The Latest News From The Vault
Yesterday's Traditions.
Tomorrow's Vision.
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www.fkc.bank
Phone: 1.888.759.2266
Issue 2 - April 2019
Greetings!

I’m happy to present our second edition of the 2019 “News From the Vault.” Enjoy!

A few months ago as 2018 was coming to an end, I invited everyone in our First Keystone Community Bank family to participate in an initiative called CONNECT For Kindness . We exhibited deliberate kindness to our customers, our colleagues, our communities, and even to ourselves! I am proud to say that we were wildly successful with 100% participation. We benefited in so many ways, including the ability to support local food banks at the holiday season.
Now we are building on Kindness with another CONNECT initiative. This one is all about LEARNING.

We are learning, connecting with each other, and having fun doing it!

I know that our employees are our most valued resource and I support their growth. I am committed to helping develop and enrich our employees’ lives and careers through learning. Not only do we want employees to grow by their own learning, but I believe they have a lot to offer by teaching others. I chose learning for our second Connect project because I believe that learning and teaching will enhance our connections and improve our worlds.

I think we sometimes take for granted how much we know that others would benefit from learning. For example, if someone knows how to effectively and efficiently control an ever expanding email Inbox, there may be someone sitting next to them who would love to learn how to do just that. If someone has excellent time management skills, I’ll bet someone else could benefit from that knowledge.

Throughout a six-week period, we are all focused on learning. We are teaching each other and learning from each other.

During the first two weeks, employees are focused on their own Branches and Departments. For example, someone may want to learn Excel or teach how a bank makes and spends money – in plain English!

During weeks three and four, each department or branch will teach something to their colleagues throughout the bank. A few ideas we provided to our employees to get the ball rolling include: “What are your department’s best kept secrets? If you are a branch, will you teach us all about the importance of dual control? If you are in lending, please teach us the difference between a Home Equity Line of Credit and a Home Equity Loan?”

In weeks five and six, we are going to educate the community. We’ve suggested that our employees develop and deliver a presentation to a non-profit agency regarding financial literacy. Or perhaps create a handout for customers regarding the importance of, and tips for, developing secure passwords and protecting passwords to be safe online.

At First Keystone Community Bank, we are committed to learning and growth. With each of our employees participating in this CONNECT project, we will develop a habit of learning. It will help us as individuals, and it will help us as a bank. A habit of learning will lead us into a culture of learning. Along with kindness, that’s what I’d like to see fueling our good business and ultimately our success at First Keystone Community Bank.

I can’t wait to share our results with you in our next newsletter!


Warmest Regards,
Elaine
MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
IN OUR COMMUNITIES
Crestwood Comets Football Team
Free Ice Cream
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Clear Run Elementary
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FINANCIAL PODCASTS
If you want to get your money in order in the coming year, here are some Financial Podcasts to get you started for 2019.

In case you haven't heard, there are more than 550,000 podcasts available for download. There are shows for any conceivable topic of interest: history, politics, science and even the art of being hip. So it should come as little surprise that there are podcasts to help you become wealthier, too. A number of personal finance leaders have joined the podcasting revolution in recent years, and their advice can help you establish personal finance goals in the coming year.

"While many look for financial advice online, podcasts have quickly grown to be a new and popular medium where people flock to learn from money experts and entrepreneurs," said Keri Danielski, consumer finance expert for Mint. "Whether you're looking for advanced advice on topics like buying a home and investing, or looking for tips on how to get a jump-start on your savings, there are a variety of podcasts that can help."

Whether you're a recent graduate who knows little about personal finance or you're trying to break a nasty credit card habit, these podcasts are best for those looking to learn personal finance basics and find motivation for getting their money management on track.


The Dave Ramsey Show
In this podcast, radio host, best-selling author and personal finance guru Dave Ramsey shares his thoughts on debt, investing, retirement, insurance and marriage. It's perfect for the person who wants to know a bit of everything from an authoritative source while not getting bored.

So Money
This podcast, from Farnoosh Torabi, is widely praised by journalists. "Farnoosh brings on such a wide variety of people, from experts to authors to bloggers to average, everyday people, and each one has a unique money story to share," said Tanza Loudenback, an associate editor covering personal finance at Business Insider. "At the end of each episode, she asks some rapid-fire questions that I always look forward to, like, 'What did you wish you learned about money growing up?' And, 'What do you spend money on that makes life easier or better?'"
 
Function
Another favorite is 'Function' podcast with Anil Dash. While not a traditional financial show, "it takes a closer look at personal finance apps—like Mint—and examines how they have changed the way people think about money."
 
The BiggerPockets Money Podcast
Even if you're rich, chances are you'd like to be richer. Everyone looking to fill their pockets can take something from the "BiggerPockets Money Podcast," in which Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench interview luminaries to glean wisdom about saving more, spending smarter and making that nest egg a little fatter.

The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss is an icon among entrepreneur icons. He is the bestselling author of "The 4-Hour Workweek." Each episode, Tim deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, sports, business, art, etc.) to extract the tactics, tools, and routines that make them successful and that you can use. 


HAPPY PODCASTING!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO
PROTECT YOURSELF & YOUR BUSINESS!

We all know that small businesses are among the most vulnerable when it comes to cyberattacks and scams – especially during tax season.
Taking simple, actionable steps can go a long way in helping to protect the company’s data along with the personal information of your employees and customers during a period of high online traffic.

Download this StaySafeOnline tip sheet to keep your small biz safer.

https://staysafeonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/SMB-Alert-Tax-Time_2019.pdf


AND...

Aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain an ongoing threat to taxpayers especially at this time of year. The IRS will NEVER contact a taxpayer via e-mail, text or social media. Any e-mail that appears to be from the IRS about a refund or tax problem is probably an attempt by scammers to steal information. Forward the e-mail to  phishing@irs.gov .
The first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue will be by mail.
WE ARE NOW OFFERING SwipeSimple
We know small businesses need the right tools that just work when they need to. They don’t need every complex feature or expensive piece of hardware. SwipeSimple is designed to be the on the go-to-platform for small businesses who need a secure EMV and PCI-compliant way to accept payments anywhere and everywhere.

ON THE GO- Mobile App
With SwipeSimple, you will have the ability to accept a card present payment utilizing your own mobile device. It connects wirelessly to your Apple or Android device via Bluetooth. Just fire up the SwipeSimple point of sale app and you are ready to take payments anywhere.

In Your Store
SwipeSimple Register is a modern, easy-to-use solution that replaces traditional cash registers and payment terminals.

At Your Computer
SwipeSimple Merchant Web Dashboard securely accepts payments, store customer cards, schedule payments and provides business insights.

Call Lauren Duane or Melanie Golomb at 570-752-3671 Ext. 8506
to learn more and set up your Swipe Simple System.

TAKING THE CONFUSION OUT OF ACCEPTING CREDIT CARDS FOR
SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
The fine print on personal credit cards can drive a person crazy, and the language for accepting credit cards for your business isn't any different. While you don't need to be a contract lawyer to understand the terms and conditions from your credit card processor, you do have to thoroughly read the contract so you understand how it (and the processor) will affect your business and its bottom line.
From confusing credit card processing rates to lengthy service contracts and complicated compliance issues, accepting plastic as a payment method leaves some small business owners' heads spinning. To help you make sense of it all, here are some of the most confusing things about accepting credit cards and how to make the process simpler.

Pricing Models
Credit card processing pricing also often confuses business owners because of the many different pricing models.
There are several different pricing methods, but the two most popular are tiered pricing and interchange plus. In tiered pricing, merchants qualify for different vendor-determined rates, while interchange plus uses rates set by the credit card brand, such as Visa and MasterCard.
Interchange plus is a much more transparent model of pricing, but it also leads to more confusion if the business owner does not understand what the pricing entails. Businesses should determine the type of pricing credit card processors offer and whether they can afford those fees, given their cash flow and their customer base. Business owners should get as much specific information as possible about the processor's rates to avoid surprises later on.

Contract Terms
No one likes to read lengthy contracts, but it's a necessary evil of doing business. It's also one of the most important and confusing aspects of signing up with a credit card processor. Failure to completely understand your service contract could lead to some unpleasant surprises.
These contracts can be very long, so unless the business owner takes the time to read through every line, they may be caught by surprise.
There is really no regulation to be an agent for a merchant service provider, so there are agents out there telling a small business owner what they want to hear rather than speaking with knowledge and integrity. By not reading contracts themselves, business owners risk the shock and hindrance imposed by hidden fees and service limitations. In particular, businesses should ask how long a contract lasts and whether they are leasing the equipment. Watch out for fees, including early termination, annual, setup, monthly, monthly minimum and Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance fees.

PCI Compliance
Credit card processing security is no joke. Failure to protect customers' data won't just harm a business's reputation, it can cost the company significantly in terms of government and banking fines, lawsuits, and more. One area of confusion for business owners is PCI compliance, which consists of a set of credit card processing security standards.
The problem is that business owners either trust or don't know enough about security, so they don't verify whether their credit card processor is compliant or not.
Verify PCI compliance with the processor you are considering using.
As with pricing and fees, the best way to prevent any confusion is to ask questions. Business owners should find out from vendors if their terminal and software are in fact PCI-compliant.

E-Commerce Capability
Technology lets merchants conduct business anytime and anywhere – both a blessing and a curse. This ability creates several types of confusion for processing credit cards. This is because not all credit card processors are compatible with different merchant services.
Some business owners need to know that their merchant account will work seamlessly across all sales channels like retail, e-commerce and mobile. It can get confusing trying to make sure all channels can play well with each other.
This is particularly the case with accepting credit card payments at self-hosted online stores.
Until recently, accepting credit cards for online payments has been a surprisingly complicated and painful process.
It required setting up a merchant account with a bank, signing up with a payment gateway and then using any number of payment software solutions to integrate with your software meant multiple applications, fees and accounts just to get set up.

Looking for the right credit card processor for your business?
We would love to help you.

Call Lauren Duane or Melanie Golomb, our Business Deposit Team,
to find out more. 570-752-3671 Ext. 8506


MEET OUR TEAM THAT IS READY TO HELP YOU!
Visit Our Website to Request More Information
EVENT CALENDAR . DATES TO REMEMBER
May
Greater Columbia County Area

Friday, May 10th
United Way Day of Caring
Berwick Area

Friday, May 24th - Sunday, May 26th
Mifflinville Celebration
Mifflinville Park

Monday, May 27th
Mifflinville Memorial Day Parade


Pocono Area

Sunday, May 19th
American Red Cross Run for the Red Marathon

Sunday, May 26th
Community Aviation Day & Fly-In Breakfast,
Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport


Wyoming Valley

Wednesday, May 15th
United Way Day of Caring

June
Greater Columbia County Area

Saturday, June 1st
Celebrate Berwick
Visit their Facebook page to learn more.

Friday, June 14th - Saturday, June 15th
Relay for Life
Old Highschool Track


Wyoming Valley

Friday, June 21st - Sunday, June 23rd
Riverfest Wilkes-Barre




July
Pocono Area

Saturday, July 13th
Barrett Township Concert in the Park
Visit their facebook page to learn more



Wyoming Valley

Thursday, July 4th
Mountain Top 4th of July Parade


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