REAL Focus: financial education heats up this summer

It's shaping up to be a hot summer, but financial education & outreach opportunities are just as hot! Please note that:

• July 27 is the deadline to sign up for discounted (certified) financial counseling training as part of The League-coordinated FiCEP program. If you missed our article on this opportunity, please take a look –certification is a great way to improve your credit union's bottom line by turning every interaction with members into a service opportunity. It can also strengthen credit unions' "brand" as the financial institutions with certified staff to help consumers improve their financial position. Many thanks to Mark Lynch from NCUF for helping to lead this charge!

  Chad Helminak League Director of REAL Solutions & Outreach

  
  

   

• Proven strategies for outreach will be shared Aug. 15 at our Innovators & Educators Roundtable in Madison. And, you can save $50 on the registration cost because we've extended the early-bird deadline until Aug. 1. Managers, marketers and development pros will want to attend this unique roundtable in Madison to learn the best ideas that credit unions – as well as others in the financial services industry – have tapped for growth. A panel discussion will touch on the tools for implementing new ideas. Discover turnkey programs that improve income and learn to leverage the uniqueness of credit unions to accelerate member loyalty and growth.

 

• Wisconsin teachers are again attending this summer's National Institute of Financial & Economic Literacy in Madison, a series of 3 week-long workshops that help educators improve the personal finance lessons they offer their students. Cindi Witt of Capital CU shared information about a resource her credit union has used with schools, teachers and parents and Christine Henzig, our Director of Communications, provided an update on payday lending scene and how the unbanked and underbanked are using financial services. It's not too late to sponsor a local teacher (or employee) to attend in August! The League is again providing event sponsorship.
  

• The NCUF has released a free resource guide for credit unions looking for ideas and tools to improve their financial education efforts. It is a supplement for credit unions that was compiled as part of NCUF's work to produce an advocacy report for Congress touting credit unions' financial literacy achievements.
  
  

• Community financial literacy educational events – the Money Conferences - to help low- to moderate-income families learn personal finance strategies are on the horizon. Coordinated by Asset Builders of America, they're taking place Aug. 25 in Madison, Nov. 3 in Appleton, Nov. 17 in Racine/Kenosha and in early 2013 in Wausau, and Milwaukee. Credit unions have been key partners in teaching at, volunteering for and sponsoring these, all of which are great opportunities for outreach. The Conference includes programming for students at age-appropriate levels and instruction for adults on a wide range of topics. For more information, contact Richard Entenmann of Asset Builders at (608) 663-6332 or info@assetbuilders.org.
  
  

• Filene Research Institute invites credit unions to participate in a pilot program with Amazon.com that aims to attract new members to credit unions and issue more CU credit cards. The pilot will advise credit unions on the optimal combination of price, incentive, messaging and application process for expanding their credit card reach on Amazon.com, which has more than 150 million active shoppers. An FAQ, recorded webinar and slides explain more.

  Cindi Witt (left), Marketing Communications Specialist for Capital CU and Christine Henzig, League Director of Communications, spoke to teachers at the National Institute of Financial & Economic Literacy in July.

 

• A free webinar covering a retirement planning strategy for military personnel (including the National Guard) is being offered July 25 by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension. The Thrift Savings Plan is a vehicle is similar to privately offered 401(k) plans. To connect to the webinar, if you are not on a military installation, you must install security certificates. This is the second part of a two-part series (part I is archived).

 

• The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) is working to create a Veterans Financial Literacy Program and is currently looking for partners. The goal of the program is to work with veteran service organizations and hospitals to provide aspects of credit counseling, financial mentoring and education for Wisconsin’s veterans.  This is a new program and specific roles and partners are still being determined, but interested CUs should contact Teresa Walker as soon as possible to learn more about opportunities for involvement.
  
  

As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at (608) 514-0080.

REAL Focus: financial education heats up this summer