Tools and Resources
  • Financial Education Center
  • Security Center
  • Calculators
  • CFE Disclosures
  • CFE Forms
  • MEMBERS Financial Services
  • Introduction
  • Saving Resources
  • Borrowing Resources
  • Youth Resources
  • Other Resources

Financial Education Center Introduction

In addition to being a safe place to save and borrow money, CFE is also a trusted advisor. We empower members to make sound, educated financial decisions that will afford them the opportunity to fulfill their financial goals. CFE offers free resources and tools to help you manage your hard-earned money.

Saving Resources

Start saving today to accomplish your dreams tomorrow. These resources will help you learn how to start saving for the future.

Budgeting

Saving for College

Below are some helpful links to sites that can assist you with your college savings plan:

Saving for Retirement

Borrowing Resources

Learn how to build your credit and borrow responsibly by using the resources below.

Debt in Focus
Test drive Debt in Focus, a web-based tool designed to deliver a personal action plan to help improve your credit profile and reduce debt. This is a FREE and anonymous service. After answering a few questions about your income and current debts, a simple financial analysis will provide a wealth of information - debt to income ratios, debt payment schedules, and suggested personal action strategies to help keep your finances moving forward. Get started now.

Understanding your Credit Scores

What is a Credit Score?

Request free copies of your credit report
Get your FICO® credit score, the score lenders use most to qualify you for credit. Your credit score often determines the credit you receive - both the amount of the loan you qualify for and the rate you receive. So if you are preparing to secure credit or a loan, level the playing field with your lender.

AnnualCreditReport.com is the official site to help consumers obtain their free credit report. This central site allows you to request a free credit file disclosure, commonly called a credit report, once every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Auto Buying

Youth Resources

It's never too early to learn how to manage money responsibly, and developing good habits early in life will lead to better financial health later. The following resources are especially provided for kids and young adults.

Puzzles, Games, and Problems

Saving / Budgeting

Other

Other Resources

Use these other resources to help you manage your money.

Mymoney.gov
The Federal Government's website dedicated to helping Americans understand more about their money - how to save it, invest it, and manage it to meet their personal goals.

CredAbility - The Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central Florida and the Florida Gulf Coast
Whether you are facing an immediate crisis or just want to learn how to improve your financial health, CredAbility can help! Founded in 1964, CredAbility is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Their counselors and educators offer non-judgmental advice, practical action plans and hope for a better future. For additional information, please contact a CredAbility representative by calling (407) 895-8886 or by visiting www.CredAbility.org.

  • Introduction
  • Current Member Alerts
  • ID Theft Information
  • Phishing Information

Security Center Introduction

We value the trust you place in CFE. We will remain vigilant and committed to protecting our members from fraud of any kind. That is why we implemented this online Security Center. This center will feature security alerts regarding current threats being perpetrated in our community so CFE members don't unknowingly fall victim to identity theft, phishing scams, etc. We encourage our members to educate themselves about security and to use the fraud protection tips we've provided.

Although CFE has monitoring systems in place to detect and prevent fraud, it is always a good practice to monitor your account closely for unusual activity. If you are concerned about the possibility of fraud, call our Member Service Center at 407-896-9411 or 800-771-9411 outside Orlando, option 3.

Current Member Alerts

Stay informed of suspicious activity that could affect people in Central Florida.

07/26/2010 Warning: NACHA warns about phishing attack

NACHA posted a notice on its website Friday that it has been the victim of a phishing attack, noting that some customers have received fraudulent e-mails that appear to be coming from the organization.

The subject line of these e-mails reads, "Unauthorized ACH Transaction," and the body of the e-mail contains a link that will redirect the individual to a fake Web page. Once there, another link is viewable. NACHA is urging its customers not to click on this link because it will infect the user's computer with a malware virus.

NACHA is reminding its customers that it does not process or come into contact with the ACH transactions that flow to and from organizations and financial institutions. Further, NACHA does not send communications to individuals or organizations about individual ACH transactions that they originate or receive.

The organization encourages its customers to consult with a computer security or anti-virus specialist if malicious code is detected or suspected on a computer. It also urges customers to always use anti-virus software and ensure that the virus signatures are automatically updated. NACHA customers should stay alert for different variations of fraudulent emails, the company said.

07/23/2010 Warning: LSCU warns of fraudulent letter

The League of Southeastern Credit Unions (LSCU) has been notified by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) of a fraudulent letter in circulation, which claims to provide authorization by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation for acceleration of a financial transaction.

The fraudulent letter bears a crude, low resolution and pixilated copy of a banner obtained from the Florida Office of Financial Regulations web page. The fraudulent letter includes the names of a phantom employee in a blatant attempt to imply legitimacy. The letter contains an e-mail address for said employee that does not belong to the Office.

OFR does not send out instructions or authorizations to any financial institution to conduct specific transactions, including the transferring of funds.

06/28/2010 Warning: LSCU warns of fraudulent text message activity

Please be advised, the League of Southeastern Credit Unions (LSCU) has released a warning for credit unions, advising members to beware of a text message scam currently being executed utilizing LSCU.coop as the originator. The scam is in the form of a text from LSCU.coop, indicating the recipient should call 866.510.8703. The text states: accountalert@lscu.coop (SCU) Southeastern Credit Unions Security Notice. For more details, please contact our secure phone line at 866.510.8703. Thank you. The LSCU and its servers are NOT sending out these messages. A third party is attempting to collect account info by people calling this number.

Anyone receiving these fraudulent text messages should not respond to them. Report these text messages to your cell phone carrier so that the carrier can take action against persons sending the messages. Remember to always use a known published number when contacting your credit union (or other financial institution) rather than a number proved in email or text message.

05/26/2010 Warning: NCUA warns of fraudulent e-mail activity
Please be advised, the NCUA has released a warning for credit unions, advising members to beware of e-mails from simulated NCUA e-mail boxes attempting to obtain members' confidential data. The e-mails solicit credit union members' participation in an online survey or member survey and promise compensation of $40 for responding. The NCUA does not solicit such information from credit union members. This is a phishing activity with no NCUA activity or approval.

Anyone receiving these phishing e-mails should not respond to them. Questions can be sent to NCUA at pacamail@ncua.gov.

04/11/2010 Warning: FTC warns of mortgage loan audit scam
CFE wants to alert our members about a recent Federal Trade Commission warning against a home foreclosure rescue scam that begins with "rescue" professionals offering audit services for a fee.

In the scam, as explained in a recent FTC consumer alert, the homeowner pays several hundred dollars up front to have a "forensic loan auditor," "mortgage loan auditor" or "foreclosure prevention auditor" backed by "forensic attorneys" review the homeowner's loan documents to see if the lender complied with state and federal mortgage lending laws. The auditors claim their reports can be used to avoid foreclosure, accelerate the loan modification process, reduce loan principal or cancel the loan.

The FTC notes that there is no evidence such an audit can result in any kind of mortgage relief, even if it's done by a licensed, trained practitioner. It says if there are errors in the loan documents, the borrower may be able to sue, but the lender won't be required to modify the loan to make it more affordable. Cancelling the loan, it adds, will mean loss of one's home and an obligation to return borrowed funds to the lender.

The alert was posted on the FTC's website Friday; for the full alert, follow the link below.

FTC consumer alert

03/01/2010 Warning: Scam Alert - 2010 US Census
The Census Bureau uses a workforce of trained federal employees to conduct a variety of household and business surveys by telephone, in-person interviews, through the mail, and in limited cases through the Internet. We understand your personal information is sensitive, and go to great lengths to protect the data we collect. Although we cannot stop or warn against all bogus or false collections of data -- here are some tips to help you recognize fraudulent activity or unofficial data collections. If you are contacted for any of the following reasons -- Do Not Participate. It is NOT the U.S. Census Bureau.

Phishing:
'Phishing' is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, social security numbers, bank account or credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Phishing is typically carried out by email and it often directs users to enter sensitive information at a fake web site whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one.

Other Scams:

  • The Census Bureau does NOT conduct the 2010 Census via the Internet
  • The Census Bureau does not send emails about participating in the 2010 Census
  • The Census Bureau never:
    • Asks for your full social security number
    • Asks for money or a donation
    • Sends requests on behalf of a political party
    • Requests PIN codes, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.

How to report scams and bogus Census web sites
If you believe you have been contacted as part of bogus or fraudulent activity falsely representing the Census Bureau:

  • In Person Scam
    • Check for a valid Census ID badge
    • Call your regional office to verify you are in a survey
  • Email Scams
    • If you think it is a bogus email, do not reply or click on any links within the email.
    • Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain code that could infect your computer
    • Forward the email or web site URL to the Census Bureau at ITSO.Fraud.Reporting@census.gov.
    • After you forward the email to us, delete the message. You will not receive a confirmation email after forwarding the information to us. However, the Census Bureau will investigate the information and notify you of its findings.
  • Mail Scams

Is your survey legitimate?
You may further verify if a collection activity is legitimate by calling your regional census office regarding mail surveys, and our National Processing Center for phone surveys. Other questions may be answered through our Are You In a Survey? page.

12/15/2009 Warning: New Vishing Attack - "Credit Card Frozen" - Call Back # 303-325-7300
Please be advised, CFE has received reports from members who have received a text message supposedly from the "VISA 24", stating their card was frozen and requesting they call the bank at 1-303-325-7300. When the member calls that number they reach an automated voice mail box that prompts the caller through a series of menus attempting to get the unsuspecting victim to disclose their credit or debit card number and PIN. CFE Federal Credit Union's fraud prevention service is in the process of disconnecting this phone number. Please be reminded that CFE never requests personal or account information over the phone, email, or text message. If you have received this vishing message DO NOT RETURN THE CALL, instead notify CFE's Member Service Center at 407-896-9411, Option 3.

11/24/2009 Social Security Inspector General Warns Public About Phishing E-mails
Patrick P. O'Carroll, Jr., Inspector General of Social Security, is warning citizens about an e-mail scheme involving Social Security and seeking citizens' personal information.

9/11/09 - Warning: New IRS Email Scam
Please be advised, there is a new phishing scam soliciting people for their IRS account information. This scam targeting thousands of Americans, involves a fake email message from the IRS sent under "notice of unreported income". The e-mail states that the IRS needs the information to process a refund or stimulus payment into the taxpayer's bank account. The e-mails often contain links or attachments to what appears to be the IRS Web site or an IRS "refund application form." Once the perpetrators obtain the taxpayer's personal and financial information ( such as name, social security number, bank and credit card account numbers) they can login and attempt to fraudulently collect tax refunds.

The IRS warns taxpayers to be on the alert for e-mails and phone calls they may receive which claim to come from the IRS or other federal agency and which mention their tax refund or economic stimulus payment. The IRS does not send taxpayers e-mails about their tax accounts. For more information on consumer scams, see Suspicious e-Mails and Identity Theft.

ID Theft Information

Identity (ID) Theft is when a person uses your information, such as your name and social security number, to commit fraud or other crimes. Learn more to keep yourself protected from ID Theft.

Phishing Information

Phishing is an illegal attempt to obtain important personal information, such as usernames and passwords. Learn how to protect yourself from the various forms of phishing.

Does CFE ask for information via emails?
CFE has never and will never use email to request account information such as account numbers, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, PIN codes or any other personal identifiers. We will not ask you to join a security protection plan via email.

How do I report a phishing e-mail?
If you receive a request for any personal information by email, forward the email to: Info@mycfe.com. Then delete the email. Do not respond to it or click on any links within the email.

  • Introduction
  • Home Financing
  • Personal Financing
  • Investment
  • Retirement
  • Lease

Calculators Introduction

CFE offers a large number of online calculators to help you with a variety of financial topics such as: "Should I refinance?", "How much car can I afford?", "How long will it take to pay off my loan?", "How much should I save each month?", "How much do I need to fund my retirement?", and many more financial calculators for topics related to:

  • Home Financing
  • Personal Financing
  • Investment
  • Retirement
  • Lease

CFE Forms

  • Automatic Transfer Form
    Use this form to schedule automatic transfer of funds from one account to another, or to transfer loan payments from your CFE savings /checking account to pay your CFE loan.

  • Balance Transfer Request for Credit Card
    Use this form to transfer balances from another creditor to your CFE Platinum credit card. CFE will pay the creditor you list on this form the amount you specify up to your credit limit. The minimum transfer amount is $200.00. There is no fee to transfer balances, but it will be treated as a cash advance on your statement and incur finance charges immediately. You can also complete a balance transfer request online in MATT Web.

  • Bill Payer Cancellation
    If you want to cancel Bill Payer, fill out this form and fax it to (407) 384-0560. You can also cancel Bill Payer online in MATT Web.

  • Change of Address Form
    Moving? We are making it even more convenient to keep your credit union information up to date. Use this form for address changes, phone number updates and email address changes. You can also easily update your address online in MATT Web. Simply sign in and click on "Settings" then "Contact Information."

  • Debit Card Application
    With the added power of the Visa® symbol, your CFE Debit Card will act as your ATM card and checkbook all rolled into one. And it's accepted at more than 18 million locations worldwide.Apply today and fax your application to 407-333-7920.

  • Close Account Form
    Need to close an account? This form will guide you through the process.

  • Cross Account Transfer Request
    Would you like to be able to transfer funds from your account to another member's account? Use this form to sign up for this feature. Both account holders must sign to authorize the transfer.

  • Direct Deposit Form
    Would you like to have your check automatically deposited to your CFE account? Fill out this form and return it to any branch. If your employer will accept the form without a signature from a representative of the credit union, then simply bring the form directly to your payroll office.

  • Express Application
    Apply for a credit card, boat, auto etc. with this application and then fax it to us.at 407-333-7920. Don't forget you can apply for a loan on-line by using Web Loan too!

  • Membership Account Application
    Need to open an account? You can quickly and securely open an account online or you may print this document and bring it in to any of our branches to open an account today.

  • OCPS Direct Deposit Authorization
    If you work for OCPS, having your payroll check automatically deposited into your account is convenient and saves you time.

  • Overdraft Protection Enrollment Worksheet
    Use this form to authorize your accounts for overdraft transfer protection.

  • Remove Joint Application
    Use this form if you are a joint member on an account and wish to be removed from the account. (This form must be notarized or witnessed in the branch.)

  • Stop Payment Requests for Checks and ACH
    Use this form if you want to place a stop payment on a check or an electronic transaction (i.e. automatic payment to a vendor). You can also perform this function online in MATT Web.

  • VISA Cardholder Dispute
    If you are disputing a Visa Debit Card purchase or charge, use this form.

The MEMBERS Financial Services® program has one objective: to help you reach your financial goals. The program works in cooperation with the CFE Federal Credit Union to help you make sound financial decisions. We can help you:

  • Plan your financial future
  • Manage your investments
  • Fund your children's education
  • Retire more comfortably
  • Protect your assets

Take a minute to consider your various financial goals, from sending your kids to college to purchasing adequate life insurance to retiring. We can help! We provide a range of products and services that can be tailored to your unique needs. Tim Wetherington, CFP®*, Richard Wagner, and Dan Krepinevich, your MEMBERS Financial Services® Representatives located at CFE Federal Credit Union, can provide you with a no-cost, no-obligation analysis. Call Tim, Richard, and Dan or the Program Coordinator today at 407-228-7600 to set up your appointment.

Richard G Wagner
Financial Advisor
(407) 228-7600
1000 Primera Blvd
Lake Mary, FL 32746


Tim Wetherington, CFP®1
Financial Advisor
(407) 228-7600
1200 Weber St
Orlando, FL 32803-3377


Dan Krepinevich
Financial Advisor
(407) 228-7600
950 9th Street
Winter Garden, FL 34787


Representatives are registered, securities are sold, and investment advisory services offered through CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc. (CBSI), member FINRA/SIPC , a registered broker/dealer and investment advisor, 2000 Heritage Way, Waverly, Iowa 50677, toll-free 866-512-6109. Nondeposit investment and insurance products are not federally insured, involve investment risk, may lose value and are not obligations of or guaranteed by the financial institution. CBSI is under contract with the financial institution, through the financial services program, to make securities available to members. CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc., is a registered broker/dealer in all fifty states of the United States of America. 1The CFP®, Certification marks are not affiliated with CUNA Brokerage Services Inc.