The $1,000 Trump Account: Free Money for Your Kid, and How to Actually Get It
What if $1,000 today could turn into hundreds of thousands by the time your child is ready to retire? That's the quiet power behind the new Trump Accounts, and this week we're pulling back the curtain on how it all works. We'll start with the free money that gets the account going, then walk through how much your family and your employer can contribute, where the money gets invested, and how it grows year after year without anybody touching it. Then we get to the part that really matters: the decision your child faces at 18, where they can spend it, or leave it alone and let it become a genuine nest egg. It's the difference between a nice head start and life-changing money. A small beginning, a huge finish, and it starts with one account.
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Supporting Students Beyond the Classroom
As students head back to school, it's a great reminder that every child deserves the opportunity to start the year feeling prepared, supported, and encouraged. Kelly Green, Senior Vice President of our Herrin branch and President of the Herrin School Board, joins us to discuss the many resources our local schools provide for students and families, including meal assistance, transportation, counseling services, and other programs that help remove barriers to learning. We also talk about how each of us can make a difference this school year. Sometimes helping is as simple as buying an extra backpack, donating school supplies, volunteering, or reaching out to ask your local school what they need most. A strong school year starts with a strong community, and together, we can help every student feel supported from day one.
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From Counter to Clearing: How Checks Really Work
Depositing a check feels simple. You hand it to a teller or snap a picture with your phone, see the money show up in your account, and assume you're good to go. But behind that simple transaction is a surprisingly detailed process designed to protect both you and your bank. On this episode of Isn't That Rich, we sat down with Anna Richardson, Vice President of Deposit Operations at Farmers State Bank, to pull back the curtain on what really happens after you deposit a check. From why funds sometimes aren't immediately available to how banks catch fraudulent checks every day, Anna gave us an inside look at the work most customers never see.
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Scammers Are Getting Smarter. Here's How to Stay Ahead of Them.
Forget the badly written emails and the obvious red flags. The fraud happening right now is polished, professional, and specifically designed to fool people who think they know better. In this episode, Jill and Ashley get into exactly why these new scams are working, what's changed, and what it means for how you protect yourself and your money. They cover spoofed numbers, fake verification requests, text scams, and more, and they make the case for why slowing down and trusting your gut might be the most underrated financial protection tool you have.
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MyFSB Book Club: Audacious by Mark Schaefer
Be honest. When was the last time a piece of marketing actually stopped you in your tracks? If you can't remember, that's exactly the problem Mark Schaefer tackles in Audacious, and it's exactly why we picked it for our June Book Club. In this episode, we dig into why playing it safe is the riskiest move a brand can make, how the flood of AI-generated content is making "fine" completely forgettable, and what it really takes to create marketing people talk about. We share the ideas that hit home for us, the parts that made us squirm a little, and how we're thinking about being bolder with our own brand right here in Southern Illinois. Whether you're a business owner, a marketer, or just someone who loves a good book with big ideas, this conversation will challenge you to stop blending in. Grab a copy, hit play, and read along with us.
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