April 2015 - RMLEFCU Blog

22 Apr

Colorado Home Prices Rising at Fastest Rate in the Country

According to the Denver Post who referenced a report from CoreLogic, a firm that tracks housing trends, home prices in Denver rose by 9.8% year over year in February. This home-price appreciation rate is currently the highest in the United States. The average sold home price in metro Denver is around $354,000 in March 2015. It was around $344,000 in February 2015 and was around $311,000 in February 2014.

RMLEFCU is offering Mortgage Loans at 4% APR* with no mortgage insurance and ½% origination fee for RMLEFCU members. If you are trying to buy a home, please contact a RMLEFCU representative.

That’s great, but you already own a home and you don’t plan on selling anytime soon. So what does this mean for you?

How to take advantage of low interest rates and the increased value of your home. Read More →

16 Apr

IRS Phishing Schemes and How to Protect Yourself

‘Twas the day before April 15^th and tax bills were nigh and so the good people of the U.S. let out a collective sigh.

But the story doesn’t end there. Scammers are always trying out new methods to scare and intimidate Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer. Phishing is a term that developed in the 1990’s where online thieves used a wide net to fish for potential victims. It was commonplace for computer hackers to deliberately misspell words and hence the term “phishing” was coined to describe their scam.

There are many different types of phishing scams and other schemes using the IRS name. We will explain a common telephone scheme in this article. Click here to see the full list from IRS.gov! Read More →

15 Apr

Your Financial Spring Cleaning Checklist

Now is the time to give those finances a thorough Spring cleaning! At the Rocky Mountain Law Enforcement Federal Credit Union we are big fans of setting financial goals and achieving financial success. To help you we have assembled your financial Spring cleaning checklist!

Discard

Debt
- Until you can completely pay off your credit card bill, there are still a few things you can do.
- Pay your bill the day you get it. Grace Periods usually only exist for those who pay their balance IN FULL EVERY When you do this, you won’t be charged interest.
- Always pay more than the minimum when you can.
- If you are not eligible for a low interest rate card like our RMLEFCU credit cards, apply for one with a teaser rate (1 year or less) ONLY DO THIS if you know you can pay off the entire balance before that attractive rate disappears.

Discrepancies on your credit report
- Contact Experian, Trans Union and Equifax for a free credit report once a year at: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action

Been There. Done That. Retirement Advice from a Fellow Cop.

Terry Lucas served with the Illinois State Police for 28 years rising through progressively higher ranks mostly in the investigative field. Terry then served as the Law Enforcement Coordinator for the US Attorney’s office in the Central District of Illinois for 15 years. While with DOJ he served in Iraq assisting in the prosecution of Sadaam Hussein.

He has a few nuggets of advice for fellow cops.

On retirement planning: “You have to think outside of your pension.” Terry, father to five daughters, speaks from experience, “Don’t overlook something that is staring you in the face. Contribute to some kind of deferred compensation plan. Why not have that amount taken out before taxes and put into an account? It will hurt a lot less now than it will when you’re 55 and looking at starting over in another job.”

Asked for advice to cops nearing retirement age, he says, “Think very carefully about taking a large chunk of time off right after you sign those retirement papers to travel and just relax. Chances are you’re young enough that you’ll need to keep working, and the best time to get a job is when you already have one.” Read More →