Summer Responsibility: Kids and Chores

Posted on June 10, 2015 by vcnbfamily

Assign chores based on abilities. Making the bed is a great chore for any tween.

Assign chores based on ability. Making the bed is a great chore for any tween.

Summer is the perfect time to teach your kids responsibility by having them do chores. Along the way they will also pick up valuable life skills they can carry with them as they grow up. You may think your child is too young to do housework or that you would prefer them to “just be kids” instead of worrying about chores. All the same, you might be surprised at how much even your youngest child can do and what an impact a little responsibility can have on their life.

Before you start there are some things to think about. First of all, never treat chores like a punishment. You want your kids to take pride in even the smallest job they complete and to not view this work as a hardship to endure.

Here are some other tips to starting your child on the right foot when it comes to chores.

Assign based on abilities – Every member of the household has something to do. For your littlest kids, it may simply be putting away their own toys and putting dirty laundry in the hamper. A five year old might make their own bed, put away clean clothes and help you make their lunch. Older kids might help with laundry, do dishes, help cook or set the table.

Teach teamwork – Assign chores to everyone in the family and teach your kids how much easier it is to keep up with work around the house when everyone contributes. Also identify ways they might work together to finish a job even quicker. For example, one child might wash dishes while the other one dries and puts them away.

Try to make it fun – Let’s face it. Most of us spend a lot of time every day cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, maintaining vehicles and doing other types of household work. You will be doing your child a great service if you teach them to find ways to enjoy doing this kind of work. Make it a game, tell stories, listen to music, dance – do whatever you can to make the chore seem less like drudgery.

Create quality time – Refer to the point above. If your kids are young, they may need some adult supervision. But instead of making it feel like supervision, try to make it time well spent teaching your kids and having fun together. For example, a four year couldn’t do laundry by themselves. However, they do know their colors. Make a game out of sorting colors and whites together!

Relax your standards – Your daughter may not make her bed perfectly every time and your son may put away glasses with spots on them. That’s why you need to relax your standards a bit, accepting everything will not be done perfectly every time. Take the opportunity to teach them how to improve their skill and don’t get angry when it isn’t perfect.

Be specific – Break down a job into steps to make it easier for your child to understand and complete.

Create a routine – Kids respond well to a little structure in their day so create some kind of routine for them to follow. For example, they should make their bed when they get up or load the dishwasher right after dinner. Give them a daily chore and request that it be done at an assigned time every day.

Reward good performance – Tell your child when they do something good. Consider giving your kids an allowance for their work or create a chores chart that offers a reward for so many jobs well done. Children tend to respond well to praise and to rewards. They are just like the rest of us – they perform better when they feel appreciated. If they are earning money for their work, remember to teach them some good money habits along the way. Need inspiration? Read more on this topic here.

One more note, if your kids are cleaning, make sure they are not handling toxic cleaning products. Look for kid-friendly products that are safe for the skin and body.

Home Ownership Starts Here

Posted on June 8, 2015 by vcnbfamily

Home Ownership Starts Here.

That’s the message on our billboards and much of our advertising this summer. It’s also a sentiment close to the heart of who we are as a bank. We have teams of people working hard to make your home buying process a success because we know it is important to you. We do our best to help as you start down the road to home ownership and all along the way.

Did you know that we’ve been in business for 148 years? We know a thing or two about financing homes. In fact, we have several mortgage lenders at VCNB with 30 or more years of experience. One thing we’ve learned in the last century and a half is that buying a home can be a stressful process for the prospective home owner. That’s why our lenders work diligently to provide tailored solutions that fit your needs and your budget, to put your mind at ease.

A small amount of customers have a type of loan in mind when they initially meet with their mortgage lender. They know that they prefer a fixed rate, would like to finance through an FHA loan or would like to look into shorter terms. However, most customers have no idea about the type of loan they would need to finance their home. All they know is that they found a home that is perfect for them and they want to buy it. Either way, by choosing VCNB, you can be sure your lender will work hard to find you the best loan for your individual home purchase.

In short, we are your one stop shop for a custom home financing experience, unique to you. Contact one of our experienced lenders today to talk about starting your home ownership the right way, the VCNB way. Prequalify by clicking here.

VCNB Can Help You Sleep Easier

Posted on June 4, 2015 by vcnbfamily

Does your money ever keep you awake at night? Maybe you can’t remember if you paid a bill on time. Maybe you aren’t sure how much money you have in the bank or are worried you don’t have enough money for an emergency situation. There are lots of money related scenarios that can ruin a perfectly good night’s rest. Luckily VCNB offers a number of services that will help you rest easy, at least where your money is concerned.

24 Hour Access
Thanks to technology like our website and mobile banking app, your accounts are accessible 24 hours a day from anywhere that you can use your computer, tablet or smart phone. Want to know if your payroll was deposited? Need to pay a bill or transfer funds from your checking to your savings? These are things you can easily do using our technology.

Automation
Some of our customers say they are just too busy to keep their bills on track. They can afford to pay their bills, they just forget. Then they incur late fees and risk damage to their credit rating because of it. With Online Bill Pay, you can schedule your bills to pay one at a time, giving you complete control and knowledge of just what’s happening with your money. But if you’re one of those people who struggle in this area, you can also automate those bills to pay on time month after month. Just schedule it and rest assured the payment will occur when you want it to.

Alerts
Maybe you want to know what’s happening with your money but don’t have a smart phone or wish not to log in to your account regularly. You can have account alerts sent via text or email for up to nineteen different reasons. We can notify you when a loan payment is due, when a check clears or when your account dips below a certain balance. We can even notify you every time a debit card linked to your account is swiped at a cash register. You choose the notifications you want to receive and how you want to receive them. We do the rest!

Fraud Prevention
In this age where so many criminals are out to steal your money, it is difficult to know who you can trust. Identity theft is a major threat to consumers and even major retailers with respected names are at risk of a security breech. The fraud detection departments associated with our debit and credit cards are fantastic. They stay on top of national trends and potential threats to you, the individual customer. While we can’t guarantee you won’t be a victim of fraud, our card departments do everything they can to prevent it from happening to you when you use our cards. With our cards, we have 24-hour fraud monitoring so, while you sleep, someone is looking out for you.

Emergency Fund Services
One main cause of money worries is the fear of emergency. Whether it’s something major like job loss or something small like a new set of tires, any unexpected emergency can be a threat to your financial well-being. We can help you consider the options for an emergency fund. Some customers have a savings account where they regularly deposit money for such events. We can help you open a savings account and even help you set up automatic transfers into your savings from another account. Some of our customers opt to rely on a credit card in emergencies. We can help with that too.

Stop by your local branch and talk to one of our experienced accounts representatives about the money worries that keep you awake at night. We would love to help!

VCNB introduces new mobile app

Posted on June 2, 2015 by vcnbfamily

Move over TouchBanking – there’s a new app in town!

VCNB Mobile is now available to make your mobile banking experience better than ever! This free app allows you to bank on the go using your favorite mobile device. Most tablets and smart phones are supported including Apple, Android and Amazon.

The new app was introduced last week to replace TouchBanking. It is designed to be easier to find and use than our old app. We sincerely hope you like what you see!

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If you were a TouchBanking customer, you should have been prompted to update your app the first time you launched the app on or after May 28. For those of you new to mobile banking, you can download VCNB Mobile from your app store. Once the app is downloaded, you will be asked to enter your access ID which is the same as your Online Banking username. You will then be prompted to answer one of your previously set security questions before entering your password.

If you haven’t used our mobile banking service, you may be wondering why this is such big news.

Truth be told, we couldn’t be more excited. Mobile banking is one of the fastest growing segments in banking and our VCNB Mobile has capabilities that allow us to compete with the big banks while still providing you with the great customer service of a small town bank.

With mobile banking, you can check balances, transfer funds, pay bills and more! Plus, you can use the app and the camera on your smart phone to deposit checks into your account for just .50 cents per deposit.

Remember, with VCNB Mobile you can tend to your money and accounts from anywhere in the world that you can use your phone or tablet. From a deck chair at the beach, to your comfy chair at home, to the front row at the PTA meeting, VCNB Mobile is there for you.

Here are the instructions for getting started:

– Visit your phone or tablet’s app store and download VCNB Mobile

– Enter your Access ID (online banking username)

– Answer your previously set Online Banking security question

– Enter your Online Banking Password

Have questions or need assistance? Contact our Customer Service Department via phone at 1-800-542-5004 or by Online Chat from our website!

Teach Your Teens About Money

Posted on May 27, 2015 by vcnbfamily

Don’t know where to start when it comes to teaching your teens about money? We’ve broken it down into four basic categories to make it easier.

Handle a Paycheck
Life is expensive for a teenager. They want new clothes, money to socialize, gas in the tank and the latest and greatest gadget. Up until now, their expenses have been minimal and their weekly allowance has probably been enough to cover their wants.

If they’re old enough, this is an optimal time to enter the workforce. A part-time job will teach your teen responsibility and the value of a hard-earned dollar. It also provides opportunity to learn about taxes and budgeting.

Sit down with your teen when they earn that first paycheck and discuss the concept of taxes. Show them how taxes impact take home pay and teach them to examine each pay stub for accuracy. If they are 18, encourage them to open a checking account. Regardless of their age, a savings account will be an important tool as well.

If your teen is too young for a job outside the home, they may be able to make extra cash babysitting, raking leaves for neighbors or doing extra chores around your home.

Develop a Budget
Regardless of how little or how much money an individual makes, having a written budget goes a long way toward stabilizing finances, ensuring that savings goals are kept and bills are paid on time. The first step to developing a budget is to simply list all sources of regular income such as allowance or job earnings. Then have him or her list the expenses they typically pay. Demonstrate that their budget may be consistent or may fluctuate monthly. For example, they may have prom related expenses that only occur in the spring while their car insurance premium remains the same each month.

Talk to your teen about paying themselves first. By setting aside a percentage of their income each month when they’re young, it is easy to develop a savings habit that will last a lifetime. It’s also a good time to set aside funds for those large life expenses like a new car, college education or an emergency fund.

After setting aside some for savings and itemizing their bills, add up the expenses and compare that with the income. If they are spending more than they earn or are spending most of what they earn, talk to your teen about their spending decisions. Are there ways to cut costs or eliminate a frivolous expense?

Once their budget is set, encourage your teen to regularly review and stick with it.

Save for the Future
We touched on it above but the teenage years are a great time to start saving for large life expenses. You provide for their current needs meaning that their expenses should be pretty low. It won’t be long before they are on their own, responsible for their own food and shelter. Life will never again be as inexpensive as it is now and you should encourage your teen to take advantage of these circumstances.

If they don’t have a savings account, assist them in finding a bank and opening one. Then encourage them to tuck away as much money as they can.

Be Smart About Credit
A good credit score will open doors for your teen someday. A good credit score will enable your son or daughter to access better rates for home loans, car loans and even insurance. A good credit score may help them get a job or apartment. A bad score though could wind up costing them a lot of money as well as employment or that apartment in the neighborhood they love.

To help them start out on the right foot, consider helping your teen acquire a credit card with a low limit. Teach them to use the card responsibly, never buying today what they can’t pay for tomorrow. Teach them to pay the balance every month to avoid interest charges.

If you are terrified to hand your teen a credit card, consider starting with a prepaid spending card like the prepaid MasterCard® cards we offer at VCNB. It looks like a credit card but is pre-loaded with funds. It typically is accepted wherever Mastercard is accepted but there is no risk of them running up debt. Once the pre-loaded funds are gone, the card no longer works until you add more.

One More Thing
Keep in mind that your teen is approaching young adulthood. In fact, they sometimes seem very grown- up already. However, your teen is still a kid. Encourage dialog about financial decisions and the questions they have concerning money management. Money and credit will impact their quality of life for the rest of their life. Encourage them to start on the right foot today to secure a lot of bright tomorrows.

VCNB To Observe Memorial Day

Posted on May 22, 2015 by vcnbfamily

Please remember that all VCNB locations will be closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. We will resume regular hours on Tuesday morning. We are, however, always open online at www.vintoncountybank.com.

Old combat boots with American flag in the background. Vintage filter effect.

Statue of Liberty 1871-1886 New York, New York, USA

Veteran Salutes the US Flag

Protect Yourself From Online Account Takeover

Posted on May 14, 2015 by vcnbfamily

This article provided by Beavercreek Marketing, a division of Beavercreek Inc. Find more articles by Beavercreek in the Learning Center at our website.

Criminals have their eye on your financial accounts. They want access.
Call it a takeover attempt – a HOSTILE takeover.

Account takeovers happen when the wrong people dig up enough of the right private information about you to gain access to your checking or savings accounts. Then they strike – either moving big chunks of your money at once, or small amounts a bit at a time … hoping you don’t notice.

What’s happening is a form of identity theft … because the more that bad people know about you, the easier it is for them to access your money.

We’re used to sharing a lot of information about ourselves these days –experts say we share too much – and that makes us easier targets for takeovers.

Here are some things you can do to protect personal information to help battle takeover attempts:

Don’t fall for fake information requests. Financial institutions will never call, email or text you out of the blue asking for online banking information such as user names, passwords or pin numbers.

Use safe passwords – the kind that mix numbers and upper and lowercase letters – and don’t write them down in places people can easily find them. Experts recommend that you don’t use the same user name and password for everything – because if someone figures one out, they have access to other types of accounts you use. It’s a smart idea to have different passwords for different types of accounts.

Think twice about what you share on social media. Posting things like your telephone number, address, birth date and year can be used in the wrong ways to find out more about you. And don’t publicly share other information – such as your mother’s maiden name – that you might be using as answers to the ‘secret’ questions sites ask you for account verification. The less some people know about you, the better.

Be careful when banking or making purchases from public computers – and make sure you always sign out of any account you’re using.

You also need to stay alert … and check your financial statements regularly to make sure your money is safe.

Here are some things you can do to spot a possible takeover:

Watch for transactions you don’t expect – such as purchases or withdrawals you didn’t make. Contact your financial institution immediately if you spot this when checking either your online or paper statements. If you have online statements, it’s wise to check them frequently.

If a merchant says your debit card has been turned down, call the number on the back of the card to report the problem and explain what happened. This could be a sign that someone else has access to your account.

Check your credit report regularly to look for things like unexpected loans or missed payments. You can do this for free by going to annualcreditreport.com and reading about what you can do.

Think smart and stay alert … both are great defenses against account takeovers.

We Just Want To Say. . .

Posted on May 12, 2015 by vcnbfamily

Have a Great Day!

Earn Points With Your VCNB Visa® Platinum Card

Posted on May 5, 2015 by vcnbfamily

If you are a VCNB Visa® Platinum credit card customer, you are now earning UChoose Rewards Points. The UChoose Rewards program allows you to earn one reward point for every dollar spent in purchases on your Visa Platinum Credit Card.

Those points can be redeemed for tons of great merchant gift cards, movie tickets, merchandise, travel and other exciting products via the UChoose Rewards site. While you are automatically earning your one point per dollar, you must enroll at the UChoose website to view and redeem your points.

Also on this website you will find opportunities to earn extra points by spending money at your favorite merchants.

Some merchants offer you extra points for shopping in their stores or online. For example, through May 27, Kohls is offering three points per dollar if you spend at least $50 with them. CVS is offering two points per dollar when you spend $50. Payless is offering 15 points per dollar spent with no minimum purchase required. If you like Italian food, Bucca di Beppo is offering twenty points for every dollar spent in their restaurant with no minimum purchase required.

If you wish to take advantage of these extra point earning opportunities, merchants typically require a simple activation via the UChoose site.

These are just a few of the offers available at this time and they do change regularly. The best way to keep up is to periodically visit the UChoose site. You can check your points balance, find point earning opportunities at your favorite merchants and redeem those points from the website.

What’s Your Next Step?

Posted on May 1, 2015 by vcnbfamily

We have been busy talking about next steps here at VCNB. Everyone has a next step in life. Maybe it’s a huge step like getting married, starting a family or buying a home. Maybe it’s a small step like the bathroom remodel you have been planning for years. Perhaps it is a far off step like retiring or becoming an empty nester. As we look around the VCNB Financial Family we see people taking next steps every day: babies, promotions, military service, weddings, retirements, new homes, smaller homes, new hobbies, children going off to college, and adults going back to school. There have been some unhappy next steps along the way as we have said goodbye to parents, siblings and mentors as well. While we hope all your next steps are happy, the good and the bad are all a part of life. With this in mind, we want to be with you along the way for whatever your next step in life is, no matter where it takes you. Home loans, savings accounts, cutting edge services and good old fashioned customer caring are some of the things we do every day. Plus, for a while we are offering you a chance to earn money for becoming our customer. Now through June 30, you can get $100 for opening a new checking account with a debit card. You can also earn $50 for opening a new savings account. These accounts can be opened online or in any of our seventeen branches. We also want to help some neighbors in need as they take their next steps. That is why we will donate $10 for every qualifying checking or savings account opened during the promotional period. The money will be shared by two charities – Sojourners of Vinton County and Maywood Mission of Lancaster – to purchase shoes for people in need. We will donate up to $1,000 at the end of the promotional period.

Next Step Promo Terms and Conditions_Final

Click Image To Enlarge Terms and Conditions.

Click the terms and conditions at right to view a full screen description of complete details. Visit www.vintoncountybank.com for account information or to get started opening an account. You can also stop by any one of our seventeen branches to speak with an expert and open your new account today. Are you thinking about your next step? Comment below to tell us what it will be! We are excited to hear your stories!

VCNB Family

Our Family Serving Your Family Since 1867

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