Your finances can be a scary thing to face without guidance. What kind of checking and savings accounts should your money be in? What should you do with your old 401(k)s or IRAs? What’s the most secure bet for the future: investing in the stock market or putting your money into a certificate of deposit (CD)? These are all critical questions you must face when looking to make your future as financially secure as possible, and the LSB+ program from Lincoln Savings Bank can help you find the right answers.

LSB+ is an engaging and comprehensive system in which our trained LSB+ Coordinators connect with you to gather financial information, consult, set goals and periodically review your progress. Instead of reacting to your financial issues, you can be proactive about them. Here’s how our system works:

• Assessment- you schedule an appointment and meet with an LSB+ coordinator for a short financial evaluation. You can complete this in one visit or over time.
• Document review- our coordinators then review your current financial situation, along with any wills or other important documents to get a sense of where you are financially.
• Goal definition- using what they have found in your assessment and document review, your coordinator will then help you define what your needs are, any obstacles you will face and your financial goals.
• Contact- your LSB+ Coordinator will then contact the correct professionals within Lincoln Savings Bank to assist you with your plan.
• Review- you can have your progress periodically reviewed to make sure you are staying on track with your needs and goals.

The LSB+ program allows us to constantly fulfill our core mission of being an engaged, life-long partner that helps our customers achieve their financial goals. For more information about the LSB+ program or to get started, contact the nearest Lincoln Savings Bank branch today.

For many of you, saving money or spending it in a more conscientious manner may have been a New Year’s resolution. However, like so many of us, you may not be doing so well at keeping your resolution. But never fear, we are still early in the year and it is still a great time to make a savings goal for this year. Maybe you are planning on going on a dream vacation, purchasing a new car or want to have a certain amount of money in your retirement account by the end of the year. 

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. You must establish the exact amount you want to save. This will be your end goal, your light at the end of the tunnel.
2. Give yourself checkpoints along the way. Make major checkpoints at increments (25%, 50%, etc.) and minor checkpoints every payday or every month. This will help you understand how much you need to save and how well you stick to it.
3. Set up a timeline for when you want to have the money saved. Again, it helps to have checkpoints along the way to make sure you stay true to your goal.

One way you can help make your savings goal happen is by setting up automatic transfers in your LSB Online Banking account. This allows you to put money into your savings account routinely without needing to remember to do it or facing the dilemma of seeing your money go from one account to another. This can be done not only for your accounts with LSB, but for accounts at other financial institutions as well.

Again, it’s not too late to start saving for something important in your life. Begin today and stick with it throughout the year to attain your goal. If you have any questions about how to get started, please contact your nearest Lincoln Savings Bank branch.

We have talked in the past about Lincoln Savings Bank’s role as a community bank and how we view our responsibility of helping the communities we serve grow. One way that we engage and interact with our communities is through sponsoring various events or groups. This month, we would like to highlight the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra and provide a preview of what is left of their 2012-13 concert season.

The theme for the current concert season is “Color Your Life,” and audiences have already been treated to the classic concerts influenced by original programming, imaginative collaborations and fascinating twists that have become a standard over the last decade. This year’s concerts have already featured music from famous composers such as Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

Here is a look at upcoming concerts the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra will be presenting at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center:

• “Sounds of Iowa,” March 2- a performance of works all inspired by the dramatic landscapes of the Midwest. The music will be accompanied by images of this scenery taken by nature photographer Bill Will, as well as Iowa-related, farm and agriculture related poetry from notable poets like James Hearst.
• “Bach at Easter,” April 6- featuring the talents of WCFSO soloist and the University of Northern Iowa Cantorei. Bach’s Easter cantatas and Brandenburg Concerto, works called “sublime” and “a glimpse of the epic achievement of one’s life works” by director Jason Weinberger, will be presented.
• “The Planets, Reimagined,” April 27- a unique collaboration between artist Gary Kelley and the WCFSO brings a re-imagined take on Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.”

We strongly encourage you to take in the beautiful sounds and complementary sights of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra. They are a wonderful talent to have in the area, and you will not be disappointed when the lights come up at the end of the show.

The level of technology widely available to people these days can be simply astounding at times. At no place is this more apparent than with smart phones. There seems to be an app for everything, and your smart phone combines the ability to be a phone, computer, television and more into one handheld device.

One major advantage this provides Lincoln Savings Bank customers is accessing their bank accounts, financial news and informational videos from anywhere in the palm of their hand. With Mobile Banking from LSB and the My LSB app, smart phone owners are a few simple steps away from their finances at all times.

Our My LSB app comes in two versions, one for Apple products (iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch) and one for Android-based phones. To download the app for your mobile device simply go to the iTunes store (Apple) or Android and search for the My LSB App, or click here. Download the app to your phone, and you have banking power at your fingertips.

With the My LSB app, you can access mobile banking and view your various checking or savings accounts to check balances, transfer funds and view transaction history. The app also provides you with access to our mobile website, an ATM Finder, a handy way to find LSB locations on the go and much more.

There are so many demands on your time these days, so why not put your fancy smart phone to work for you and take our already stellar Online Banking services one step further? The My LSB app provides convenience and simplicity that is with you at all times and accessible from anywhere. It just takes a few moments to register for Mobile Banking and start taking advantage of the technology that is already in your hands to help manage your finances!

Visit mylsb.com/online for instructions on how to register for online and mobile banking.

Financial planning is the key to happier fiscal future.

In today’s financial climate it can often be difficult to know what to do with your money, especially if you are looking to begin saving for retirement, college expenses for a child or other large expenses. Worry caused by money and finances can be a great stressor in life, so why not do yourself a favor and get rid of this unneeded stress by setting up a financial plan with a professional financial planner at LSB Financial? 

Not only will this help with your own angst and anxiety, but financial planning will also ensure you have the money set aside for future expenses and to live the life you want. Statistics from the 2012 Household Financial Planning Survey conducted by the Princeton Survey Research Associates for the Consumer Federation of America back this claim up.

For example, those surveyed who had a financial plan were more likely to say they live comfortably, are confident in managing finances (money, savings, investments) and have a much higher feeling of control over their finances than those without a plan. Survey participants with a financial plan were also more likely to say they did not feel behind on specific financial goals.

How great would it feel to be confident about your financial future? Financial planning can create solid financial habits and increase a feeling of assurance. About 46 percent of those with a financial plan regularly saved 10 percent of their income, as opposed to only 16 percent of non-planners that did the same.

The professionals at LSB Financial can help you start your journey toward a secure financial future. Imagine not having to worry about emergency expenses, being able to send your child to a great college or outliving your money 10, 15 or 20 years down the road. That dream begins with a solid financial plan, and LSB would love to help you create it.

*Important Notes: Securities and Financial Planning offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. They are not a deposit, not FDIC insured, not covered by a bank guarantee, not insured by any federal government agency and may lose value. Insurance products offered through LPL Financial or its licensed affiliates. Lincoln Savings Bank and LSB Financial are not registered broker/dealers and are not affiliated with LPL Financial.

The idea of a community bank is that it helps the businesses and people it serves to grow and flourish. At Lincoln Savings Bank, we pride ourselves in being an integral part of the communities we serve, and this includes supporting local businesses by providing them with the banking services they need for continued growth and success.

Our business banking services range from a variety of business checking accounts to loans for various aspects of your business to employee benefit options and more. Our business banking experts can help you navigate tough economic waters and create a custom service plan that fits your business’s needs.

Our customers that use LSB for their business banking solutions appreciate our dedication to helping their business thrive. Here is what a few business banking customers have said about us!

Kate Washut, Far Reach

“In choosing a bank, I wanted the connection of working with a local institution, but I didn’t want to give up any of the conveniences and access that I know I can get at much larger banks.  Lincoln Savings Bank is a technology leader, I know I’m getting big-bank services AND small-town service.  It really is the best of both worlds!”  -Kate Washut, Far Reach, Cedar Falls 

Mike Reyhons, Bravo Printing

“Changing banks can be a pain, but once we decided to go with LSB, they were with us every step of the way.  All of the details, all of the things that could have been a problem weren’t.  It’s great to partner with a local bank that invests so much in our community.  I couldn’t be happier with the switch we made.”  -Mike Reyhons, Bravo Printing, Cedar Falls 

“From the start, we found every person we dealt with at LSB ready and willing to help us out.  Like a lot of businesses, we have some pretty specific needs, and they’ve been with us every step of the way.  The employee ownership really shows through – from when we first opened an account with them to helping us meet and manage our everyday needs.”  -Jerry Akers, Great Clips, Palo

Doug Miller, Waterloo Blackhawks

“Every business is different…ours is REALLY different.  I needed a bank that I could count on to be flexible and understand what makes the Black Hawks tick.  I couldn’t be happier with Lincoln Savings Bank.  They are strong supporters of the important things in our community, and a great business partner.” ­ -Doug Miller, President, Waterloo Blackhawks 

We always appreciate kind words from our customers no matter the size of their business or account with us. Contact the Lincoln Savings Bank branch nearest you today to see how our business banking experts can help put your business and solid financial ground.

We have all been in this situation: you pay someone with a personal check for some reason or another, and then you play the waiting game. Will they cash the check tomorrow, this week, next week, this month? The “check stashers” can cause you a financial headache because you never really quite know exactly when that money will be taken out of your account. However, Lincoln Savings Bank’s Online Banking program has an answer: person-to-person (P2P) payments.

Online Banking from LSB allows you to make P2P and bank-to-bank transfers easily and without the exhausting period waiting for the person you paid to cash the check. Instead of writing a physical check, you will login to your Online Banking account. From there, if you have the other person’s email address, you can quickly and easily set up a payment to them. No waiting, no anxiety, no hair pulling!

Not only can you make easy person-to-person payments through LSB’s Online Banking, but you can also move funds between your accounts at various financial institutions. Now you can easily transfer money to and from your LSB account between accounts at other banks or credit unions.

Besides making your financial life easier, there is another great benefit to these transfers: they are free. That’s right, free! While most other banks offer these services to their customers for a fee, Lincoln Savings Bank provides these services free because we want our customers to have convenient tools and a great banking experience.

If you would like to take advantage of free P2P and bank-to-bank transfers, simply open a bank account with Lincoln Savings Bank and enroll in Online Banking. From there, you will have access to free transfers, as well as a host of other banking services designed specifically to make your financial life easier to manage.

Today, February 12^th, has great meaning for Lincoln Savings Bank. It is the birthday of our namesake, Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States.  Lincoln is consistently ranked by the presidential scholars as one of the best presidents in the history of the United States of America. He is well known for his ideals of equality for all Americans.

Lincoln Savings Bank strives to follow in President Lincoln’s footsteps by adhering to a set of guiding principles we refer to as Core Values.  Our Core Values include attributes like honesty, integrity, and quality; pride and commitment; continuous improvement and more.

In honor of what would have been President Lincoln’s 203^rd birthday, here are some interesting facts about one of our nation’s finest leaders:

• He was the tallest U.S. president, standing 6’4”

• In 1849, he patented a system to alter buoyancy of steamboats

• He was the first president to have and keep a beard

• Lincoln was a strong and talented wrestler

• He was the first president to be photographed at the presidential inauguration

We would also like to invite everyone to the grand opening celebration of our newest bank branch in Adel.  If you are in the Adel area today (February 12^th), stop by our office in the historic town square.  We are serving cake throughout the day, will have an official ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:00 PM with the Adel Chamber of Commerce, then an “after hours” celebration will continue with drinks and hors d’oeuvres until approximately 7:00 PM.  Everyone is welcome!

Our Adel office recently completed a remodel just in time for our new bank office to open on January 21^st.  The Adel office had previously operated as a Mortgage and Insurance office, and we are very excited to now offer banking services, too.  Here are the staff members that can help you with your mortgage, insurance or banking needs in Adel:
 Tim Bohlen- VP Lending

• Internal Lending and Mortgage Lending

• Mortgage lender for 16 years, most as an independent broker

• Board member, Financial Planners Association of Iowa

 Tim Canney- VP Lending

• Internal and Mortgage Lending

• Mortgage lender for 6 years, most as an independent broker

 Jenn Beenken- Mortgage Lending & Processing

• Mortgage Lender since 2010

 Joshua Heisterkamp- AVP of Insurance for the Des Moines Metro

• Servicing all Commercial and Personal insurance needs

• 4 years of insurance background as an agent

• Member of the Financial Planners Association and the Iowa “Big I” for independent agencies

 Kristi Fuller- AVP, Personal Banker, Office Manager

• Has been in banking for over 15 years at various community banks

 Come see these professionals at the Adel Lincoln Savings Bank office to see how they can help you today!