Center for Personal Finance

Center for Personal Finance: Smart Answers

When consumers think personal finance, they might first think "cha-ching." But inevitably what comes next is "overwhelming," "complicated," and worst of all, "forget it." Consider these facts:

• 60% of US households revolve some amount of credit
• Consumers receive an average of three credit card offers per month, per household
• Only 57% of adults get an "average" grade in bank economics.

Financial literacy is the key
Send your credit union to the rescue by giving consumers the smart answers they need to make smart financial choices.

The Center for Personal Finance has created an annual supplement to Credit Union Magazine to help credit unions assess financial literacy challenges and opportunities.

CUNA Center for Personal Finance is your source for smart answers. Your credit union can use our "do-this" information to help consumers take charge of their financial lives--regardless of their economic background or life stage. It’s not about wealth management. It’s about managing confidence and success.

Creating a financial comfort zone
Personal Finance takes the intimidation factor out of financial management. We offer easy-to- understand educational tools that teach consumers the key principles of finance. By helping consumers understand thrift, money management, and the credit union difference, we not only increase their comfort level--but also their ability to make wise choices.

Personal Finance Products:

Black Book Vehicle Valuations

Online

• Anytime Adviser
• Copy & Art Express
• Credit Union Calculators
• Googolplex
• Home & Family Finance Resource Center

Marketing

• International Credit Union Day
• Member ID Cards
• National Credit Union Youth Week

• Fundamentals of Personal Finance
• Home Buying Workbook
• Statement Stuffers
• Vehicle Buying and Leasing Guides
• When Your Home is on the Line Booklet
• Your Credit Union: What’s in it for You? Booklet
• Your Insured Funds Booklet

• Best of Adventures in Savings Activity Book
• Guide to Money Handbook
• How Many? Counting Book
• Statement Stuffers
• Save, Spend & Share Coloring Book
• Tales from the Vault Comic Book
• Youth Color Banner

Consumers will learn the basics of researching, planning, implementing and managing their finance options. In the end, they’ll have the smart answers they need to improve their skills in budgeting, saving, borrowing, buying and investing. And they’ll know that your credit union was the valuable resource behind it all.

Resources for all ages and life stages
Financial literacy is a lifelong process, and the groundwork needs to start early. Personal Finance takes advantage of all the latest technologies to bring something to young markets, mature markets and everyone in between.

A history of helpfulness
No one has a longer tradition of seeking to improve consumers’ lives than credit unions. And CUNA and our Center for Personal Finance have been part of that tradition from the get go. What started as a member-education issue of The Bridge (predecessor to Credit Union Magazine) has now expanded to a wide variety of educational tools--all designed to give consumers the personal finance information they need in the format they want.

The right thing for you and your members
Being concerned about consumers’ well being has always separated credit unions from competitors. Help your members reach their financial potential -- with the help of smart answers from Personal Finance.