Blog

We all know the old adage of, “We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we speak.” And how about the teacher’s favorite of, “Class put your listening ears on!” Effective listening is critical to building relationships, communicating with others and in our banking world, finding solutions to[…]  Read more

The process of starting a small business is a very difficult, challenging, and daunting task in today’s complicated and ever-changing business environment. How much cash will it require? What are the legal ramifications and economic issues? What type of entity is most beneficial? Who can help with the financial projections? What is the best financing[…]  Read more

Time – isn’t that always something we are asking for more of? 86,400: that is how many seconds we are given in a day to get as much accomplished as we can. As all of our schedules get busier and busier every year, I am constantly hearing people say, “If I only had more time.” In what[…]  Read more

At the expense of Dez Bryant, the Dallas Cowboys, and its faithful and unfaithful fan base, we have all been given a lesson in why the burden of regulation has stifled community banks and by extension, small businesses and consumers. On the surface and in real time, the beautiful and acrobatic act of catching a[…]  Read more

  It’s a New Year, which means it’s time to set your obligatory New Year’s Resolution!  If you’re like most Americans, your resolution might have something to do with fitness: either physical or financial.  Being a banker, I’m most interested in exploring financial fitness to bring you tips to make 2015 your most financially fit[…]  Read more

Our bank recently changed our tagline to better define our intended brand. We have been working for years to build a brand both internally and externally but we never developed a tagline to identify what our brand was. After many discussions within our staff, we decided upon “You Above All”. Everyone felt this tagline defined[…]  Read more

When making a decision about purchasing your next residence, have you ever been conflicted over whether you should build a new home or purchase a new or pre-owned home? Either of these options provide for a unique opportunity as you consider your next home. Below are a few thoughts which you may wish to consider[…]  Read more

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you became a victim of check fraud and how it would affect the daily operations of your business? Or are you one of millions that it has already happened to? Today, it is not a mere question of IF it has happened to you but WHEN[…]  Read more

Today, the “information age” style of electronic communication through email, mobile technology, and social media is transforming our lives at warp speed, both individually and in the business world.   Business owners and leaders are now saddled with the responsibility of how to define, prioritize, and manage the effective usage of these delivery systems within the business[…]  Read more

Investors who own a business or investment property will have concerns related to selling their property and the resulting tax effects on any capital gain. One relief from this tax concern is to take advantage of a section of the IRS tax code commonly referred to as a 1031 like-kind exchange. Section 1031 of the[…]  Read more