relevant.

Budgeting systems

While every kind of budget involves tracking expenses and committing to a maximum spending amount each month, there is a wide range of budgeting systems to fit every kind of personality and money management style.

  • The traditional budget.  doesn’t involve much more work than the steps described above. After working out a number for every expense category, you’ll simply need to track your spending throughout the month to ensure you’re sticking to the plan. You can use a spreadsheet for this purpose, or utilize one of the budgeting features in our Online Banking. AGCU has helpful budgeting tools with online banking. just log on to your account through our web portal and click on the “My Finance” tab. If your life happens on your phone, you use budgeting apps like YNAB or Mint to help you track your spending. Both apps allow you to allocate a specific amount of money for each spending category for each month and will enable you to track your spending with just a few clicks. It’s important to note that YNAB is not a free app, but that it may be worth the price for users who want to take on a more active role in their money management.
  • The money-envelope system. works similarly. However, instead of simply committing to sticking to your spending amounts for each expense category, you’ll withdraw the amount you plan to spend on all non-fixed expenses in cash at the start of the month. Divide the cash into separate envelopes, using one for each of these expenses. Then, withdraw cash from the appropriate envelope when making a purchase in that category. There’s no way to blow your budget with this system; when the money in the “Dining out” envelope runs dry, that’s all for this month!
  • The 50/30/20 budget. is simpler, but requires more discipline. Set aside 50 percent of your budget for your needs, 30 percent for wants and the remaining 20 percent for savings. Of course, you’ll need to make sure your income and expenses will work with this kind of budget. Does 50 percent of your income cover your needs? If yes, this budget allows for more individual choices each month and less accounting and tracking of expenses.
  • A well-designed budget can provide its creator with a sense of financial security and freedom. When you stick to a budget, you’ll always know you have enough to get through the month and save for the future. Start budgeting today!

 

Read Step 1: How to Track Your Spending

Read Step 2: Creating a Budget

Read Step 3: Pay Down Debt

Read Step 4: Have the Money Talk With Your Partner

Read Step 5: Practice Mindful Spending

Read Step 6: Pay It Forward

Read Step 7: How to Pay Yourself First

Read Step 8: Know When and How to Indulge

Read Step 9: Build and Maintain an Excellent Credit Score

Read Step 10: Plan for Retirement

Read Step 11: Start Investing

Read Step 12: Review and Tweak

 

 

Banking With A Purpose

Much more than a catchphrase, our tagline is our passion, our reason why we do what we do. This is the impact of your membership with AGCU.
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Don’t Get Caught in a Romance Scam

Don’t Get Caught in a Romance Scam

Love is in the air, and that means scammers are out in full force trying to con love-seekers into giving up their hearts — and their money — for a love interest who doesn’t actually exist. Romance scams have been around for a while, and they’re unfortunately on the rise: a record  $304 million in losses related to romance scams was reported to the FTC in 2020, up by nearly 50% from 2019.

Here’s all you need to know about romance scams and how to protect yourself from getting your heart and wallet crushed by one of these schemes.

How the scams play out

Romance Scams

In a romance scam, a scammer will create a bogus profile on a dating site or app, or reach out to their target on popular social media platforms. They’ll strike up a remote relationship with the target and work to gain their trust. The scammer will claim they can’t meet their new “dating partner” in person, citing any number of reasons from serving in the military, to working on an oil rig, to being stuck overseas and unable to travel.

After several weeks have passed, the scammer will invent a story aimed at persuading the target to loan them a significant amount of money. After several weeks have passed, the scammer will invent a story aimed at persuading the target to loan them a significant amount of money for any of these alleged costs, or a similar phony expense:

  • A plane ticket or other travel expenses
  • Emergency surgery or other medical expenses
  • Customs fees to retrieve a lost item
  • Gambling debts
  • A visa or other official travel documents
  • Bail for an arrest

Unfortunately, at this point in the relationship, the target may be in too deep to recognize a scam and will often part with their money. The scammer, of course, will ask for the funds to be given via prepaid gift card or wire transfer, making it nearly impossible to reverse the payment or trace its destination. Once the payment has been made, the scammer may disappear from the target’s life. They may try their luck again by asking for more money a few weeks down the line, repeating the scam until the victim finally grows suspicious.

Red flags

Protect yourself from falling victim to a romance scam by looking out for these red flags when searching for a dating partner online:

  • The dating profile is too perfect to be true
  • When asked about an in-person meeting, the “date” is evasive
  • The love interest seems super-eager to build a relationship

How to avoid romance scams

In addition to looking out for red flags when browsing online dating apps and websites, there are several steps you can take to keep yourself safe.

First, if a dating profile seems suspicious, do a reverse image search on the photo. If the photo turns up in another profile under a different name, or is revealed to be a stock image, you’re likely looking at the dating profile of a scammer.

Next, you can look up the name on the profile with words that are relevant to their alleged background, like “US Army scammer” or “heart surgery scammer”. If the scammer has pulled off this scheme in the past, a search should bring up enough breadcrumbs to confirm your suspicions.

Finally, never send a prepaid gift card or wire money to a contact you haven’t met. If asked to send funds to a love interest you’ve never seen in person, you’re probably being scammed.

If you’ve been scammed

If you’ve fallen for a romance scam and sent the scammer a prepaid gift card, immediately contact the company that issued the card and let them know about the scam. Some card issuers can refund the money spent on a fraudulent charge. It’s also important to notify the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Finally, alert the customer service of the website or app where you met the phony single so they can take appropriate action.

A new love interest is always exciting, but don’t let your feelings cloud your judgment. Stay alert when seeking a new dating partner through an online forum and stay safe!

 

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Much more than a catchphrase, our tagline is our passion, our reason why we do what we do. This is the impact of your membership with AGCU. Learn More About Banking with a Purpose

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