How Credit Unions Can Leverage Existing Real Estate to Secure Immediate Capital
With the high rate of deposits across credit unions, leaders are deploying creative ways to generate funding and improve their capital ratios. In addition to alleviating balance sheet margin pressures and improving net worth, credit unions need accessible capital to pursue long-term strategic plans, such as acquiring another financial institution, undergoing a digital transformation, and […]
Year-End Tax Strategies for Credit Union Executives
As we approach year-end, there are several tax-optimization strategies credit union executives and recent retirees may leverage based on their current financial situation. Credit union leaders often have complex compensation and retirement benefit packages plus a unique tax delta that lend themselves to creative solutions that may help them save more money or manage their […]
Should You Park Your Money in CDs Right Now?
ACT Advisors founder Doug English, CFP®, MBA, was a recent podcast guest on the South Carolina Business Review with host Mike Switzer. The pair discussed why Doug thinks CDs are an attractive savings instrument, especially in today’s high interest-rate environment. Doug shares that CDs, in general, are an effective tool for investors who want predictable, […]
How Fintech Partnerships Can Help Create a Digital-First Credit Union
When you think of a digital-first organization, you may imagine the opposite of a personalized and thoughtful experience. However, “C.U. on the Show” guest When you think of a digital-first organization, you may imagine the opposite of a personalized and thoughtful experience. However, “C.U. on the Show” guest Thomas Novak shares that’s exactly what his […]
How Credit Unions Can Invest in Life Insurance for Executives and Minimize Risk
Credit unions commonly use life insurance-based executive benefits, such as collateral assignment split dollar plans to retain key talent. One of the original intentions has always been to leverage these benefits to incentivize an executive to stay in place in exchange for receiving life insurance coverage and tax-free income throughout retirement. However, what happens when […]
What Executives Can Learn from Credit Union Failures
When “C.U. on the Show” guest Maurice Smith was a kid, his father encouraged him to read the newspaper every day and pay particular attention to the stories centered on failures, such as a company going under or a leader making a fatal organizational mistake. Why? It created a roadmap of what not to do. […]
How Curql Brings Fintech Solutions to Credit Unions
A challenge for credit unions today is to keep pace with banks, which have seemingly unlimited budgets to fuel innovative efforts, to deliver comparable value, capture more market share, and provide enhanced member experiences. However, the investment fund Curql presents an opportunity for credit unions to not just survive but thrive by embracing collaborative efforts […]
How Credit Unions Can Create First-App Status Using Data, Generative AI
In recent years, credit unions have made significant strides in enhancing their digital banking platforms and addressing challenges posed by the pandemic, such as high deposit rates. However, today credit unions are facing a new focal point—data—which the 2023 Strategy Priorities Benchmark Survey conducted by Jack Henry & Associates® explores. In the report, respondents, including […]
How Credit Unions Can Use Data to Maximize Mission and Margin
From Amazon to Apple, the largest, most successful companies are using data to gain more significant consumer insights, produce better products and services, and capture more business. Financial institutions are no exception, with large banks currently having a competitive advantage over market and member data. However, podcast guest Sam Brownell, CUCollaborate CEO and founder, wants […]
The Unique Opportunity SECURE Act 2.0 Offers Credit Union Executives
Last year, we released our white paper, The 125% Credit Union Executive, with ground-breaking data describing how credit union leaders could unlock up to 25% more in assets from their executive benefits by applying optimized executive financial strategies. In late 2022, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act 2.0 was passed, including […]
