Bank News & Financial Literacy

Don’t worry, the misleadingly negative title is only to catch your eye—I believe it’s known as “click bait” in modern digital terminology. Here comes the positivity…

It’s September, and another summer has flown by, to the dismay of kids everywhere. Grown-ups will miss summer too, but some of them view the start of the school year as the beginning of better living through AI—yes, that’s right—Adult Independence.

A new law enables financial institutions to offer a vulnerable adult the opportunity to submit and update a list of persons who are authorized to be contacted by the financial institution when it reasonably suspects the customer may be a victim of financial exploitation.

As many of you are aware, our New Richmond branch is undergoing a major remodel, the biggest since 1987. Our primary goal is to bring all of our New Richmond staff, along with everything we offer, into one space for the convenience of our customers. Along with that, it is crucial that we modernize to meet the needs of new generations. Underlying all of this is the commitment to remain an anchor resident of downtown New Richmond, which we believe is an important factor in the necessary revitalization of this wonderful city’s main street.

I’ve always maintained that we here in the Upper Midwest have a climate advantage over the rest of the country. Sure, winters (apart from this year) are usually too cold, sometimes too snowy, and always too long. Even so, most of us enjoy enough winter activities to make it quite tolerable. But there is a lesser-known advantage to living here, which I find to be very powerful.

We frequently hear others talk about places to go or things to do as being items on their “bucket list”. This means, of course, that they want to take the coveted trip or participate in the favored activity while they are still able to enjoy it. At or near the top of my list is travelling to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France.

I am programmed to perk up whenever I hear or see another bank or financial institution say or print “community” in their ads. In fact, I notice when any other type of business advertises using that word.

I often find myself thinking about all the many important things that absolutely must be done in our business every day, and it is mind-boggling. Like most organizations, we must address potential employee turnover and retirements in our budgeting and succession planning each year.

Not that long ago, you could go to the doctor, stay at a hotel, or buy something online, and that was the end of it. You may have experienced good care at the clinic, mediocre service at a hotel, or received your merchandise a little late.

Ringing in the New Year is always associated with new beginnings, fresh starts, and of course, New Year’s resolutions. The most popular resolutions by far are those that focus on self-improvement of some type.