Banknotes

By, Sam Huntington, Vice President – Treasury Management Director

As if organizations needed another type of financial scam to be wary of, cyber criminals are increasingly turning their focus to human resources and payroll functions. 

By: Dan Savage – Senior Vice President and Senior Trust Officer

Regardless of your relationship status, wealth planning (sometimes referred to as "life planning") is an important undertaking, but it is particularly critical for single individuals who do not have children.

By: Jeff Supple, Vice President & Trust Officer

There are approximately 232 million more Google searches for cute puppies than there are for net unrealized appreciation (NUA), so please forgive me for the clickbait-y title to this piece – it's only meant to draw attention to a wonderful tax and estate planning strategy that is rarely utilized.

By: Tara Grays, Business Banking Officer

New investment opportunities pop up all the time – in the form of a start-up business, advice from a financial advisor, a new government-sponsored program, or something else entirely. Among the buzziest in recent memory, particularly here in the Greater Madison Area, are Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs).

By: Jordon Geiger, Vice President and Trust Officer

In our line of work, we have the privilege of talking with business owners across a wide swath of industries about what each of them is experiencing. Sometimes, through those candid discussions, we are able to discover developing micro- and macroeconomic trends. 

By: Cindy Mack, Assistant Vice President – Mortgage Banker

Mortgage interest rates have been declining recently, and you may be wondering whether it makes sense to refinance. If you can either lower your monthly payment, or keep your payment about the same but pay your loan off faster, then it might.

By: Bridget Krueger, Assistant Vice President and Business Banker

Last November, I read an article in Business News Daily that attempted to foresee some of the trends that lay ahead for small businesses in the coming year. Now that we're halfway through that year, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to take a look at some of their predictions, and offer my own perspective based on what I've seen so far.

By: Jason Laufenberg, BSA/CRA/Compliance Officer

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is on June 15, 2019. Launched by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations, the purpose of WEAAD is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic, and demographic processes that impact it. 

By: Ben Swanson, Business Banker

While I assume that most people probably understand the functions that a bank performs, they may be less informed as to how the institution performs those functions – and lesser informed, still, as to how a community bank differs (in products, services, philosophy) from larger national and regional counterparts. By first exploring the general banking model, I hope to provide insight into what sets community banks apart.

By: Dawn Mullarney, Trust Officer and Trust Marketing Specialist

Have you ever wondered how many documents are necessary to have a well-crafted estate plan? The short answer is often: “more than you think.” However, there is NOT a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Following is a list of the important documents commonly used in estate planning.