(Vicksburg, MS): Mutual Credit Union is thrilled to celebrate today with Sandy Evans as she celebrates 30 years working and serving the members of Mutual Credit Union. Sandy started with Mutual CU on February 26, 1991 as board secretary while also concurrently serving in the member services department. Since, 1991, Sandy has offered support to both members and fellow employees in her role as board secretary. Sandy has a degree from Ohio State University in Criminology and was previously employed at the Vicksburg Police Department, Vicksburg Medical Center, and the Polygraph Service. She and her husband Art own Vicksburg Alarms and they have four children, Melissa (Missy) Stockton, Robert Birdsong, Jeanice Skipper and Jeanelle Caraway.     

Congratulations, Sandy Evans on 30 wonderful years of a Job Well Done here at Mutual Credit Union! 

For more information about Mutual Credit Union please follow this link to our webpage. For additional questions, please contact the marketing department at marketing@mutualcu.org or by calling (601) 636-7523 ext. 1226.  

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It’s tax season, and the scammers are at it again! Beat them at their game by knowing what to look out for.

If you hear or see any of the following lines this tax season, you’re dealing with a scammer:

1. “We’re calling from the IRS to inform you that your identity has been stolen and you need to buy gift cards to fix it.”

If your identity has indeed been stolen, no amount of purchased gift cards will get it back.

2. “You owe tax money. We’ll arrest you, unless you buy iTunes gift cards.”

In this ruse, the scammer will also ask for the access numbers to the iTunes card to get easy and untraceable access to cash.

3. “If you don’t pay your tax bill now, we’ll cancel your Social Security number.”

Your Social Security number cannot be canceled, suspended, frozen or blocked.

4. “We’re calling you about a tax bill you’ve never heard about.”

The IRS will never initiate contact about an overdue tax bill by phone.

5.  “This is the Bureau of Tax Enforcement. We’re putting a lien or levy on your assets.”

Sounds scary, except for the fact that the Bureau of Tax Enforcement isn’t real.

6. “This is a pre-recorded message from the IRS. If you don’t call us back, you’ll be arrested.”

Scam alert: The IRS does not leave pre-recorded voicemails to individual taxpayers.

7. “You must make an immediate payment over the phone, using our chosen method.”

The IRS says that agents will never call to demand immediate payment using a specific method.

8. “Click here for more details about your tax refund.”

The IRS will never send emails with information about tax refunds. Clicking on the link in emails worded like this will put malware on the victim’s device.

9. “You owe the federal student tax.”

The federal student tax is yet another invention of tireless scammers.

10. “This is an SMS/social media post from the IRS. We need more information.”

The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers, or ask for sensitive information, via text message or social media.

Stay alert during tax season and keep your money and your information safe!

Your Turn: Have you been targeted by a tax scam? Share your experience in the comments.

Love is in the air and the money is flowing like heart emojis. According to the National Retail Federation, the average American spends $221.34 on Valentine’s Day each year. That’s a lot of money to spend on a one-day celebration!

Lucky for you, there are ways to enjoy a romantic evening with your partner without going into debt. Here’s how:

Work with a budget

Instead of spending mindlessly and regretting it afterward, designate a budget for all your Valentine’s Day expenses, and be sure to stick to it. In addition to helping you keep costs under control, working out a budget in advance will allow you to choose how to spend your money. You may decide to spend more on a gift and less on dinner, or maybe you’d rather skip both of these and splurge on a fun activity instead. Best of all, a preplanned budget means there will be no regrets spoiling the memory of your special day.

Shop smarter with a sales app

Check out shopping apps, like ShopSavvy or PriceGrabber, to score deals on that dream Valentines’ Day gift. The apps help you compare prices at online and in-store retailers, locate coupons for items you’re searching for and even bring up cash-back options to put money back into your wallet. Why pay full price when you don’t have to?

Save on flowers

Did you know that Americans spend close to $2 billion on Valentine’s Day flowers each year?

Save on those beautiful blossoms with these tips:

• Shop for flowers at Costco, Trader Joe’s or Aldi. You’ll find great deals on fresh flowers that will outlast the cheaper ones you might find at street vendors.
• Don’t buy flowers online. They’re unlikely to last well through the shipping and delivery process.
• Use the food. The small packet of flower food that comes along with your blossoms will help them last longer and stay vibrant and fresh — but only if you use it.

Bring down your dinner costs

Don’t break your budget on a romantic dinner for two.

First, consider dining in. Yes, we know your kitchen table isn’t the hottest place in town, but you can find another area in your home and turn it into a special spot for a special meal. Consider laying down a blanket in front of the fireplace for a picnic-inspired experience, moving a small table into the living room or even setting up a cozy corner in a rarely used room in your home, such as a storage room or guest bedroom. Cook up a storm, or order in — you’ll still save on restaurant costs by forgoing beverages, gratuities and other add-ons you end up blowing money on when you eat out.

If you or your loved one are really looking forward to dining out, make it less expensive by learning how to beat the psychological tricks that restaurateurs play on diners to get them to spend more:

• Look left. Restaurant owners strategically place the most profitable items on the menu in the right-hand corner — the spot most people look to automatically.
• Say the price out loud. Notice the lack of dollar signs on the menu? It’s a trick to get you to spend more. Make the price real in your mind by saying it out loud.
• Ignore the decoys. Restaurants famously place popular dishes near ridiculously overpriced items on the menu to make diners believe they’re getting a great deal. Your weapon against this trick is to completely ignore the most expensive item on the menu.
• Dumb it down. Reading a restaurant menu can sometimes feel like reading French — even if you’re eating Italian. When choosing what to order, isolate the actual item on the menu instead of getting lost in all those descriptive phrases.
• Take no notice of negative space. Another restaurant trick that gets diners to spend more is to create a pocket of empty space around high-profit items on the menu. This draws the eye to where the restaurant owner wants it to go and gets you to spend more than planned.

Celebrate late

If you dare, postpone your Valentine’s Day celebrations by a day or two for steep savings on all related expenses. You’ll find Valentine’s Day candy and greeting cards on clearance, gifts already marked down, and you won’t have to pay inflated restaurant prices for the same meal.

Use these hacks to plan the perfect Valentine’s Day on a budget.

Your Turn: How do you save on Valentine’s Day costs? Share your best tips with us in the comments.

Since the 1970s, the month of February has been designated as the time to celebrate and commemorate Black history. Schools, television networks and private organizations use this month to increase awareness and to educate people about the rich history of Black Americans.

There are so many ways to celebrate! We challenge you to do one thing for Black History Month on each of the 28 days of February. Here are 28 ideas to help get you started:

1. Support a Black-owned business. Many small businesses are hurting now. Show your support for a business in your community that is owned or operated by a Black person, partnership or family.
2. Visit a Black- or civil rights-history museum. If museums are not open for in-person visits in your area, you can take a virtual tour at almost any museum, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the DuSable Museum of African American History or the  National Civil Rights Museum.
3. Read the poem  “I, Too,” by Langston Hughes and have a family discussion about the poem’s meaning.
4. Read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
5. Binge-watch your favorite movies and documentaries on Black history and the civil rights movement.
6. Learn about the life of Rosa Parks, one of the most influential figures of the civil rights movement.
7. Read “On Beauty,” a novel by contemporary author Zadie Smith that explores beauty, feminism and sexuality within the context of race.
8. Volunteer for a Black charity. You can find a full list here.
9. Tune into blues music to read up on its history in the Black community.
10. Look through James Karales’s photos of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights marches and discuss their significance.
11. Learn the lyrics to “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,” released by James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul,” in August 1968, just four months after King’s assassination.
12. Donate to a racial justice or educational cause, such as The Sentencing Project, Thurgood Marshall College Fund or the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.
13. Explore Black history through the thousands of sources in the National Archives. This photo series of Chicago in the 1970s is a great place to start.
14. Read the poem “A Pledge to Rescue Our Youth,” by Maya Angelou. You can also watch this video to learn more about Angelou’s inspiration for this remarkable poem on youth and education.
15. Learn the unique art of stepping, a form of dancing that uses the body to create rhythms and sounds. Check out Step Afrika! for how-to videos and information.
16. Play a family game of Mancala, the ancient African game.
17. Learn the lyrics and the background of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” often referred to as the Black National Anthem.
18. Learn about an unknown hero of Black history.
19. Submit a blog to a Black media outlet.
20. Read a memoir written by an influential Black figure. Some great picks include “Becoming,” by Michelle Obama, “The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History In The Old South,” by Michael W. Twitty and “Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir Of Family,” by Condoleezza Rice.
21. Create an ‘I Have a Dream’ garland with your family. Look up instructions here.
22. Watch these student-made documentaries on notable African Americans.
23. Make a reading list of great books by Black authors.
24. Make a list of your favorite inspirational quotes by well-known Black personalities.
25. Tune into the free educational program and performance on Black history and culture by the Chicago Children’s Choir. The event will livestream on Facebook and YouTube on Feb. 25.
26. Learn the songs of the civil rights movement, like “This Little Light of Mine,” and “Oh, Freedom.” Have a family discussion, or open a discussion on your favorite social media platform, about the way the lyrics reflect the hopeful spirit of the era.
27. Do you know who was the first Black tennis player to win the U.S. Open? Brush up on your knowledge about the many famous firsts in Black history.
28. Take a virtual tour of Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters in Savannah, Ga.

Black history is rich, diverse, and, unfortunately, often painful. Use this list of ideas and activities to enrich your knowledge of Black culture and history this February.

Your Turn: How will you be celebrating Black History month? Share your ideas with us in the comments.