Blogs & Articles

Can your credit union grow financially while giving back? Absolutely.Credit unions are uniquely positioned to drive meaningful change in their communities while maintaining financial strength. Unlike traditional financial institutions, CUs operate with a mission-driven philosophy, making community support a natural part of their DNA. However, as the industry faces increasing economic pressures, the challenge becomes sustaining and expanding charitable initiatives without compromising financial growth. [...]

The CEO’s Guide to Purpose-Driven Growth: Balancing Financials & Community Impact

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Credit unions use the cash value of Corporate-Owned Life Insurance (COLI) as a tool to help them generate higher yields to offset the rising costs associated with employee benefits programs, such as health insurance and retirement. The death benefit from a life insurance policy can be used to help the organization shore-up underfunded benefit programs, […]

Why Do Credit Unions Use Corporate-Owned Life Insurance (COLI)?

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Did you know that credit unions have some unique opportunities to invest in products and services that are typically off-limits? NCUA Sections 20 and 21 allow credit unions to contribute to investments that are typically impermissible, including credit union-owned life insurance (“CUOLI” or “COLI”). [...]

Using CUOLI to Fund Section 20 and 21

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Split-dollar life insurance is a unique type of life insurance policy that can be extremely beneficial for businesses, including nonprofits and credit unions, and their key employees. Unlike other types of life insurance policies, split-dollar allows the organization to share in the risk and rewards associated with the policy. [...]

The Importance of Understanding Split-Dollar Insurance

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Charitable organizations are seeing their donations decrease in value due to inflation. In order to keep pace with rising costs, it is important for nonprofit organizations to diversify their assets. This will help protect them from the negative effects of inflation and ensure that they can continue to serve their communities effectively. [...]

How Can Your Nonprofit Keep Pace with Rising Costs?

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Non profits are always looking for ways to do more with less. These organizations are accountable to their Boards of Directors, donors, and to government oversight post submission of their form 990. All things considered, non profits are held to a higher standard and are expected to use their funds in the most efficient way possible. [...]

How Non Profits Use COLI to Fund Executive Comp Packages

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Succession planning is essential for any organization, but it holds particular significance in credit unions. These member-owned institutions rely heavily on stable leadership to maintain trust and continuity. As credit unions face increasing competition and regulatory demands, having a well-thought-out plan for leadership transitions is key to long-term success. […]

The Importance of Succession Planning in Credit Unions

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Compensation guidelines for nonprofits and tax-exempt organizations help ensure salaries are reasonable, but not excessive, and are reported honestly each year. […]

Compensation Guidelines for Nonprofits

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Employee benefits are a necessary recruitment and retention tool for credit unions to compete with other employers for top talent—and life insurance is often a key component of these benefit packages. There are many life insurance products available to employers, but split-dollar life insurance plans have become increasingly popular in recent years. Since split-dollar life insurance plans first became popular in the 1980s, the usage of these arrangements has continued to grow. [...]

What is Split-Dollar Life Insurance?

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