July 24, 2023
Credit unions stand out amongst other financial institutions for a wealth of reasons, particularly credit unions’ commitment to building solid relationships with members. A credit union’s investment in members’ economic well-being is a significant component of these relationships. Credit unions must have the right tools and resources to promote financial well-being.
Why is Financial Wellness So Important?
Promoting financial wellness is critical in today’s rocky economic environment. Many Americans are unsure where the economy is going and what tomorrow will bring. In May 2023, half of U.S. adults in households earning less than $60,000 annually were stressed about their personal finances. That only decreased slightly to 40% for households in the $60,000-$100,000 bracket.
A poll conducted in March 2023 found that 36% of adults feel the national economy is causing them anxiety. What does this mean? Many adults are not confident they can keep up with their expenses and live a comfortable life.
According to Forbes, financial wellness will improve what your members can afford and dramatically impact their overall mental health.
Post Financial Wellness Material for Your Members Online
Simply put: provide financial literacy resources for your members. From articles about finding the best interest rate for your situation to infographics with budgeting tips, your members need easy access to this information.
Many resources are available if you’re not looking to reinvent the wheel. SavvyMoney, a popular credit scoring app that integrates with Sharetec, offers its partners various Financial Education tools. SavvyMoney’s robust repository of financial education articles & resources can be repurposed by your credit unions for webinars, email blasts, and social media. All of SavvyMoney’s content is relevant and up-to-date, ensuring that the information you provide your members is what they have at the top of their minds.
The NCUA’s Financial Education Resource Guide is a comprehensive booklet that provides your credit union access to various financial wellness materials. A resource highlight includes their consumer tips videos. If you want to quickly educate your members on financial tips and money management misconceptions, embed a link to one of their videos, including:
Host a Financial Wellness Webinar
Is there a topic of importance that’s too substantial for a quick social media post or email blast? Host a one-time webinar or webinar series. Webinars are an excellent tool for your members, but if you work with different organizations and businesses in the community (schools, senior communities, etc.), registration can be extended to non-members. Inviting non-members will show your commitment to bettering the financial well-being of the community as a whole and can act as a membership growth tool, too.
Unsure of where to begin? You can use the financial wellness resources provided by SavvyMoney as a jumping-off point – if you are a SavvyMoney partner – or can use these ideas as a springboard:
- Retirement Savings Series, including how to estimate what your retirement income will be so you can determine what you have and what you’re going to need
- Personal Budgeting Series, including how to review your current spending habits and determine what you should spend versus save, how to create a budget, and what tools you can use to better budget
- Debt-Reduction Tips & Tricks Webinar
- Planning for the Future: Preparing for children, college, retirement, and more
- Your Financial “Firsts” Webinars, including buying or leasing your first car, purchasing your first home, paying for your first child’s college fund, or planning your wedding
When you host a webinar, ensure automatic recording is turned on. Recorded webinars can be sent to members to watch on-demand and will help your credit union build up its video repository.
Provide a Financial Tip of the Month
Make your members more aware of financial literacy by giving them a financial tip of the month. This tip can be posted throughout the credit union – a handy sign at the teller line – on social media, member email blasts, or your member website or app.
If you’re struggling with a monthly tip, one recommendation is to search trending financial topics on Tiktok. This platform is chock-full of financial influencers who provide quick tips on today’s most relevant financial and economic issues. Tiktokers can inspire you for your recommendation of the month – and may also help you score points with younger members.
Promote Financial Literacy via Digital Banking
Even if you have the best content created about financial wellness, you need to ensure that you’re showcasing those materials where your members are. Your credit union can leverage the digital experience to promote financial education.
- Send secure messages to members with financial wellness tips that are relevant to them
- Send a notification, targeted ad, or promotional offer to all of your users
- Add a message in a custom text area that highlights your financial tip of the month or upcoming financial wellness webinar
Recommend Games for Young (and Upcoming) Members
Not all learners can take away valuable insight from articles, presentations, and videos, particularly those in the younger age bracket (think younger Gen Z and upcoming Gen Alpha). They need to interact with content! While many different financial games can be downloaded from the Google Play and Apple stores, here are two from MyCreditUnion.gov that can be accessed via web browser:
- World of Cents – A kid-friendly game (ages five and up) that promotes math, matching, and basic financial decision skills.
- Hit The Road: A Financial Adventure Game – This Oregon Trail® style game allows players to journey across the country, making financial decisions along the way (such as how much to spend on food & gas and how to earn extra money to afford the road trip).
Another excellent option for the under-ten crowd is Savings Spree. This award-winning game, available for smartphones, teaches players both short and long-term savings skills – and is affordable at $5.99 in the Google Play and Apple Store.
Offer Credit Scoring to Your Members
One of our favorite financial literacy tools is SavvyMoney, a credit scoring tool that integrates seamlessly with the Sharetec core. SavvyMoney displays a member’s real-time credit score and provides insight into how they can improve their score and what offers they qualify for. SavvyMoney is an excellent fit for credit unions of all sizes, as members from every background can benefit from knowing their financial position and how it could impact their ability to obtain loans.
If you’re currently on Sharetec and want to learn more about SavvyMoney – or are looking to switch to a core that offers innovative third-party connections like this one – contact us today! The Sharetec Team can also be reached by simply emailing simplicity@sharetec.com.