Great Erie eNews
SEPTEMBER 2021
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Welcome to Great Erie News, the monthly e-Newsletter from
Great Erie Federal Credit Union.
From your finances and family to lifestyle and useful tips, your financial co-op is here for you.
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Great Erie's 2021 Annual Meeting |
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This is a great opportunity for members to clean out old files and have sensitive documents securely destroyed for FREE. Documents will be securely destroyed by Lincoln Archives, Inc.
Please bring a non-perishable food donation with your shred material as Great Erie has partnered with FISH of East Aurora. Limit (3) boxes/bags per member.
Saturday, September 11, 9:30am-12:30pm
GEFCU Parking Lot
4000 N. Buffalo Rd., Orchard Park
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Financial Literacy with Great Erie & Banzai! |
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Welcome to Banzai, an interactive, award-winning program that has taught millions of people real-world finance. Great Erie has partnered with Banzai to provide these resources to help our members build their financial wellness, get out of debt, grow their savings, and more.
With the Wellness Center, our members have access to resources covering all sorts of topics including insurance, housing, taxes, borrowing and credit, and saving.
All of these resources are available on any device at greaterie.teachbanzai.com.
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Articles Straightforward, easy-to-digest articles cover the most important topics to your financial health.
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Coaches The Coach is designed to act as a virtual financial expert guiding you through your unique financial situation.
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Calculators Powerful calculators provide personalized and clear numeric and visual answers.
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Courses Play through games that make finances fun for students of every age.
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Personalize your card security with transaction controls such as device location, merchant category, transaction types, and spending limits.
The Card Sense App is a free app available for download to your mobile phone. Turn your cards on or off, create transaction controls and alerts for any card issued by Great Erie FCU.
Card Sense is our member’s best tool for preventing fraud and tracking card use in real-time.
Mobile Alerts I Track Card Use I Set Limits
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July 2021 Lucky Savers Account Winner! |
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Our Lucky Savers account is a prize-linked savings account at Great Erie.
The Credit Union has monthly prize drawings of:
1st Prize - $100
2nd Prize - $50
3rd Prize - $25
In addition to Great Erie's monthly drawings, the State (NYS) prize pool awards monthly drawing winners and quarterly prizes of $500-$5,000! Every $25 deposited into your account, up to $250 per month, is another chance to win. You may make deposits of any amount into the account each month, but prize entries are limited to 10 per month.
Please chat with our Member Service Department about opening up a Lucky Savers account at Great Erie. It Pays to Save!
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Member Donations to Support Alzheimer's Association |
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For the month of September, our members can make a donation (minimum $1) to support the Alzheimer's Association of WNY.
Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases. Alzheimer's worsens over time. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.
Currently, nearly 400,000 New Yorkers are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and more than 1 million family and friends are providing care.
The Alzheimer Association, WNY Chapter serves Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties with education programs, support services, and other resources for care partners and those living with dementia.
The WNY Chapter office is located at 6215 Sheridan Drive, Suite 100, Amherst, 716.626.0600 extension 313. Should you have questions about dementia or caregiving outside of traditional business hours, their Helpline is staffed 24/7 at 1.800.272.3900.
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DrivingSense Auto Financing |
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Great Erie offers access to a loan program that combines the benefits of vehicle ownership and leasing. Benefit from lower monthly payments while enjoying the flexibility that comes with owning your own car, truck, or SUV. Want to find out how low your DrivingSense payment could be? |
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Build your car/vehicle from the comfort of your own home. For more information about DrivingSense, call 716.662.1311, Option #5, or visit Great Erie today! |
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A few things to know about getting pre-approved for a mortgage
Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is an important final step when house hunting. This shows the sellers that you’re a serious and capable buyer. Here are three other things to know about pre-approved mortgages.
They’re No Guarantee
Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is not the same thing as getting a mortgage. A pre-approval means that the bank or credit union has checked your credit and every aspect of your finances and you’re seemingly capable of taking on the loan. If something major changes between the time you get a pre-approval and the time you actually apply for the mortgage, you might get denied. If nothing changes, you’re pretty much going to be approved. This is why you might want to make getting pre-approved one of the last steps you take before you begin house hunting.
It Makes Life Easier
When you get pre-approved for a mortgage, you’ll get an idea about how much home you can afford. This makes your house search a lot easier. You can weed out homes that are out of your price range. Just remember: Just because you got approved for a specific amount doesn’t mean you have to get a house at the top of the price range.
It Could Seal the Deal
As USA Today notes, there aren’t a lot of houses on the market right now. If you are pre-approved for a mortgage, it could give you the edge when it comes to securing a home. As we said, pre-approval shows a buyer that your finances have already been vetted and you’re as close as possible to locking down a mortgage. If it’s between you — with your pre-approval — and another potential buyer without a pre-approval, chances are the buyer will take your offer. As vehicle prices rise, do these things to avoid paying too much for a new car.
Chris O'Shea/SavvyMoney
2021
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"Really wonderful service, lots of great opportunities for saving money by using a credit union."
~Kathy K.
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Other Info In This Edition:
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Your Financial Co-op!
People Helping People
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