February 2025 News
The Colorado Garden & Home Show is Back
Whether you’re a home remodeling DIYer, gardening enthusiast, or somewhere in between, the Rocky Mountain region’s oldest, largest, and most prestigious gardening and home show is here to help bring your plans to life! Bellco is proud to be the presenting sponsor of this year’s Colorado Garden & Home Show, which runs February 8–16 at the Colorado Convention Center.
Bellco members can get TWO FREE ADMISSIONS to the event by showing their Bellco debit card, credit card, or mobile app at the ticket booths. While you’re at the show, don’t forget to explore this year’s Entrance Garden presented by Bellco Credit Union.
If you’re looking for some great financing options for your remodeling projects or larger garden and home show purchases, Bellco members can take advantage of this money-saving offer:
HOME EQUITY CHOICELINE OFFER
For a limited time, Bellco is offering a fixed rate as low as 6.99% APR on an advance of $10,000 or more from a new or existing Home Equity ChoiceLine*.
For more information about the show and ChoiceLine offer, please visit Bellco.org/homeshow. Bellco is an Equal Housing Opportunity Lender.
*All loans subject to approval. Membership eligibility required.
Celebrating Obscure Holidays in February
We all know February’s famous holidays: Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day. But what about the ones that aren’t so familiar? Did you know that February 6 is Pay a Compliment Day? Or that February 26 is Inconvenience Yourself Day? According to Parade Magazine, February is chock-full of holidays and observances—in fact, each of the 28 days features a number of things to celebrate, so we came up with some ideas for how to focus on a few of the fun ones.
- February 1 is Change Your Password Day, as well as Take Your Child to the Library Day. It’s always a good idea to update passwords to protect your personal information; you can easily do it at the free computers at your local library, where children are welcome to browse a wide variety of fun books. Plus, you can take home something after your adventure. The Denver Public Library, for example, has over 2 million borrowable items, including music, movies, bicycle repair kits, and power tools.
- February 9, along with being Super Bowl Sunday, is Chocolate Day. What better way is there to celebrate than by going to the source? Hammond’s Candies offers free factory tours that include a complimentary sweet. Unfortunately, Hammond’s isn’t open on Sundays, so you’ll have to book your tour for a different time, but that’s OK, because we believe Chocolate Day can be celebrated whenever you like.
- February 20 is Clean Out Your Bookcase Day. It’s always nice to get a reminder about cleaning up and paring down, so why not use this day to let go of books you no longer want? Once you’ve got them boxed up, consider donating them to the DreamBooks Company, which is dedicated to recycling books and improving literacy. If you have ten boxes or more, you can schedule a pickup right at your home.
- February 22 is Recreational Sports & Fitness Day. Being as it falls on a weekend, you should have plenty of time to celebrate. Maybe this is your day to jump on the pickleball craze—most community rec centers offer courts and equipment at low or no cost. Or perhaps you want to take a turn on an ice rink. A number of outdoor rinks in Colorado are free if you bring your own skates. Or check out one of the area YMCA locations, which offer class programs for all ages, fitness equipment, and even pools. If you’re not already a member, you can ask for a three-day trial pass.
- February 27 is National Pokémon Day. Remember how Pokémon Go was all the rage nearly a decade ago? You might be surprised to discover it’s ongoing. And you can still have fun trying to catch the little guys at area locations. Check out the Pokémon Go map to find good spots near you.
Even though it’s the shortest month of the year, February isn’t short on fun. Check out the list of daily holidays to find the ones that resonate for you and get out there to celebrate!
Stay Safe with Our Account and Card Alerts
At Bellco, we know that keeping your bank accounts and personal information safe is a top priority. That’s why we offer account and card alerts, a free and convenient way to stay on top of your finances and detect suspicious activity quickly.
Here’s how Bellco account alerts can help you:
- Monitor your account activity: Get notified whenever a transaction occurs on your debit or credit card, including the amount spent and the merchant where the purchase was made. You can even customize alerts to set transaction amount thresholds and limit the merchants where your card can be used.
- Fast fraud detection: Early awareness of unauthorized transactions allows you to take immediate action, minimizing potential losses.
- Peace of mind when you travel: Schedule travel alerts to avoid disruptions caused by blocked cards due to unfamiliar locations.
- Misplaced your card? No problem: Bellco alerts allow you to easily block and unblock your card right from your phone, giving you control over your finances.
Setting up account alerts is simple and takes just a few minutes:
- Log in to Online Banking and navigate to the Cards tab.
- Select “Manage Cards” from the drop-down menu.
- Choose the debit and/or credit card you want to set alerts for.
- Customize your alert settings to receive notifications based on your preferences.
With Bellco alerts, you can help ensure your money is safe and secure. For a step-by-step guide on how to manage your debit and credit card preferences, click the Learn More button below.
Avoid Joint Tenancy for Your Kids Inheritance
Are you considering titling your property with your children (also known as Joint Tenancy)? People often think of this technique as an easy way to pass their inheritance along to their children upon their death. However, for 99% of individuals, this is an incorrect way of passing assets along to our loved ones. There are three reasons you do not want to do joint tenancy with right of survivorship with your family and loved ones.
First is that once you have joint owners on your property, they have the same rights and obligations as you have to the property. To sell your property, all individuals would have to agree to sell and sign the deed.
Second is that once they have an ownership interest, the property and equity in the property have now been exposed to their own private issues. We all have good kids but sometimes things happen in their lives, and we do not find out about these things until they have been revealed. If they end up going through a divorce, your property will be included in the financial settlement of their affairs. If they file bankruptcy, your property will be included in the financial trauma with the event. If they were to be sued, your property would be included in their litigation.
And third, your family members will lose their step-up in basis for tax purposes. This is due to the IRS deeming this as a gift and not an inheritance.
There are excellent alternatives to consider, like a Beneficiary Deed, Life Estate Deed, or simple trust planning.
Consider taking advantage of your complimentary consultation with The Hughes Law Firm, P.C., who offer Bellco members a 25% discount. Hughes Law will explore planning options with you, that are a perfect fit. As a trusted partner with Bellco for more than 25 years, Hughes Law has seven convenient offices from Ft. Collins to Colorado Springs.
For more information, you can contact The Hughes Law Firm at 303-423-8423.
