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A new journey begins...

First Farmers State Bank congratulates all of our local high school graduates! With diploma in hand, new opportunities await you.

First Farmers, your local community bank in Bloomington, wants to help you get your financial start. Whether you need a checking or savings account or start an IRA with your summer job income, contact us today! And we'll be here to provide high-quality service long after your accounts are opened.

It's that time of year again.

The first installment of property taxes are now due. You can pay your property taxes at any of First Farmers 3 banking locations. We accept tax payments for McLean and Tazewell Counties, but please be sure you present your tax bill with your payment. Pay now to avoid a late fee!

If you would like to pay both installments now, we will gladly accept both, but be advised that we will not accept any late payments. Any payments paid after the due date need to be sent directly to the appropriate Treasurer's Office

Any specific questions regarding your bill should be directed to the applicable Treasurer's Office:

• MCLEAN COUNTY TREASURER
  Rebecca C. McNeil, Treasurer
  115 E. Washington St., Room M101
  Bloomington, IL 61701
  (309) 888-5180
• TAZEWELL COUNTY TREASURER
  Mary Burress, Treasurer
  11 S. Fourth St., Suite 308
  McKenzie Building
  Pekin, IL 61554
  (309) 477-2284

First Farmers State Bank extends its best wishes to all 2013 college graduates!

You've worked hard to earn your diploma, and we hope you'll be using your degree soon. As you begin your career, consider developing a plan to invest for your future. Contact Brock Westbrook, Financial Advisor at First Farmers State Bank Investment Services, to discuss how to begin your investment journey.

Retirement probably seems like an eternity away, but it will be here before you know it, and it's never too early to begin planning for it!

You're not just another number at First Farmers. We are employee owned and customer focused, and we succeed only when YOU succeed.

Whether you need a checking account, mortgage or investment services, or assistance after you open an account, you can expect our staff to serve you with excellence.

If you're ready for a change, contact us today at any of our 3 Central Illinois locations!

 It is tax season and criminals are seizing the opportunity for scams. Do not become the next victim. 

Scammers leverage every means at their disposal to separate you from your money, your identity, or anything else of value they can get. They may offer seemingly legitimate “tax services” designed to steal your identity and your tax refund, sometimes with the lure of bigger write-offs or refunds. Scams may include mocked-up websites and tax forms that look like they belong to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to trick you into providing your personal information. 

Scam artists can prey on users by promising refunds that are fraudulent, a scam the IRS says has been rampant in previous years. In these scams, notices are posted on bulletin boards, in libraries, and at other community sites people visit either in person or online. 

Scammers make money from this trick in two ways. First, they collect a fee for helping to “file” for a refund on behalf of their victims. Second, they steal the victim’s identity for further exploitation. The victims are left paying a fee …

COMMON RISKS FOR SMARTPHONES
We usually do a good job of protecting our computers, but what about smartphones? Careless use can open up users to a lot of risks. Take a moment to consider each of these areas:

Loss of device and information theft. Smartphones are small and can easily be lost or stolen. Unauthorized users may access your accounts, address lists, photos, and more to scam, harm, or embarrass you or your friends. They may leverage stored passwords to access your bank and credit card accounts, steal your money, or make credit card charges. They may also gain access to sensitive material.

Social engineering. A common mobile threat is social engineering. Whether via text message, image, or application (app) to download, an incoming communication may be an attempt to gain access to your information. A current example consists of a text message that comes from an unknown number telling you that if you click on the link provided, you will have access to thousands of free ringtones. If this sounds too good to be true, that is because it is. The link is a malicious link. Clicking on it will compromise the security of your smartphone.

TMI (too much …

April 20-27, 2013
Various locations in
Bloomington-Normal

Whether you're looking to purchase your first home, would like information on estate planning, or are seeking help on any number of financial topics in between, Money Smart Week likely has something just for you!

Money Smart Week is a financial literacy initiative created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002, and free educational seminars on a multitude of topics are available!

To see what options are available in Bloomington-Normal -- or to learn more about Money Smart Week -- visit http://www.moneysmartweek.org/. If a seminar requires an RSVP, information will be provided online.

Are you a saver? Or a saver wannabe?

We've all heard the advice that we should pay ourselves first, but that's sometimes pretty hard to do -- cars break down, kids get sick, roofs need repair... Basically, life happens.

America Saves Week is a national campaign to promote good savings behavior and provide individuals the opportunity to assess their own savings status.

But it's also been proven that putting away even a few dollars out of each paycheck starts to add up quickly. Maybe you can't put away 10%, but how about 5%? Maybe just 3%? If you have to, start small and gradually increase the amount you save.

First Farmers State Bank can help you get started. Contact a Personal Banker at any of our three Central Illinois locations -- Bloomington, Minier and Delavan.

We're focused on your success!

Farmers, if you are debating whether to purchase crop insurance or if you are contemplating changes to your existing policy, don't forget that you have until MARCH 15, 2013 to finalize it.

If you have questions, please contact Crop Insurance Specialists Joe Conroy or Matt Allen. You can also reach Joe by phone at 309.392.2623 and Matt at 309.244.9277. They will be glad to visit with you and discuss your personal situation to determine the policy that best suits your needs.

The next time you renew your vehicle's registration, please be aware that the form's design has changed, and the size is also different. An example of the new form is pictured here.