Auburn State Bank Pledges $50,000 to Peru State College
Peru, Nebraska - Auburn State Bank recently donated $50,000 to Peru State College’s Project ROAR Campaign in support of the new facilities. This will help transform Peru State College and Southeast Nebraska with five new buildings. Auburn State Bank pledge amount will go to the naming rights for a basketball court in the multipurpose dome.
Auburn State Bank CEO Jeff Allgood said, "Peru State College is not only a cornerstone of Southeast Nebraska and more particularly Nemaha County, but also a major source of our identity. As a locally owned community bank with a history that also runs deep, we understand the benefit to our economy and quality of life that Peru State College brings to the area. We believe it important to support projects like this to help ensure their prominence remains well into the future and we are proud to be a part of it."
Project ROAR will add more than 104,000 square feet of indoor space to the campus. This more than doubles the square footage of the Peru State’s largest building, the Al Wheeler Activity Center. Three of the buildings will be near the baseball and softball fields at the Centennial Complex south of the main campus. The other two will be built on a practice field north of the Oak Bowl stadium. The largest components are large air-supported, artificially turfed domes at each site.
If you are interested in giving a tax-deductible donation, please call the Peru State College Foundation office, 402-872-2304 or email Ted Harshbarger at tharshbarger@peru.edu. Donors will have the option of spreading pledge gifts out through 2025. Peru State College plans to start breaking ground in 2023.
Nestled in the hills of historic southeast Nebraska, Peru State College offers a mix of innovative online and traditional classroom undergraduate and graduate programs, including online graduate degrees in education and organizational management.
Established in 1867 as Nebraska’s first college, Peru State has transformed over the past century and a half into a state-of-the-art institution offering diverse, multifaceted educational programs annually to nearly 2,000 students.
Auburn State Bank Participating in SBA Paycheck Protection Program
Auburn State Bank has processed over $3 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through the newly created Small Business Administration (SBA) program. This federal program earmarked $349 billion to aid small businesses impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. These PPP loans are guaranteed by SBA and can be fully forgiven if the proceeds are used for allowable expenses including payroll, utilities, rent, and mortgage interest, with the requirement at least 75% of the loan amount be used for payroll expenses.
The CEO of Auburn State Bank said, “We have been working very hard the last two weeks to process and fund these loans, ensuring our small business customers have the opportunity to capitalize on this program while funding remains available. The program has not been without challenges. Many banks have struggled to gain access to the SBA program, while others chose to delay the funding of approved applications until program guidelines were finalized. At Auburn State Bank, we recognized the financial needs of our business customers and made the decision to fund these loans immediately to help limit employee layoffs during this critical time. Our philosophy as a locally-owned community bank is to be there when our community needs us. I am very proud of our lenders and staff for their extraordinary efforts to ensure our community businesses receive the support they need.”
CONNECTme:
Your whole financial picture, in one place.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see all of your financial accounts in one secure place, on one screen?! Now you can with CONNECTme from Auburn State Bank. CONNECTme allows you to link different types of financial accounts from different providers into your online banking account so you can see all your assets, balances and expenses each month. You can link accounts for:
- Bank accounts outside of Auburn State Bank
- Credit cards
- Auto loans
- Mortgages
- Investments
By linking your various accounts, you can keep track of your balances, where you’re spending your money each month and upcoming payments dates. Plus, linking an account is easy and only takes a few minutes. Check out these videos for step-by-step instructions on how to get started. If one or more of your outside accounts isn’t supported, you can manually add it in. You can also add assets or liabilities for things like your home, vehicles and more.
With CONNECTme, you can also:
- Track your net worth over the course of six months, nine months or one year time frames.
- Create a comprehensive budget and track how closely you stick to it. CONNECTme will automatically sort your spending into different categories and show you in green if you’re under budget or red if you’re over and by how much.
- View spending and income trends in different categories over various time frames. CONNECTme can also show you how much you can save by paying off your debts faster.
If you’re ready to view all your finances in one spot, with one secure login, get started today with CONNECTme. Give us a call at 402-274-4342 to learn more!
Consider an IRA!
What’s an IRA?
An individual retirement account, or IRA, is just as it sounds – an account that helps you save for retirement. There are two different types, too; a traditional or pre-tax IRA and a Roth or after-tax IRA.
- Traditional IRA – a traditional or pre-tax IRA allows you to save for the future while limiting your tax liability now. Contributions to your IRA are made tax free, but you’ll have to pay them when you withdraw the money.
- Roth IRA – a Roth or post-tax IRA still allows you to save for retirement, but you pay taxes on the contributions now. Why would you want to do this? Because when you withdraw the money, that money and the interest accrued will be tax-free!
Where should I get an IRA?
Several companies offer IRAs, but there are some advantages to getting an IRA with your community bank versus the big investment firms.
- Guaranteed rate of return – Yep, you read that right. When you get an IRA from your community bank, you’ll get a guaranteed rate of return. Other IRAs are tied to the market and with that comes risk. You may potentially earn more interest with an IRA that’s tied to the market, but you might also lose money.
- Your money stays here – The money that you put into your IRA will be invested directly into your community. It won’t go to New York, San Francisco or overseas. And, if you ever have questions or concerns, you can just stop in.
Why get an IRA?
The future will be here someday, so why not prepare for it now? By setting aside a small percentage of your pay, you can be on your way to a secure retirement. And, if you have retirement savings in other places, maybe from a previous 401(k), you can easily roll those into your IRA.
To learn more about IRAs, or to set one up, contact Auburn State Bank today.
2019 Tax Update
‘Tis the season … to file your taxes! 5 things to consider when filing your taxes this year and 1 thing to be aware of.
It may not be as fun as the holidays, but ‘tis the season for filing your taxes! And, some things have changed since you filed last. Late 2017, sweeping tax reform changes were signed into law, making this the first tax season the changes take effect. Here are 5 things you need to know this tax season:
- Tax brackets have changed – One of the biggest changes was the adjustment of the tax brackets — there are still 7 brackets as in years past, but tax rates have been reduced for most. For example, in 2017 a married couple filing jointly earning $50,000 a year, would have a tax rate of 15%. This year, that same couple would have a tax rate of just 12%.1
- HELOC interest is still tax-deductible … sometimes – Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC) have long been used for a myriad of things including paying for higher education or paying off credit card bills. But, under the new law you can only deduct interest paid toward a HELOC that was used for home improvements, like a remodel or an addition.2
- The Child Tax Credit has doubled – Under the new tax code, the Child Tax Credit increased from $1,000 to $2,000 per qualifying child under the age of 17. You may also be eligible for a $300 credit for each dependent that isn’t a child.3
- 529’s are for more than just college – In the past, 529 college savings plans were for just that – college. But now, you can use that money for other educational expenses including private school or tutoring. The best part? The money will grow tax-free while your child grows.4
- Contributions to retirement accounts are still tax-free – One thing that didn’t change with the new tax reform is that contributions to retirement accounts and the interest earned are tax-free until they’re withdrawn. In other words, by saving for your retirement in an account such as an individual retirement account (IRA), you could be reducing your taxable income now and setting yourself up for success later.5
If you didn’t contribute to an IRA in 2018, set one up now to help reduce the taxes you’ll owe next year and start earning interest. Contact the team at Auburn State Bank to learn more.
Warning: Fraudsters are trying to steal tax-refunds – Over the past few years, criminals have started impersonating the IRS to trick innocent tax-payers into paying them money. Remember – the IRS will not initiate contact with you by phone, email, text message or social media. If someone claiming to be the IRS contacts you through one of these channels, don’t reply or share your information.
This article is meant to be educational. Please visit IRS.gov or contact your tax professional for further details.
1 https://www.kdpllp.com/2017-vs-2018-federal-income-tax-brackets/
2 https://www.schwab.com/resource-center/insights/content/is-interest-on-heloc-still-tax-deductible
