In the fall of 2023, Vizo Financial launched the Empowerment Grants Program, pledging $1 million in funding for the span of five years to provide financial support for credit union foundations in developing financial wellness programs.

In this week’s episode of the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast, our host Jaime sits down with Sue Ward-Diorio, executive director, CrossState Credit Union Foundation and two credit union grant recipients to chat about a topic at the heart of the credit union movement…empowerment!

In this episode, you’ll learn how these grants work, what kind of projects they support and how they’re changing lives. Listen as they talk on these topics:

· Projects and initiatives that credit union recipients funded with these grants

· How these grants fit into the broader mission of empowering credit unions and their communities

· The community impact that organizations have seen so far in the process of implementing these programs

· Advice for other credit unions considering applying for a Vizo Financial Empowerment Grant

Ready to get inspired and find out more about the Empowerment Grant funds that are available? Gather your headphones and note-taking devices and check out this episode!

Connect with us: Vizo Financial: www.vfccu.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vizo-financial/

With the October FOMC meeting set to take place next week, we’re bringing you another economic update episode of the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast! Our pair of experts, Scott Wood, SVP/chief investment officer, and Tim Sustak, SVP/chief treasury officer, chat with Jaime this week about what’s coming down the economic pipeline.

Listen as they explore:

• How the lack of recent data from the government shutdown may impact FOMC decisions
• Predictions regarding movement on interest rates
• Recent trends in economic pressures
• What all of these things mean for credit unions
• And more!

Don’t miss this week’s podcast to get caught up on the economy and make sure to mark your calendars to watch our FOMC Update video on October 30!

Connect with us:

Vizo Financial: www.vfccu.orgLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vizo-financial

When it comes to balancing mission and risk, there’s a lot to consider! Thankfully this week, we’ll cover the importance of mission in the risk landscape on the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast! Erin Doan, VP of administration at Vizo Financial, sits down with Jaime to talk about how your credit union’s team can stay mission-driven without sacrificing risk management.

Tune-in as they discuss:

· Methods for balancing mission and risk in today’s credit union environment

· How to ensure that staff across the organization stay grounded in mission without overlooking risk

· Ways that a strong risk management framework can enable innovation and service expansion

· Advice on how to tackle the view that mission drift is the price of becoming more risk-averse

Don’t miss this mission-enriched risk management episode!

HEADS UP! Our podcast will be taking a break after this episode. In the meantime, head to our website or visit our YouTube page to get caught up on previous podcast conversations until we return!

Connect with us:

Website: www.vfccu.orgLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vizo-financial

Will they or won’t they? That’s the question on everyone’s minds ahead of next week’s FOMC meeting. With downtrodden data and pressure from all angles, the role of interest rates is more important than ever. Join Jaime and our pair of economic experts, Scott Wood, SVP/chief investment officer, and Tim Sustak, SVP/chief treasury officer, on the podcast to explore the economic environment and the implications it could have at the upcoming meeting.

They’ll discuss:

· Key economic data points the Fed will evaluate during next week’s meeting

· The likelihood of a Fed rate cut

· The amount of political pressure the Fed is currently facing

· How economic uncertainty is impacting credit unions in lending, pricing and money management

Get the latest economic forecast and predictions regarding rates in this week’s episode. Then, be sure to check out our FOMC Update video on September 18!

Connect with Us:

Website: www.vfccu.org LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vizo-financial

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VizoFinancial

Will they or won’t they? That’s the question on everyone’s minds ahead of next week’s FOMC meeting. With downtrodden data and pressure from all angles, the role of interest rates is more important than ever. Join Jaime and our pair of economic experts, Scott Wood, SVP/chief investment officer, and Tim Sustak, SVP/chief treasury officer, on the podcast to explore the economic environment and the implications it could have at the upcoming meeting.

They’ll discuss:

· Key economic data points the Fed will evaluate during next week’s meeting

· The likelihood of a Fed rate cut

· The amount of political pressure the Fed is currently facing

· How economic uncertainty is impacting credit unions in lending, pricing and money management

Get the latest economic forecast and predictions regarding rates in this week’s episode. Then, be sure to check out our FOMC Update video on September 18!

Connect with Us:

Website: www.vfccu.org LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vizo-financial

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VizoFinancial

If your credit union has a small team and limited resources, our latest episode of the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast is for you! This week, Jaime sits down with Paige Barry, VP of strategic partnerships at DefenseStorm, to discuss a new, bundled cyber risk management solution that’s made specifically for smaller credit unions…Defense Storm Essentials!

Discover how your credit union can level the playing field and stay secure with this solution as they discuss:

· An overview of the DefenseStorm Essentials package

· How credit unions can qualify for the solution

· Types of dashboards and reporting that are available with this service

· Ways that DefenseStorm helps organizations achieve a positive ROI

If your institution is on the smaller side, and you want to stay ahead of cyber threats and regulatory compliance, check out this episode today!

Learn More:

https://www.vfccu.org/solutions_mobile/Risk-Management.html#DS-essentials

Connect with Us:

Website: www.vfccu.org LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vizo-financial

Does your financial institution have AI anxiety? During the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast this week, Jaime chats with Elba Arenas, president/CEO of MC FCU, and Mitch Rutledge, CEO of Vertice AI, about ways your credit union can overcome the unease associated with adopting AI in office operations.

Hear from them as they explore:

· Common fears and misconceptions about how AI is used in the industry

· Defining AI use in the context of credit union operations

· Safe and low risk use cases that credit unions should explore

· Challenges organizations could face if they decide not to adopt AI

· How to ensure AI enhances human work instead of replacing it

If your organization is hesitant to adopt AI or even if you’re inching closer to the starting line, you’ll definitely want to press play on this episode! Start listening now!

Learn More:

https://www.vfccu.org/solutions_mobile/vertice-ai.html

Connect with us:

Website: www.vfccu.orgLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vizo-financial

How can your credit union navigate the changing landscape of advanced technology? In this week’s episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime sits down with Meredith Piotti of Wolf & Company to talk about how credit unions can best approach developing technology in their business operations.

Discover how your institution can build tech-focused business strategies to shape successful outcomes as they explore:

· Real world examples of credit unions that have successfully applied intelligent automation to improve task management and loan processing efficiency

· Practical steps organizations should take to assess and improve their data quality, governance and security prior to implementation

· Ways to overcome common barriers like limited budgets, resistance to change or data silos

If your organization is interested in building rapidly evolving tech into your business plans, this episode is a can’t miss! Tune in today!

Learn More:

https://www.wolfandco.com

Connect with us:

Website: www.vfccu.org LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vizo-financial

How can your credit union find valuable information, and more importantly, growth potential, in your existing data? Find out in this week’s episode of the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast! Jaime talks with Jeremy Jenkins, VP of data analytics with Vizo Financial, about member growth tools and tactics that can be advantageous for credit unions. Learn how your organization can reclaim valuable time, so you can focus more on strategic growth and innovation.

Hear from them as they explore:

· Lessons on time being the biggest challenge in Jeremy’s recent blog article, “The Role of AI in Credit Unions: From the Lens of a Former President/CEO” and how automated technology can give that essential piece of the puzzle back

· Success stories and use cases to demonstrate where analytics and automation have transformed back-office functions and operational efficiencies

· Key takeaways from Vertice AI segmentation and modeling tools to deepen member engagement

· And lots more!

If your organization is interested in harnessing the power of growth opportunities, you won’t want to miss this episode. Press play now!

Learn More:

https://www.vfccu.org/solutions_mobile/vertice-ai.html

Connect with us:

Website: www.vfccu.orgLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vizo-financial

ISO 20022 on your mind? With the recent migration of FedWire to this new standard, it’s not surprising. And this week, we’re going to help you find everything you need to know about ISO 20022 (including how to pronounce it!) on the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast. Jaime connects with our team of experts, Erica Johnson, director of payments; Ben Braun, payment application analyst; and Kristin Smith, senior EFT specialist with Vizo Financial, to discuss all things ISO 20022. Find out how your financial institution can start integrating it and what the benefits are for adopting ISO 20022.

Tune-in as they explore:

• How ISO 20022 differs from older standards like SWIFT MT or ISO 15022
• Who is currently adopting ISO 20022 and what the global rollout status is
• Ways that ISO 20022 enables richer data in payments and why this is important
• How ISO 20022 could lay the groundwork for more efficient cross-border payments or real-time settlement
• And much more!

If your organization is curious about ISO 20022 and how it’s reshaping the future of financial messaging, this episode is for you! Grab your headset and head to the podcast now!

Learn More:

https://www.frbservices.org/resources/financial-services/wires

Connect with us:

Website: www.vfccu.org

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vizo-financial