The Do’s and Don’ts of Credit Cards

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Welcome and thank you, Officer Culianos! Stay safe!

Welcome and thank you, Officer Culianos! Stay safe!Join us in welcoming Officer Anthony Culianos to Nanuet! Officer Culianos is the new School Resource Officer (SRO) at A. MacArthur Barr Middle School. He has been with the Clarkstown Police Department since 2014 and is now part of the #NUFSD family! #newtonanuet ... See MoreSee Less

12 hours ago

4 CommentsComment on Facebook

Thanks prayers stay safe and well in Jesus name

💙👮‍♀️💙👮‍♀️💙👮‍♀️💙👮‍♀️🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙

Congratulations Lord PLZ keep him safe in this cruel world💙🫡🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙🫡🙏🙏🙏🙏

Welcome,be safe

Thank you!
#PinkPatchProjectImage attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment

Thank you!
#pinkpatchproject
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12 hours ago

1 CommentComment on Facebook

Thank you from a Breast Cancer survivor...God survivor...God Bless you all......

Thank you!
#PinkPatchProjectImage attachment

Thank you!
#pinkpatchproject
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12 hours ago
Thank you!
#PinkPatchProjectImage attachmentImage attachment

Thank you!
#pinkpatchproject
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12 hours ago

Thank you!
#pinkpatchproject
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12 hours ago
Hello and thank you, K-9 Vita! Stay safe!

Hello and thank you, K-9 Vita! Stay safe!We are excited to introduce our newest partner in crime-fighting: Meet K-9 "Vita" from the Czech Republic, who specializes in drug detection. Let's give her a warm welcome! #toledopolice ... See MoreSee Less

12 hours ago

3 CommentsComment on Facebook

💙💙💙💙💙💙🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙

Hi there Gorgeous ! Stay Safe and watch over Your Partner / Handler.🐶🖤💙🖤💙

💙💙💙👮‍♀️👮‍♀️🐺🐺💙💙👮‍♀️👮‍♀️🐺💙👮‍♀️👍👍👍👍💙💙💙💙💙🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

This is so precious!!!!
Stay safe, K9 Jocko! and K9 Officer Prichard!

This is so precious!!!!
Stay safe, K9 Jocko! and K9 Officer Prichard!🐾👮‍♂️ Exciting Adventures with K9 Jocko! 📝💪

Check out this pawsome pic of K9 Officer Prichard with our incredible K9 Jocko! 🐶⚡️ This dynamic duo just proved that Jocko is more than just an amazing apprehension and narcotics detection K9, he's also an emotional support pup for his handler! 🥰

In this photo, you can see K9 Officer Prichard holding Jocko's paw while typing up a police report. Jocko knows that writing reports can be tough, so he's right there by his handler's side, providing that much-needed support. Talk about teamwork! 👏🙌

We're incredibly grateful to have such a talented and caring K9 like Jocko on our force. He's always ready to lend a helping paw and make a positive impact in our community. Together, K9 Jocko and Officer Prichard continue to keep our streets safe and bring smiles to our faces. Good boy, Jocko! 🐾💙

#k9handler #k9jocko #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #emotionalsupportpup #plainfieldpd #havingfun
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12 hours ago

3 CommentsComment on Facebook

💙🫡🫡🫡🙏🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙💙💙🫡🙏🙏🙏

Beautiful Thank You

Awwww

What a beautiful picture of a very special moment! Congratulations and thank you both!! Stay safe!

What a beautiful picture of a very special moment! Congratulations and thank you both!! Stay safe!From the New Port Richey Police Department. Like father, like daughter! Officer Negersmith is following the footsteps of her dad, who has spent his entire career in law enforcement. An affinity for policing seems to run in the family. ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

8 CommentsComment on Facebook

Thanks prayers stay safe and well in Jesus name

Salute💙🫡🫡🫡🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙

Awesome stat safe 💙

👏🇱🇷

Be safe and thank you 🙏🙏🙏

Be safe and thank you 🙏🙏🙏

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Thank you, #Hero!

Thank you, #Hero!Night side Officer Roman was happy to reunite an important family member with their family tonight ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

3 CommentsComment on Facebook

Awesome👏👏👏👏👏👍😊

Good Bless you

Congratulations!

Congratulations!Congratulations to the South Suburban Association Chiefs of Police 2023-2024 Executive Board Members! #NOBLEProud ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago
Congratulations! Thank you! Stay safe!

Congratulations! Thank you! Stay safe!Last year these three chose to fill out an application and toss their name into our candidate pool. Jump forward to today, they have completed their Field Training Program and start solo patrol, serving our awesome community. Congratulations to Officer Talg, Officer Frick and Officer Shoemaker. Thank you for choosing #Wausau! ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

1 CommentComment on Facebook

Congratulations 🎊

Welcome and thank you, K9 Batman and Officer Dillard! Stay safe!

Welcome and thank you, K9 Batman and Officer Dillard! Stay safe!Meet K9 Batman! K9 Batman is a German Shepard mix and is approximately 2 years old. His handler is Officer Dillard and he is one of our new Greene County Jail K9s.

K9 Batman is also featured on our newest Greene County Jail K9 Swag! This apparel can be purchased from The CrackerJack Shack using the link below!

www.crackerjackshack.com/gcsok9

This is a pre-sale. Orders will be produced and shipped after the selling period ends. A portion of every sale goes to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit.
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2 days ago

5 CommentsComment on Facebook

Salute💙🫡🫡🫡🙏🙏🙏🙏💙🫡🙏🙏

❤️

Ty

Looking Good. Now, Go get the Bad Guys and find all those Drugs.

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Welcome, K-9 Havik Officer Stockdale! Thank you! Stay safe!Image attachment

Welcome, K-9 Havik Officer Stockdale! Thank you! Stay safe! ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

5 CommentsComment on Facebook

Welcome! Congratulations on your new job! Stay safe!

Salute💙🫡🫡🫡🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Awesome duo 💙

Awesome

Beautiful 😍

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Rest in Peace, K-9 Rico. Thank you for your service, #Hero 
💙🐾Image attachment

Rest in Peace, K-9 Rico. Thank you for your service, #Hero
💙🐾
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2 days ago

4 CommentsComment on Facebook

So very sorry for ur loss💔may he rest in eternal peace over the rainbow bridge🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💔💔💔

😢🙏🇱🇷

Thank you for your service. Rest in peace.

RIP Rico

Congratulations! Thank you! Stay safe!Image attachmentImage attachment+7Image attachment

Congratulations! Thank you! Stay safe! ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago
Congratulations! Thank you! Stay safe!

Congratulations! Thank you! Stay safe!The Lovington Police Department would like to extend a warm welcome and introduce Officer Berenice Vega to our community.

Officer Vega was born in Jerecuaro Guanajuato, Mexico and came to the United States when she was 9 years old. Officer Vega graduated from Lovington High School in 2017 and was granted citizenship in 2018. Officer Vega will begin our Field Training Program and attend the Southeastern New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy at a later date.

We are delighted to have Officer Vega join our ranks at the Lovington Police Department!
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2 days ago
Thank you for 33 years of service!!Image attachmentImage attachment+5Image attachment

Thank you for 33 years of service!! ... See MoreSee Less

5 days ago

6 CommentsComment on Facebook

Thank you Sir for your service to your community..... Enjoy your retirement... God Bless you and your family.....

Congratulations

👏🇱🇷

Salute💙🫡💙🫡🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙💙💙🫡🫡🫡

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Thank you, SRO, Private Chestnut! Stay safe!

Thank you, SRO, Private Chestnut! Stay safe!Congratulations to our newly promoted School Resource Officer, Private Chestnut. Thank you for keeping us safe and mentoring our students. We appreciate you!
#schoolrescourceofficers #eastpointsc
West Columbia Police Department
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6 days ago

8 CommentsComment on Facebook

👏🇱🇷

Salute and Honor

Congratulations

Thanks prayers stay safe and well in Jesus name

Congratulations 🎊

Congratulations!!!👮🏿‍♀️👍

Congratulations lord keep her n r kids safe in this cruel world🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💙🫡🫡🫡🫡💙💙

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Way to go, K9 Freddie!! Thank you!

Way to go, K9 Freddie!! Thank you!🎵"Another One Bites the Dust," 🎶by Freddie Mercury. Dog of the month, Madison, WI Police K9 Freddie is still in his rookie year. Of course the old veterans can be counted on...but with a new pup (and a new handler!), there is always a bit of doubt until they prove themselves in the field.
On K9 Freddie's first search warrant assignment - his SECOND call ever in his young career - he was asked to bring his nose to search a house & garage.
He immediately indicated on an old can of paint in a very messy garage. Officers were skeptical; the weight of the can didn't seem to match his response. But, "Trust Your Dog" is a maxim to live by. When they opened the can, they found a kilo of cocaine, wrapped tightly in plastic bags!
Hiding drugs in old paint cans is intended to mask the smell of the drug. Ha! Rookie Freddie was not fooled for a second. Home run first time at bat. Welcome to the team Freddie!

Madison Police Department Keeping K-9s in Kevlar #k9freddie #freddiemercury #whatanose #rookieyear #anotheronebitesthedust #berbeewalsh #trainhardworkhard #fieldtested #passedthetest #teammember
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6 days ago

4 CommentsComment on Facebook

Beautiful dog

job well done Freddie....stay safe and long prormising life for you and your partner

Great job,K-9 Freddie! ❤️❤️

Besutiful salute💙🫡🫡🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙💙

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Credit Cards

If you own and use a credit card, chances are you have recently made one of the following decisions.  You either are aware of the extreme amount of negativity recently associated with credit cards covering everything from spiraling debt loads to identity theft and you have decided to cut up all of your credit cards or you are aware of the concerns and you have decided to use your cards anyway.

If you have decided to use your credit cards despite having heard and read about all of the negatives, then good for you.  Just remember that moderation and awareness are the keys.

If you have been convinced that you should not use a credit card under any circumstances ever again, please consider that all concerns associated with credit card use stem from either the possibility of accumulating ever-increasing, unmanageable, high interest debt or the possibility of being subject to some type of fraud through the use of your card(s).

Let’s first focus on the worries related to increasing your debt load.  Clearly, there is a real temptation to live above your means when you are armed with the purchasing power of a credit card.  Virtually all measurements of credit card debt indicate that it continues to rise both cumulatively and per household.  The increases in debt are far outpacing wage increases.  There is no doubt that many amongst us, perhaps even the majority of us, have gorged themselves on debt and, in the process, society has become largely numb to the size of our collective debt obligations.

Additionally, people are starting to use credit cards at an earlier age, which fuels the peer pressure element of the inclination to buy things that would otherwise be unaffordable. So, in many cases, young adults are already accustomed to both carrying debt and keeping up with the Jones’.

As individuals get used to carrying debt, it is only a matter of time before it gets easier to justify paying less of it off each month.  The utility value of debt lessens over time because you have already enjoyed the benefit you derived from the purchase.  It is natural to think about other needs and wants and to focus more on obtaining those things as opposed to figuring out how to fully pay for something you already have.

There are, however, several good habits and other positives that effectively counter the worry and concern related to unmanageable debt loads.  This is where moderation is relevant and essential.

Fraud, whether it is identity theft or any other form of unauthorized access or use of your personal information, is also a very real and growing concern.  As a member of today’s mainstream society, you are a potential fraud target every day and as technological abilities increase, you are arguably more of a target.  While credit card fraud has received the lion’s share of media attention in recent months, the fact is that unlawful credit card access or usage is just one of the ways the bad guys can get you.  In fact, we could fill an entire newsletter just outlining the many different types of financial fraud that exist.  This is where awareness is absolutely critical.

Using your credit cards in moderation is not, in and of itself, the answer to eliminating the temptation to live above your means, but it is a great step in the right direction. The concept is a helpful way to develop the right mindset relative to handling debt.  This is especially true when you consider that the question of debt is not one of “should you have it?” as much as it is “how much should you have?”

For the vast majority of us, debt is a way of life.  Whether you have a mortgage payment or a rent payment, a car payment or a tuition payment, clothes and groceries to buy, utilities to pay for, or all of the above, you have debt obligations.  The decisions you make about how much debt you should have and when you incur debt will help to determine how successful you will be at managing your debt.

The moderate and timely use of a credit card can actually help you to manage how and when you take on debt.  Credit cards can be a useful cash management tool when you use them responsibly and with full knowledge of the terms and conditions attached to each card, such as the grace period and the billing cycle.   Using a credit card in this manner versus being solely reliant on credit to make ends meet also ensures that you keep your options open so that if you do experience an emergency or an otherwise unforeseen circumstance, you will have open line of credit to draw on.

Most credit cards include insurance and services that give you the ability to dispute amounts that show up on your statement if you feel they are inaccurate.  These services are often available to you at no cost and can be very valuable if you have been overcharged or erroneously charged by a retailer or service provider.

Many credit cards are now tailored for specific purposes.  Many offer a rewards program. Some offer fixed interest rates.  Still others are designed for student use.  Making the conscious decision to choose a card or cards that are best suited for you and your needs will also help you to identify the specific ways and times you will use the card, which will help you to moderate the use of the card.

Developing good credit card habits and/or reversing bad credit card habits are certainly not easy.  Committing to responsible credit card use requires a huge amount of self-discipline in the face of endless temptations and choices.  It will also require you to be more involved in your own finances and to take on more accountability for your actions and what you know and don’t know.  All of the work will be worth it, however, and the gratification you will achieve by developing a plan and sticking to it will demonstrate just how ‘worth it’ it will be.  If done properly, you will have more control over your life and less stress related to finances and you will still have the ability to treat yourself when needed.

As indicated earlier, developing your own personal awareness and knowledge is also vitally important when it comes to the proactive things you can do to mitigate your risk of being a fraud victim.  Unfortunately, the increased risks of fraud via our electronic transactions are a by-product of the world we live in today.  Despite the massive amount of resource being devoted to combating it, our increasing reliance on technology virtually guarantees that these risks will not be going away soon and will, in fact, likely get worse, but the news isn’t all bad.

Please remember that, in most cases, your liability as a fraud victim is minimal and that fraud detection software has also advanced and become much more effective at identifying fraud in earlier stages.  You can reduce your risks even further through your own preventative practices and common sense.  Again, if you commit yourself to developing an understanding of good protective measures that you can use when transacting your personal business, you will reap the benefits and advantages reserved only for those with the knowledge and control of their own finances.

There are risks associated with everything that we do.  However, most of these risks, such as the ones related to the use of credit cards, are very manageable and should not prevent you from enjoying all of the benefits while learning to minimize the areas of concern and worry.  Here are some helpful things to remember when considering the positives and negatives of credit cards…

Do

  • Selectively choose credit card(s) that are specifically designed for your needs
  • Understand the value and term of the grace period
  • Understand the billing cycle and all other terms of use
  • Understand your interest rate and all fees
  • Set a monthly spending limit that fits within your budget and stick to it
  • Use cash or a debit card when possible to reduce your reliance on credit
  • Expect the unexpected
  • Read your monthly statement
  • Pay your bills on time and build good credit history
  • Secure the information you need
  • Shred or otherwise responsibly discard the information you do not need
  • Share your credit card information only on a ‘need to know” basis

 

Do Not

  • Accept every credit card offer you receive
  • Use credit cards as your sole method of purchasing
  • Let anyone else use your credit card
  • Maximize your balances without a back-up plan
  • Confuse your needs with your wants
  • Forget to treat yourself as often as possible when you reach your goals

 

And, don’t forget, members of the Credit Union enjoy free and confidential Credit Counseling and Financial Planning through our Financial Planning and Education Center. We are here to assist you every step of the way.

Scott Arney
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union

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