GMFCU’s History
December 3, 2008 by MarloFunding an EMERGENCY!
December 1, 2008 by TrentHello to all,
This is my first posting on the GMFCU blog! I am very excited to be a part of such a great and helpful blog!
I had planned to post much sooner than now but life got in the way as it sometimes does. Which brings me to the topic of my first post, dealing with emergencies. In my family I have been very fortunate as I have never had to experience much adversity when it comes to the health of my loved ones. Recent events have taught me many things, one being to always stay close to your loved ones, you never know when something bad could happen and the last thing you want is to have to have the first time you see someone you love in months to be in the hospital.
Secondly I learned that you must ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS plan for the unexpected. I know this is cliche and people say such things all the time but I can tell you from first hand experience that had I not had an emergency fund set aside for the expenses I incurred in the last two months, well, I would be in big trouble. Which leads me to my next point what is an emergency fund? Why do I need one? How do I get one? How do I fund it? What is an emergency? First the most important thing you need to realize about an emergency account is that it is truly for emergencies.
Now take it from me I know that when you get the flyer in the mail that says the the Nordstrom half yearly sale is starting this weekend you in your infinite wisdom maybe believe that is the apocalypse but I am here to tell you that does NOT constitute an emergency. An emergency would be a new tire, a blown head gasket (whatever that is), a leaky water heater, an emergency medical expense, etc. I think you get the idea. Now an emergency fund doesn’t have to be anything special it can be a checking account at your local credit union (wink, wink) - whatever is convenient and accessible in the event of an emergency.
Some people say to themselves I don’t have the money to make my mortgage payment where would I get the money to put away for an emergency. The fact of the matter is we aren’t talking thousands of thousands of dollars here we are talking about a slow gradual development of a cash fund. The best way I can tell you to do this is to have a small amount maybe ten or twenty dollars per pay period directly put into this emergency fund, all you need is your account number and routing number which your financial institution will be happy to provide to you! So I am sure you are thinking, gosh, that sounds like a lot of work, why would I need to bother with that? I’ll tell you why. Three weeks ago I needed to make an emergency trip to Rochester to be with my brother and my family because of an unknown ailment that was affecting his nervous system as well as his joints and reflexes. I was forced to check into a local hotel in Rochester at 100 per night. By the time we left the area and returned home I had an insane 1000 bill. Thankfully to my preparedness and planning I was able to handle this bill without detriment to my normal monthly finances. Had I not had this fund I would have had to make a decision regarding my finances, who isn’t getting paid this month?
My point is, be prepared. Put money aside. Things happen and you don’t want to be the one left in the financial dust!
It’s not about the turkey.
November 26, 2008 by JanaI have heard several people say this year that they are looking forward to “Turkey Day.” Are we seriously taking the Thanks out of Thanksgiving?! Also, I find myself and others wishing people a Happy Thanksgiving, but why aren’t we actually saying “Thank you”?
It seems as though each day we are waking up to more and more bad news–the stock market tumbling, unemployment rising, home values declining, etc. So what do we have to be grateful for?
Plenty.
It is easy to focus on what we don’t have… a new car, a bigger house, more vacation days, a nicer TV, and the list goes on. Tomorrow as you’re sitting around the giant turkey, don’t forget to stop and think of all that you do have. Food, housing, clothing, and transportation are the material things and we definitely should be grateful for them. But our friends and family… no amount of money can take that away.
So before you eat more turkey than was thought humanly possible, say thank you to these people in your life. They are more important than any bird.
A trip to the Miami office
November 21, 2008 by KathyI was asked by my boss, “would you like to visit our Miami office?”. Uh, yes! What person living in Minneapolis wouldn’t jump at an offer like that?
I was privileged to go along to our Miami branch office as they unveiled their new logo, new name and the new look of their office. The new name is “Burger King Credit Union, a division of General Mills Federal Credit Union”.
You may be wondering… why did General Mills Federal Credit Union ever open an office in Miami in the Burger King Corporation’s Global Restaurant Support Center anyway? Here’s a brief history. At one time, Pillsbury and Burger King were both owned by Diageo and “Pillar Federal Credit Union” served employees from both Pillsbury and Burger King. In 1994 a Miami office was established to more fully serve the Burger King Corporate employees. Although Diageo eventually sold off both companies, the “Pillar Federal Credit Union” continued to provide financial services to employees of both. In 2001 when General Mills bought Pillsbury, it only made sense for the credit unions of each company to merge. In early 2002 that is exactly what happened and that’s how General Mills Federal Credit Union acquired a Miami office!
History lesson over… let’s get back to my trip. There was a lot of excitement in the air in Miami. Employees in that impressive Burger King building were seeing their long-loved credit union office becoming what they had always wished for – Burger King Credit Union! It was to be the same people and the same great financial services they’d enjoyed for years with a new name and new look especially for them. There is a slogan built into the new logo that reflects the Burger King heritage, “Your Money Your Way” and it’s so very fitting for that Miami office.
Although the weather was unseasonably cool for Miami while I was there, it was still significantly warmer than the weather here in Minneapolis, and I couldn’t have been happier. The warm reception we received by the credit union members there made it a memorable trip and the new Burger King Credit Union name and logo have truly demonstrated our commitment to employees there.
Crisp Autumn Weather, Colorful Leaves, and the World Series
November 19, 2008 by BevThe beautiful autumn weather a few weekends ago and the abundance of leaves carpeting my yard got me reminiscing about another fall day years ago when my sister and her family were visiting from Missouri. They were in town for a long weekend so my mother and I could “bond” with the kids and she and her husband could attend a baseball game at the Metro Dome between the Minnesota Twins and the St. Louis Cardinals.
My uncle offered them two free seats to attend the big rivalry, so Mom and I got to babysit for my nephew and niece. I’m not sure who got the better deal, but I still remember how much the kids enjoyed playing in the big piles of leaves and how much we enjoyed watching them!
Those were simpler times perhaps, but it is comforting to reflect on how such a crisp, sunny day years later could trigger such wonderful memories of the innocence of childhood when everyday events could be so much fun.
And for all you baseball fans, the year was 1987 and the Minnesota Twins went on to win the World Series!
Footnote from my sister: We enjoyed the game — although it was a bit scary having Missouri license plates in downtown Minneapolis!
