MEMBER PROFILE

Josh and Kriss Eckenrode

Recently, my wife Kriss and I decided that it was time to purchase our first home. We started working with our realtor to find the right house, but were not sure how to handle the financing. She suggested that we talk to the mortgage team at Alternatives. I am so glad that she did since the rates were competitive, and the service was second to none. We worked very closely with Carol Chernikoff throughout the process; she was able to guide us in a way that was very personal and comforting. Buying a house, especially the first house, is a rather overwhelming proposition, but everyone was so kind and helpful that the process felt very smooth. We were also pleased to find out that Alternatives does not sell their mortgages, and that our money would stay in the local economy. As someone who grew up in Ithaca, this was very important to me. Kriss and I were so impressed with the service at Alternatives, that we also refinanced our car, opened a credit card, and moved all of our accounts to the credit union. The personal, local service we receive continues to delight us every time we interact with a member of the Alternatives team. We have never seen so many smiling faces in a financial institution!

The Alternatives Free Tax Preparation Program is open from January 19 to April 10, 2010.

Don't pay high fees to get your own refund. If you are single and earn less than $30,000 or a family earning under $49,000, we can prepare your Federal and State Income Tax Returns. Find out if you qualify here.

MAIN LOCATION — Alternatives Federal Credit Union
WHEN: January 19 - April 10, 2010
TIMES: Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays: 3:00-8:00 PM; Sat: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM

OTHER LOCATIONS

Please call us at (607) 216-3438 to find out if there will be tax sites in Brooktondale or Dryden. 

For general information, please call 216-3443.
To make an appointment, please call 2-1-1.

More About the Community Tax Program
Alternatives' Community Tax Program just completed its seventth year of offering free tax preparation services. To date, we've prepared over 7,000 tax returns for working families and individuals in Tompkins County, and returned over $8 million in refunds to the community.

Our goal is to help all eligible workers claim the credits they deserve (without paying high fees) and to help them turn those refunds into financial assets.