News | CFTEA | Center for Financial Training & Education Alliance

New Course: Small Talk – Keeping Customer Engaged

March 8, 2023

Are you good at small talk with customers? Though generally thought of as unimportant and surface-level, small talk can be crucial when it comes to establishing connections and relationships. In the world of business in particular, the gift of small talk can greatly enhance the customer experience, possibly even resulting in new business, uncovering needs, and a strong customer service reputation. But knowing how to make small talk doesn’t always come naturally, and using small talk to your advantage to further relationships

Have You Seen Our Community Catalog?

March 1, 2023

Due to a relationship with a local community financial institution, CFTEA provides solutions to attracting and retaining employees at affordable pricing to local businesses. Many of our courses are designed for the business world from customer service, telephone skills, productive meetings, supervision, leadership, communication, remote work, and many more professional and personal development opportunities. These have been included in a special community catalog. From self-paced courses to audiobooks to professional continuing education and ACE credits, there is a whole world

What’s Often Missing From Leadership

February 8, 2023

When it comes to good leaders – in the office and in life – one trait stands above the rest: validation. Understanding and acknowledging someone’s circumstances validates what they are going through and can help managers build stronger relationships with team members, Entrepreneur magazine writes. Validation is not limited to rewarding someone financially for a job well done either. Rather, it’s more about truly listening and understanding where people are coming from, which is crucial for fostering inclusive workplaces. Taking

Celebrating 5 Years of the CFTEA Insider!

February 1, 2023

This is the power of community. In 2019, CFTEA started producing a bi-monthly newsletter. The goal: share information on the changes and opportunities available to those working with our learning community. The newsletter has gone through a design change and the archive is housed on our News from the Nest page. The articles are brief and link back to our website for additional details. Plus, it provides an opportunity to share news within an organization so employees, instructors, career champions,

Announcing CFTEA Audiobooks

January 25, 2023

Welcome to the creation of the CFTEA Global Workforce Skills Library audiobooks! New content will be added to the library but the first release is Building Confidence and Assertiveness. And when you purchase the audiobook and then take the Assertiveness Skills course – we’ll knock $15 off the cost of the course. We all have the power to change our confidence levels. Ultimately, taking control of our self-confidence will help us to take control of our lives. Confidence and assertiveness are

SECURE 2.0 is Congress’s Retirement Enhancement Encore

January 19, 2023

Retirement legislation has been a welcome area of bipartisan cooperation in the U.S. Congress, marked by a history of Republican and Democratic bill co-sponsorship and support. A recent example is the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act—the SECURE Act—passed and signed into law in 2019. The SECURE Act has been hailed as the most important retirement enhancement legislation in more than a decade. But rather than being the last word in retirement savings enhancement, the SECURE Act has

Celebrating 5 Years with the CFTEA Insider!

January 18, 2023

2023 marks five years that the CFTEA Insider has been in our community a quick overview of the latest changes and opportunities available for our learning community. During these years of change, things just keep getting better and the best way to find out is to read the CFTEA Insider. Thank you for making i9t available to others in your organization. Reach back issues located on our News from the Nest page.

New OnDemand Learning: Commercial Construction Lending

January 11, 2023

Commercial Construction Lending Construction loans for commercial real estate (CRE) remain a major part of commercial bank lending. Many community banks attempt to use versions of their residential formats and policies to administer commercial construction loans; however, this generally does not adequately control the situation due to several important differences between residential and commercial projects. This program provides an overview of the key steps involved in effectively administering commercial construction loans. This two-hour recording is excellent for commercial lenders, credit

New Course: Thriving in the HR Executive Role

January 4, 2023

The role of a chief human resources officer (CHRO) is multifaceted and requires adaptability, innovative thinking, and emotional intelligence. Strategy-minded HR professionals who enjoy working at the intersection of business leadership and human resources will find the path to becoming a CHRO highly engaging and rewarding. CHROs are responsible for providing guidance and coaching at the executive level, and they develop creative and innovative HR solutions to address common business challenges. In this course, you’ll learn about the crucial role

2022: Giving Back Report

December 28, 2022

As an impact-driven organization, CFTEA seeks to provide cost-effective and powerful student experiences that enhance career development in organizations and the community. In our rapidly cost-rising economy, there have been no price increases or additional shipping charges in the last four years! Through a pandemic and with the high risk of a recession, this advantage is key for organizations that are supporting community employees and their development. In 2022, CFTEA has provided courses for free, -in-kind donations, and discounts equaling