By this point, most colleges around the nation and here in Iowa have started their fall semesters. Students are back in class, campuses are buzzing with activity and thousands of young people are enjoying one of the best and most important times of their life.

Lincoln Savings Bank can play an integral role in the financial lives of college students and help them enjoy this time even more. Here’s a list of reasons why college students that attend school both here in Iowa and out-of-state should use Lincoln Savings Bank:

·         We’re here to help- we don’t assume you know everything about banking, so we’ll always take the time to listen to your questions and help you find the answer.

·         You can use only the services you want- just want a checking and savings account to help you manage your money? Perfect! You can use as little or as many of our services as you want.

·         Online banking and our My LSB App gives you 24/7 access from anywhere- make quick transfers or check your balance from everywhere. It’s time to stop relying on your parents for everything!  

·         Buff up on your financial smarts- whether you’re a finance major or just a banking-savvy student, we offer educational opportunities to help you make better financial decisions.

·         Debit cards- is there anything worse than lugging a bunch of cash or your checkbook with you everywhere? And if you’re a University of Northern Iowa student, you have access to the Panther Card that allows you to earn Cash Back! 

In short, we have everything you need to make it through college without going broke on your way to becoming a responsible young adult. Whether you’re a native Iowan staying in Iowa for school, leaving the state or coming into our area for your education, Lincoln Savings Bank is ready and willing to help.

You can come by one of our 16 Iowa locations to get started today!

Summer is coming soon, and so too are the crowds of vacationers hitting tourist spots around the country. If you and your family are thinking of taking a trip this summer, there are a few financial items you need to take care of first before hitting the beach, mountains or wherever your trip takes you:

Having your finances in check means more relaxation on vacation.

·         Make a checklist of monetary items you need: cash, your debit and credit cards, traveler’s checks or foreign currency if you are headed out of the country. You wouldn't want to get to your destination and realize you forgot something!

·         Notify Lincoln Savings Bank of your travel plans: this way we know not be worried when we see charges appearing from your vacation location.

·         Pay any upcoming bills ahead of time: you can do this easily through LSB’s OnlineBanking. You can also use Mobile Banking to make sure any checks you wrote cleared to avoid late fees or penalties.Get it done before you go so you don't worry about it while you're supposed to be enjoying yourself!

·         Have your mail held: while a good portion of your mail is junk, some of it may have important personal or financial information contained in it. That’s not something you want sitting in your mailbox for days.

·         Check your Online Banking: yes, you’re on vacation, but financial surprises can ruin a great trip. Check in with your Online Banking or Mobile Banking once a day just to be sure everything is going smoothly

There are these and many other ways to ensure that you have a wonderful vacation without any additional financial issues. Be sure to check back  here regularly for any other updates regarding vacation finances or other monetary issues you should be aware of. As always, you can get in contact with any of our branches if you need help of any kind. We hope to hear from you soon!

The best part about spring is a toss up: the fresh scent in the air, the blooming flowers, budding trees or the warm feeling of sun on your face are all wonderful aspects of the season. Unfortunately, we have yet to really experience any of those things regularly here in Iowa, but there is perhaps no season that better connects us to nature than spring. That’s why we at Lincoln Savings Bank would like to offer up a few tips to help you be environmentally savvy AND save money at the same time! 

How can you go green and save money?

Enroll in Online Banking- by enrolling in LSB’s Online Banking program, you can check account balances, transfer funds, check for cleared checks and do other transactions from home. Though we love seeing all of our customers, think about it this way: less driving to the bank means less gas used, equaling less carbon dioxide in the air, more gas in your tank and more money in your bank account.

Sign up for Estatements- using less paper is a huge aspect of being environmentally conscious, and our Estatements allow you to do just that. By eliminating paper statements in favor of being able to view these documents online, you allow LSB to cut down on paper use. These statements also give you the benefit of viewing account information so that you can create a more efficient financial plan and be smarter with your money.

Think green at home- unplug your “vampire devices” when they aren’t being used: TVs, stereos, computers, phone chargers (or turn off the power strips they use). Also use rechargeable batteries. While they cost more initially, most of them can be charged around 1000 times! That, and you’ll be throwing away less used batteries, keeping landfills free of battery acid.

Through using Lincoln Savings Bank’s Online Banking and Estatements you can easily have a positive impact on the outdoors while staying on top of your finances. What other ways can you think of to help the environment while saving money? Comment on our blog or post them to our Facebook page! We look forward to getting some great ideas!

The ATM is never the best representation of you account balance.

How many times have gone to the ATM to check the balance of your account before going out to meet friends after work?  It says you have $100 in your account, all is good, you won’t eat/ drink that much, right?  Yet when you check your balance the next morning you are overdrawn! How did that happen?  You only spent $60 last night, so it must be a bank error, right? 

Wrong!  While ATM’s are convenient, save you from waiting in line at the drive up window or having to actually get out of your car and walk into the bank, they are not always current with your balance.  ATM’s only tell you what they have been communicated at the time you swipe your card.  To keep an accurate balance of your account you need to balance it yourself and keep a running total, otherwise you run the risk of being charged overdraft fees.

ATM’s only track what your account is at that exact moment.  If you have written checks, but they haven’t been processed at the moment you swipe your card; that doesn’t mean they won’t be processed in an hour or two.  Maybe you just filled your gas tank up at the gas station next door. Depending on the processing time, it may not yet be reflected in your balance.   There are even times when there is a communication breakdown and the ATM can not give you a current balance.

 

The best way to keep track of your account is to balance it yourself and not rely on others or ATM’s to do it for you.  You can manually balance your account with a check register or use LSB’s online banking. Either way you know what you spend, so you should know exactly what you have in your account.  It only takes a few minutes to do, and with LSB’s Budget Plus you also get the added bonus of seeing exactly where you are spending your money.

ATM’s are great time savers, making it possible to withdrawal or deposit money at any time of day or night.  But they are not a crystal ball. They only know what has been entered into the system at that time.  So, the next time you need a quick balance check, take a minute and think about what you have written for checks or where you have swiped your debit card because those aren’t always reflected in the balance on that receipt you just took from the ATM.

Online Banking provides easier access to your banking features.

Between your work, your kids, and everything else you have to do, you live a busy life. We realize that you can’t always take the time to make it into one of our branches to do your banking. For your convenience, Lincoln Savings Bank offers Online Banking that allows you to bank from your home, office or wherever you have an internet connection. 

Some of you may be skeptical about having your financial information online, or you may think it’s too difficult to get started. Your account information is protected with an extra layer of security, and getting started is easy with our How-To’s and video demonstrations. In fact, all aspects of our Online Banking are easy to work through, so let’s take a look at some of the various features you will find:

Account Access- you can access your personal and/or business accounts to check your account balances. You can also link directly from your LSB account to your Quicken software, as well as set up alerts for certain banking transactions, account balances and more.

Transfers- move money between your checking and savings accounts, make person-to-person payments with only an email address, or move funds between your LSB accounts and accounts at other banks or financial institutions.

Mobile Banking- using the MyLSB App, you can bank right from your smart phone! You can see account balances, transfer funds between accounts and much more from the palm of your hand!

Financial Management and Bill Pay- Personal Financial Management is a great tool for budgeting and managing your household’s finances. Online Bill Pay allows you to quickly and securely bay your recurring bills directly from your LSB account. No more spending money on postage or hoping your check makes it on time.

With an Online Banking Account from Lincoln Savings Bank you can bring ease and simplicity to your financial management. Visit our Online Banking page to learn more and get started today!

In a world where more and more things are taking up blocks of time during your day, you don’t always have time to run to the bank before it closes. Fortunately, Lincoln Savings Bank has the technological tools to allow you to bank from your own kitchen or sofa. Our Online Banking system allows you to have total control over your checking and savings accounts from your personal computer or laptop.

One engaging tool available to our customers enrolled in Online Banking is Budget Plus. This free tool is integrated with Online Banking, allowing you to link your various accounts and making it a great tool for managing your household’s finances and budget.

The ability to help you track your spending is perhaps the greatest benefit of the Budget Plus. While some of your monthly expenses, such as your home payment, car loan, insurance and others stay relatively the same, other expenses fluctuate.

By giving you a visual representation of your spending, it helps you see where you can save, as well as places where you may need to allocate a little more money. You can also ensure that you have some “wiggle room” for certain fluctuating expenses such as groceries, gas for your car or utilities for the month. All in all, this Personal Finance Management program gives you the ability to see your financial life as a whole and make well-informed decisions to keep yourself on the right financial path.

You can make this system a part of your fiscal life by opening an account with LSB and then enrolling for online banking. With BudgetPlus, you can ensure that your family will be able to live comfortably, and that you will be on the right path for your future monetary goals. 

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.

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.

It may seem like a life time ago when we were without smartphones and social media, but the truth is these technologies are still relatively new and pose new risks. Most of us are blinded by the ease of use and convenience of these services that we often overlook these risks. But as we become more confident in posting confidential information and more of use adapt smart phones we become more and more at risk or online fraud.

This can be seen in a recent study conducted by Javelin (a market research firm) that showed the number of fraud and identity theft incidents rising over the past few years. The increased amount of identity theft shows that the threat from online fraudsters is greater than ever. On the bright side the same study showed that the average cost per incident has been decreasing. This can be attributed to the increased security functions put in place by financial institutions such as being able to check your accounts with mobile devices and the ability to set advance alerts directed to your mobile devices. In order to reduce risk consumers should research these functions and take advantage of them when available. 

Frequently checking your online accounts along with activating alerts that are sent to your mobile device are two great ways to help reduce your risk, but it won’t completely eliminate your risk. You may also consider cleaning up your social media presence.

·         Adjust the security settings of you’re social media account to only share with those you want to.

·         Do not post personal information online, everything can be used by fraudsters.

o   Birthdays with months and years.

o   The name of your high school.

o   Email addresses.

o   Phone numbers and addresses.

Bank risk executives are expecting mobile banking to create the next big wave of financial services fraud. To help protect yourself from threats consider these following tips.

·         Start using a security password to protect your phone.

·         Do not save passwords on your phone.

·         Regularly update your applications, often these include security updates.

Businesses that utilize online banking also need to be aware of these online threats since they have a lot more money and facilities to get money out, like payroll and wires and near real-time wires and more ACH functionality.

Lincoln Savings Bank (LSB) takes the privacy and security of our customer data very seriously. With our recent online banking upgrade, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of the importance of protecting your personal information when using online banking. Federal financial regulators report that there has been an increase in the amount of cyber-criminals posing as financial institutions to target customers.

Here are a few steps you can take to help ensure the security of your online transactions.

• Remember that LSB will never e-mail, call or otherwise ask you for your online banking password or other electronic banking credentials. We may request your Login ID if you contact us for an online banking support request, though.

• Create a unique Login ID and Password using upper and lower case letters and also numbers. If you still use a “709” number for your Login ID, we encourage you to change that to something different. You can change that within online banking by clicking “Security” under the Preferences menu. You can also call us at 800-588-7551 to update your Login ID.

• Periodically change your password.

• Use a firewall and anti-virus software on your personal computer.

• Logout when you have finished your transactions. Do not just close the page.

Since commercial accounts are often targeted by thieves, LSB recommends each business take extra precaution and conduct their own risk assessment for online banking. We also recommend that businesses implement internal controls for any employees that have access to the business’ online banking accounts. These controls may include; password requirements, background checks, employee termination procedures, internal audits by a 3^rd party, etc…

The most important thing is that you contact us immediately if you feel as if your personal information has been compromised or if you discover any incorrect transactions on your account.