Florida's Unemployment Rate Reaches 11.9% in September

Florida's unemployment rate reached 11.9% in September, up 0.2% from August.

There was a year-to-year gain of 27,200 jobs in September. However, Florida residents lost 11,000 jobs from August to September, after losing 16,000 jobs the month before.

NCUA Phishing Email Alert

ALERT!! Beware of emails posing as the National Credit Union Association (NCUA) which may be phishing scams. The bogus emails state that the NCUA will add $50.00 to the member's account for participating in a survey. The link in the email redirects to a counterfeit version of the NCUA's website and features a survey which asks you to provide your credit card information and other personal information.

If you are a member who has received this fraudulent email, please forward the entire message to phishing@ncua.gov

NEW & Improved Online Banking from TFCU

COMING SOON is Tropical Financial Credit Union's (TFCU) NEW & improved online banking platform. TFCU is committed to staying up to date with the latest technology; that is why we are redesigning our online banking homepage.

Beginning Thursday, October 14th, 2010 you will be able to:
1) Review all accounts, balances and transactions from a single page
2) Put money in your pocket with a new rewards program
3) Track expenses and spending with an easy-to-read chart
4) Pay bills on-time
5) Make instant transfers between accounts
6) Review recent transactions through an new account history page

For more information about TFCU's online banking changes take a virtual tour here.

Florida Home Sales Rise, Prices Fall

Since the homebuyer tax credit expired in May, Florida's real estate market has been slow to recover. But home sales in Florida rose 1% from August 2009 to August 2010 and condo sales had an even greater increase of 22% statewide.

Although home sales have increased, median home prices have fallen 9% over the last year.

Florida Unemployment Rate Reaches 11.7%

This August, Florida's unemployment rate climbed to 11.7%, up from 11.5% in July of this year. This means that approximately 1 million of the 9.2 million Florida workers are jobless, according to the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. Florida's unemployment rate is now 2% higher than the nation's average.

The state lost 16,000 jobs last month, with the biggest losses in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, real estate and government.

4 Tips for Personal Finance Success

Most people don't think of themselves as a business, but truth is, when it comes to personal finance, you have been in business with yourself since birth. The same principals that come from business budgeting can be applied to managing your personal finance.

Here are 4 tips for successful personal finance:
1. Remove emotion from financial obligations - This will help you come up with practical solutions to problems and remove stress and other emotions from mounting bills and income worries.
2. Stay on top of things - Don't wait for bills to pile up and situations to become unmanageable. Be proactive and take care of bills as they arrive.
3. Budget - Learn new budgeting and financial planning skills and put them to use.
4. Be organized - Use software or keep a spreadsheet of your spending so you can see where your expenses can be better spent.

Open a Health Savings Account (HSA) with TFCU

Open a Health Savings Account (HSA) with Tropical Financial Credit Union (TFCU) today and earn 3.00% APY plus other benefits like less taxes and more control of your healthcare spending.

A HSA is a savings account for members of the South Florida Credit Union who are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). The HSA allows you to pay for current healthcare expenses and save for future medical expenses.