Isn’t That Rich with MyFSB

One of the most important things we do with our business customers at Farmers State Bank is build a relationship with them and find out all about the needs of their business. And one of the needs we most often hear about is they are getting to the age where they want to retire but they don’t have anyone ready to take over their business. When we reached out to our guest for this episode, we knew h...

Are you thinking about becoming a co-signer on a loan for someone? It’s not a rare thing to be asked to co-sign a loan for family members and even friends. However, most people do not understand the full meaning of becoming a co-signer or the responsibilities that come with it. No matter how well you think you know someone, mixing money and relationships can get complicated. Becoming a cosigner ca...

If you’re trying to dig out of high-rate credit card debt, you might be considering a balance transfer. Because, let’s face it, why would you continue paying high interest when you can take advantage of that 0% introductory rate credit card promotion you heard about on the radio?   But before you go and do something crazy, like open another credit card, let’s get clear on a few implications that c...

It’s a beautiful but sweltering hot Saturday afternoon in July. You’re just getting in from a wonderful day on the lake with your family who is staying with you from out of town. You open the door to find some relief from your air conditioned home when you find your a/c unit has gone KerPlunk. You call your favorite heating and cooling company, who gives you the not-so-great news that your a/c nee...

When was the last time you took the time comb through your auto insurance coverage? If it’s been a few years, don’t worry you’re not alone, but chances are you’re either over or under insured since you originally signed up for your policy. Today we sat down with the lovely Larra Lipe of FSB Insurance to discuss the wonderful world of Auto Insurance Coverage. Larra is an insurance agent with FSB In...

Our host, Ashley McVicker, has some pretty big news to share with our listeners this week. She is in the preliminary stages of building her very first home! Although this is a very exciting time in her life, she has quickly realized there is more to building a home than meets the eye. On today’s episode Ashley shares her experience of what the home building process looks like BEFORE breaking groun...

Gone are the good ole days of high interest checking and savings accounts – or at least that’s we’re hearing from our grandparents! The good news is Farmers State Bank has found a way to continue providing our customers with rewards based checking and savings accounts that pay you to keep your money in the bank and in the way you want to be paid! If you’re looking for a high interest checking acco...

It’s not often you get to hear the story of how someone purchases and builds a community bank. Today we consider ourselves lucky to be able to sit down with the owner and Chairman of the Board at Farmers State Bank, Tom Franks, as he walks us through his journey from coal miner, to bank owner, and everything in between. You’ll get to hear the inside story of what inspired him to become a banker in...

Think Financial Advisors are just for the rich? Think again! This week we are sitting down with John Forbes of Forbes Financial Group to talk about why you might actually need a financial advisor. We ask him the tough questions like what the heck does a financial advisor do, what are some of the costs associated with hiring a FA, and when the best time to start working with one is. We decided to a...

It isn’t new news that the mortgage and residential real estate market has been all over the place over the past few years. We’ve gone from seeing some of the lowest interest rates in history just a few years ago, to the highest rates some of us have seen in our lifetime! So what in the world is going on in the mortgage industry today? In this episode, we sit down with Farmers State Bank’s Executi...

We see this scenario play out every day at the bank. Small business owners walk through our doors with hopes of growing their business. Whether they’ve outgrown their current operation and are in need of a loan to expand into a new location, or need financing to purchase new equipment, most often these small business owners don’t have their financials buttoned up. And for good reason! Maybe they s...

Is your small business as profitable as you dreamt it would be when you opened it? Is it growing at the rate you hoped it would? If not, chances are it has something to do with how much attention you’re giving your company culture. There are hundreds of studies that show company culture is not only the leading predictor of profitability, but it’s also the leading predictor of future growth. So, be...

Owning a small business may quite possibly be one of the loneliest jobs on the planet. You set out to create something beautiful for your community only to find yourself navigating more challenges than you ever thought possible, and there is no one to turn to for help but yourself. Every community bank out there claims they want to support your small businesses, but their efforts turn out to be li...

The phrase Financial Stewardship gets thrown around quite a bit in our society, but what does it mean exactly? The truth is it can mean something a little different to everyone. To an organization, financial stewardship might mean protecting the long-term assets of that organization in a moral and ethical way. To an individual, it may mean making purchasing decisions that align with your values su...

Credit, credit score, credit reports, credit cards. We’ve all heard about credit and the implications a negative credit score can have, and when someone brings up the topic of credit, everything just seems to go in one ear and out the other. Maybe you can relate? In the most basic terms, credit is a three-digit number that helps lenders judge the likelihood they’ll be paid back when they lend you...

We all enjoy the fruits of the electronic banking department. We love the mobile app and the ability it gives us to take our bank account into the palm of our hands. We love that we can transfer money around the world. We love being able to confidently make a deposit and not concern ourselves as to whether the funds will automatically be applied to the correct bank account. What we don’t realize i...

In this episode of our podcast, we sit down with our CEO, Charles Holland to discuss the recent Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) failure that made headlines.

Are you dreaming of owning your own home but don't know where to start? In this episode, we'll explore everything you need to know about buying your first home and how to prepare right now.

When should you start teaching your child about finances? Are they too young to start learning? Will it stress them out to think about money at such a young age? Today we are talking all about kids and finances. Kids are our future and we want them to develop a healthy relationship with money along with the ability to confidently handle their finances. But what is the best way to go about doing th...

POD, APY, DDA.... There are so many acronyms used in the banking industry, it’s no wonder banking feels intimidating to the average consumer! Personal bankers use these acronyms in their everyday vocabulary, but if you’re not from the banking world, they may sound foreign to you.    Today we’re going to be debunking all the basic banking lingo and teaching you how to speak the complex language of...

Do you have dreams of becoming the CEO of a company some day? Ever wondered what it might take to get there? Then you won’t want to miss this episode of our podcast!  This week we sat down with Charles Holland, CEO of Farmers State Bank, to hear all about his career journey from bank teller to CEO.  As someone who has held almost every position available, Charles gives us an inside view of the dif...

Whether you love or hate it, Valentine’s Day remains one of the most popular days to get engaged. But before you do something crazy, like join your entire life to another person, there is a lot to consider about your finances! Today we are going to tell you all the things you need to do banking-wise when it comes to getting married. Today we welcome our special guest, Taylor Shanks, to join us who...

Did you know fraud happens all the time? Yes, even here in small town southern Illinois! Well, it does! Fraudsters in our area are becoming more and more bold in their efforts and in ways we’ve never seen before. Today we are going to be sharing some of the most recent examples of how people in our community have fallen victim to fraud. We want to make you aware of what is happening, specifically...

This is the second episode of our two-part series on Financial Inventory Planning. Last week we told you the exact documents you need to get started when taking your own financial inventory. This week we are diving deeper into each of those categories to see the bigger picture and determine our net worth.  Knowing your net worth is key because without knowing where you stand financially, you won’t...