SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED
R.I.A. Federal Credit Union staff and the Board of Directors would like to congratulate the winners of our Annual Scholarship Awards. Five scholarships, each totaling one thousand dollars, were awarded to students who are pursuing further education and have excelled academically and within their communities. They have demonstrated excellent community service as well as participation in school extracurricular activities. R.I.A. is honored to contribute to their education and bright futures. Since 1997, more than $80,000 has been awarded to help further the education of our outstanding graduates. We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our 2025 graduating seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors.
Atlantis
Atlantis graduated from West Carroll High School in 2024, during her time there she was a part of a number of extracurriculars including Scholastic Bowl, FFA, 4-H, Volleyball, track, and the National Honor Society 4-H is a club that Atlantis is still apart of where she can help volunteer and serve her community in many ways which helped her grow into the person she is today. Her track journey is something she joined later in high school and with her drive, it led to Aurora University contacting her, which is the university she is currently attending. Atlantis is finishing her freshman year at Aurora University where she is double majoring in Criminal Justice and psychology. Her future goals are becoming a paralegal.
Dolan
Dolan is a 2025 graduate of Central Dewitt High school. During his time at Central Dewitt High School, he was involved in various activities from multiple sports to clubs. These clubs included Future Business Leaders of America, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Junior Achievement, and Future Farmers of America. On top of that, he also helped with the behind-the-scenes work of his school’s musicals. With all this extra work Dolan also kept it a priority to keep his grades up which led him to be a TAG student, and be in National Honor Society, and his class treasurer. Dolans commitment, to numerous activities and what it has taught him it will help him succeed at the University of Iowa where he will be studying Actuarial Sciences.
Alayna
Alayna graduated from Wilton High School in 2023 where she was involved in band, multiple sports, and started her own cleaning business throughout the Muscatine community. She is currently attending the University of Northern Iowa where she is starting her junior year. Alayna is double majoring in Accounting and Finance with a minor in Entrepreneurship. On campus she is involved in the Entrepreneurship Club, the Accounting Club, and the Salt Company – a campus ministry, while also currently completing two different accounting internships. Alayna is set to graduate in May 2027 with both majors and then continue on to take the Certified Public Accountant Exam. This will help her achieve her career goals of working at a small accounting firm to create meaningful relationships with her clients in hopes of opening her own accounting business or another small business in the future.
Kylie
Kylie graduated with honors from Alleman High School in 2022. During Kylie’s time at Alleman, she was involved in the Service Cord where she completed 120+ hours of community service. Kylie was also a part of the Student Hunger Drive and was in the National Honor Society. Kylie is now a first-generation college student which is the driving force behind her success. Kylie wants a career that makes an impact on people’s lives. Caring for patients and families, especially during tough times, sounds substantially fulfilling to her, which has led her to her current studies of Nursing at Black Hawk College.
Gerald
Jerry graduated from Bettendorf High School this past May. During his time at Bett, he was involved in many activities from First Tech challenge robotics to National Honor Society and track and field. Jerry also successfully built a computer all on his own. Jerry has a career goal of developing new technology to alleviate medical problems, which is close to him after needing heart surgery at a young age. With all his various activities and courses it will help Jerry reach those goals. He plans to attend the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN in the fall to major in Computer Engineering. Jerry is excited to join robotics, volunteering clubs, and intramural sports on campus.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
10TH ANNUAL R.I.A. FCU GOLF OUTING BENEFITING THE HONOR FLIGHT OF THE QUAD CITIES
We held our 10th Annual R.I.A. Golf Outing Benefiting the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities in May and it was a great success! The Honor Flight of the QC sends much deserving veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the historical monuments built in their honor. Thanks to our volunteers and dedicated sponsors, we raised an astounding $44,557 for the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities. This is enough to fund 80 veteran flights! Thank you to everyone who made this event a great success and thank you to our generous sponsors for committing their time and money to the Honor Flight of the QC!
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
With a great turnout, R.I.A. walked in the Quad Cities Heart Walk again this year. Our team was a sponsor and participated in this year’s walk, in support of the American Heart Association. The money raised by the Heart Walk helps fund research and medical breakthroughs.
CHARITY GOLF OUTINGS
For R.I.A., summertime means golf! We are dedicated to building up our community, and what better way than through a sport we all love? The summer lineup for charity golf outings includes the following: R.I.A. Honor Flight Golf Outing, YMCA, Seton Catholic School, Savanna Chamber, Svithiod Club of Moline, Brantley Francis Foundation, Children’s Miracle Network, Paul & Dales Hack N’ Give Back, Milan Chamber, Support the Troops, and HavLife. R.I.A. is honored to be a part of these outings.
WISCONSIN COMMUNITY
Our Wisconsin crew is always busy in their community. They’ve been involved in the Fort McCoy Month of the Military Child, Armed Forces Day, U.S. Army Birthday, and Army Birthday Concert. The Tomah team sponsored and took part in the Fort McCoy Easter extravaganza which was a huge hit! As always, R.I.A. is excited to sponsor the Tomah Concert Series.
KIDS FOR VETS LEMONADE STAND
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade to raise money for veterans! The Kids for Vets kicked off the summer with a stand at our corporate center. They also set up at our R.I.A. Golf Outing for the Honor Flight and helped us raise funds. These kids put so much hard work and joy into our community and support our veterans in such a fun, unique way.
90 Years 90 Acts of Kindness
This year marks our 90th anniversary, and we’re celebrating it with 90 Acts of Kindness—our way of giving back to the communities that have supported us for nearly a century. As part of this initiative, we committed to completing 90 unique acts of kindness in 2025. So far, we’re proud to have completed 40 of those acts! Highlights include donating meals to our 911 dispatcher office, organizing roadside cleanups at our BettPlex, Davenport, Milan, Silvis, and Utica branches, and collecting enough food donations to provide 1,598 meals to families in need. Stay tuned as we continue this journey of gratitude and giving!
SAVANNA CHAMBER LADIES
DAY LUNCHEON
Always a group favorite, R.I.A. sent some fabulous ladies to the Savanna Chamber Ladies Day Luncheon again this year. They spent an afternoon enjoying a delicious lunch and an inspiring speaker. Being a part of the Savanna community is such an honor, and we love sponsoring this event.
When Spending a Little More is Worth It
Why it’s smarter to splurge on some products.
Some things are just worth paying a little extra for. It’s tempting to always go with the lowest price when you’re shopping around, but it may not always be the right course of action. Here are some products/services that you typically might want to pay a bit more for when purchasing.
Legal Help
If you need a lawyer, it’s not the right time to skimp on expenses. Though some lawyers might seem expensive upfront, in the long run, you’ll likely end up saving. Let’s say you use an affordable legal app to handle a legal matter, and the app directs you to address the situation in the wrong way. Now, not only are you already paying for the app’s services, you’ll have to pay again, whether through the app or another lawyer, to fix the situation.
Appliances
If your dishwasher stops working, you might be surprised by how much a new unit costs. It can be anywhere from $600 to $1,000 or more. But think long term: A new, reliable unit will:
- Save you tons on energy costs.
- It may come with a multi-year warranty.
- You could receive rebates from the manufacturer.
A used, or less efficient model, costs less but also has fewer guarantees.
Tires
Tires can be quite expensive. One report found that:
- Budget tires cost between $50 and $150
- Midrange tires cost between $100 to $300
- High-end tires will run you between $300 to $1,000.
That might seem like a lot, but high-end tires will save you money on fuel costs and are safer overall.
Do One Thing: Consider the long-term costs and savings of big purchases before making them.
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How to Improve Credit Score
Raise your score by doing a few key things.
When it comes to credit scores, there’s almost always room for improvement. If you’ve pulled your score and you’re not satisfied with the number you received, there are several strategies to boost it. But first, you need a little insight into how that score is calculated.
How is My Credit Score Generated?
VantageScore, the company that generates the credit score you see here, uses five major categories of information, all of which were reported to the credit bureaus by your lenders to generate scores that range from 350 to 850 (higher is better, of course).
VantageScore Breakdown
Each category is weighed differently. Here’s how your VantageScore* breaks down:
- 40% Payment History. Lenders want to see a history of consistent, on-time payments.
- 23% Credit Usage. Also known as credit utilization, it’s the ratio between the total balance you owe and your total credit limit on your accounts.
- Tip: Try to keep your credit utilization at 30 percent or below. If you are consistently maxing out your credit cards, it may look like a sign of desperation in the eyes of a lender.
- 21% Credit Age. This is the age and type of credit you have. This percentage factors into how long you’ve had different kinds of credit accounts open. The older your credit history, the better.
- 11% Account Mix. Your credit account mix considers the number and type of accounts you have. Your score may be higher if you have a mix of both installment credit, like mortgages or car loans, and revolving credit, like credit cards.
- 5% Inquiries. This is based on recent credit applications. Opening multiple credit accounts in a short period could represent a greater risk for lenders — multiple recent inquiries may worry the lenders that you are applying to so many places because you are unable to qualify for credit — or because you need money in a pinch — so avoid opening too many accounts too quickly.
- Tip: You don’t have to worry about this if you’re shopping for a mortgage or car loan. All inquiries within 14 days count as a single inquiry.
How to Raise Your Score
- Pull your credit reports. The three major credit scoring bureaus, TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian, will each allow you one free copy of your report each week. Plus, if your financial institution is a SavvyMoney partner, you have access to your report and score daily. If you get a copy directly from the credit scoring bureaus, I suggest spreading them out by pulling one every four months.
- What to do about errors. If you find an error in your report, you should dispute it. Simple mistakes – the wrong address or a misspelling of your name – can be fixed by calling the creditor and asking for an update. If they won’t oblige, or the error is more complicated, you should dispute directly with the credit bureaus. You can do this online.
- Pay your bills on time. One day late is still considered late, and just one late payment can lower your score.
- Pay down credit card debt. You don’t want to use more than 30% of the total credit available to you. Keeping your utilization well below that (closer to 10%) can give your score a boost.
- Hang onto old cards. Your credit score benefits from long relationships with lenders, so cut them up, but don’t cancel them if you can help it.
- Be thoughtful about shopping for new credit. Every time you apply for a new card or loan, the lender takes a peek at your credit history, which may ding your score.
- Spread your debts around. The mix of credit you have in your file—mortgages, student loans, auto loans, credit cards—shows that you can manage debt from multiple sources.
Remember that time and patience are key. You shouldn’t expect a change overnight, but you may see improvement in 12 to 18 months – shorter, if your score is already fairly high and you’re just looking for a bit of a bump.
Savings Rate
Your savings rate is the percentage of your income that you stash away for short and long-term savings. This can include emergency savings, saving for a financial goal, or retirement savings.
- Savings Rate Calculation. Aim to save between 10 and 15 percent of your income.
Saving 15 percent over the course of your working life is enough to allow most people to replace 80 percent of their pre-retirement income when combined with Social Security over a 30-year retirement.
Do One Thing
Make it a goal to have all your personal finance ratios exactly where you want them to be.
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Stock Up Your Emergency Savings
How to build an emergency fund.
Having an emergency fund is critical to your financial health. You can only count on one thing in life: The unexpected. That’s why this fund is so important. It’s there to help ease the pitfalls of life. Here are some steps to help you build the fund.
- Set Up an Account. Find a high-yield savings account that you will use specifically for the emergency fund. Check credit unions and online banks, as they often have better rates than big banks.
- Trim Your Budget. Go through your budget and trim the fat. Look at subscription services, as you often are paying for ones you rarely use. That extra money will now be used to fund your savings.
- Start Small. The goal of your emergency fund is to have it stocked with enough money to cover six months of expenses. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t start small. The most important thing is to simply get started. So save $50 a month at first if that’s all you can afford.
- Set Aside Big Money. One way to help that fund grow faster is to set aside any cash windfalls. Let’s say you get a bonus or a big tax refund — put that money in your emergency fund.
- Don’t Withdraw. Try your best not to touch that emergency fund until a true crisis hits. The longer you allow it to grow, the better.
Do One Thing: Use a high-yield savings account for your fund so the money grows as fast as possible.
Special Closings
Independence Day
Friday, July 4
Labor Day
Monday, September 2
Remember, you can still access your credit union account on holidays and after hours with your R.I.A. FCU ATM/Debit Card, Mobile Banking, DANA or Internet Account Access. Sign up today!