December 2023

As a benefit of your credit union membership, we make TruStage™ Life Insurance products available. They’re designed to be simple and fit your budget.

A small Life Insurance policy could be a good way to start, because any amount of coverage could make a difference. Some options could start at just $4.80 a month,* with a short application and no medical exam.

To help you get started learning about coverage options and costs, call a TruStage representative at 1-800-814-2914. You could also explore Life Insurance options, get quotes and in some cases apply online at www.trustage.com/termlife.

A tradition of strength

TruStage is underwritten by CMFG Life Insurance Company, which is rated “A” (Excellent) as of December 2022 by A.M. Best, an independent rating service which evaluates financial stability and operating performance, year after year. An “A” rating is the third highest of 16 ratings.

*$4.80/month is the rate for a 29-year-old female for $10,000 of coverage.

TruStage™ Simplified Issue Term Life Insurance is issued by CMFG Life Insurance Company. The insurance offered is not a deposit, and is not federally insured, sold or guaranteed by any financial institution. This is a term policy to age 80 that has premiums that increase when entering each five-year band: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, and 75. Approval is based on your answers to the questions on the application and additional information we obtain from other sources. Rates may be higher due to tobacco use. Product and features may vary and not be available in all states. Corporate Headquarters 5910 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53705 Base Form Numbers: ICC16-A10a-039, A10a-039-2016, ICC17-SIT-2, 2017-SIT-2. © TruStage

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Affinity Plus is dedicated to building toward a future that includes everyone. And we are committed to transparency about our efforts in our communities, including the inner workings of the credit union itself. Check out the 2023 Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Report for Affinity Plus!

Every winter, Affinity Plus members and employees line the frozen lakes of Minnesota, waiting for their turn to jump into the freezing waters to show their support for kinder, more inclusive communities. 

Each leap at the annual Polar Plunge raises money for Special Olympics Minnesota, and Affinity Plus would love you to consider jumping in too!

Take the Plunge – We’ll Help Get you Started

Beginning January 3, when you sign up for an in-person or virtual plunge event, you can use promo code AFFINITYPLUS at registration and receive a $50 jump-start donation toward your $75 fundraising minimum. This donation is available for the first 2,000 plungers who register and use the promo code.

With more than 20 Polar Plunge events across the state, there are ample options to take the plunge in a lake near you. Don’t have an event nearby but want to participate? No problem, you can take the plunge virtually too!

Every Leap Counts

When we partner with nonprofits, we search for an organization that shares the same values we build our credit union around: kindness, inclusion, caring, and diversity. Special Olympics Minnesota puts all of those values into practice, and we’ve shared a partnership since 2008 to support their health and leadership programs, helping people with intellectual disabilities transform themselves, their communities and the world.

Learn more and register for the Polar Plunge today!

We’re proud to announce that Affinity Plus's 31st location is coming to the Iron Range in late January 2024. The new branch will be located at 1460 S. 12th Ave. W in Virginia. We’re excited for the opportunity to serve the Iron Range community in a whole new way!

We’re ready to make members'  banking experiences more convenient and efficient. Our Iron Range members will have access to full branch services, including:

• Member Advisors to assist and support you,
• Mortgages, auto loans, and other loan options,
• An indoor ATM that accepts cash and check deposits,
• And more

Keep an eye out for more details about specific grand opening details! In the meantime, we’re thrilled to bring our people-over-profit mission to the members of the Iron Range.

It was cold, windy, and only a day before Halloween, but that didn’t stop around 100 people from showing up to the Grand Opening celebration at our new East Metro branch in Lake Elmo.

The Oct. 30 celebration was a great success, with East Metro community members of all ages enjoying Trunk or Treat in the parking lot before stopping into the new branch lobby. 

“As the communities in the East Metro continue to grow, I’m excited to bring high-quality financial services and Affinity Plus’s community-focused mission to the area that I call home,” said East Metro Branch Manager, Jasha Fransen. 

The Lake Elmo branch offers our full range of banking services, along with Member Advisors ready to help and support our members.  

Affinity Plus has more grand openings on the horizon, with branches in Virginia and Shakopee coming soon. We’ll keep you posted about when they open and when to expect a party!

When you give to the Affinity Plus Foundation, you’re making an investment in a better future for more Minnesotans. And now, your donations can go even further with a match from Affinity Plus.

These donations help students like Arian, one of the Foundation’s 2019 scholarship recipients, whose journey included dropping out of high school, obtaining his GED and enrolling at University of Minnesota – Duluth. Arian is now on his way to an Ivy League school next fall to pursue a Master’s degree. He hopes to use the degree to develop more sustainable energy solutions for everyone!

Until the end of 2023, Affinity Plus will match all donations made to the Affinity Plus Foundation, up to a grand total of $5,000. 

Learn more about the Affinity Plus Foundation and donate today! 

With the holiday seasons upon us, many of us will be spending time with loved ones. It’s exciting and fun, which is why it makes sense that you’d want to tell your Facebook or Instagram friends about it. 

Social media is a great way to connect with people we don’t see in our everyday lives, but oftentimes we forget that what we post is accessible to more people than we had in mind. That information – such as family member names, locations, schools, and even vacation plans – can be used against you in a scam.

Social media is a powerful tool for scammers to gather personal information about us and our lives. This doesn’t mean you can’t share your holiday fun with your friends! However, there are steps you can take to better protect yourself and your information.

Social Media Safety

Here are a few key tips on how to keep yourself safe on social media:

• Review your privacy settings | Your social media account has privacy settings that allow you to have a say in who sees what. Restrict what you share to only those that you are connected with.
• Only share personal info with people you know | This could help mitigate risk of your posts being used against you by a scammer trying to use that info for fear-based scams socially engineered to upset you. (For example, a grandparent receiving a call from someone imitating a grandchild in distress and needing money immediately.)
• Use the tools for alerts and/or notifications | Your social media accounts have notifications and alerts to tell you about account activity, giving you another layer of awareness about what’s happening with your information.

We hope you and yours have a safe and happy holiday season!

Article Author, Chris O'Shea and SaavyMoney

The year is almost over, so now is a good time to conduct a year-end financial checkup. Here are some things to review so that you start the new year on the right foot.

Review Your Budget.

Check-in with your budget to make sure it aligns with your saving and spending habits. Are your savings setting you up to hit your short and long-term goals? Were there any big life moments — like having a baby, moving, etc. — that happened that would warrant some likewise big changes to the budget?

Check on Your Investments.

Ask yourself the following:

• How are you doing with your investments?
• Are you hitting the employee match on your 401(k)? If not, make it a New Year’s goal.
• What about your IRA contributions?
• Is there any way to max those out?

If you can’t contribute the max, consider increasing them every single year. Also, check in on your stocks and bonds. If you’re not happy with how you’re invested, make a change so that the year ahead is an improvement.

Decide on Debt

The end of the year is a good time to make sure you have a solid strategy for paying down any debts, particularly high-rate ones. Review your loans and credit cards. Are you making inroads or just treading water? If you are struggling to make progress on your debts, consider trying something new, like a balance transfer credit card.

Update Your Goals.

Make sure your saving habits are aligned with your long-term goals. If things are off track, make this the year you get going in the right direction.

Do One Thing:

Review your budget at the start of every year and after every major life event.