We continue our visit to Clatskanie, with a chat with another one of the great MCs that make the branch tick. Jeannie is a life-long Clatskanie resident and loves helping the people she grew up with better their financial situation.
This edition of WaunaTalk features a lot of conversation about credit, as well as what it takes to have a smile for every member.
The team at the Clatskanie Financial Center always has a smile for everybody who walks in the door. Today Heidi, an MC in Clatskanie talks to us about the fun they have at the branch, and how that fun helps us serve our members.
Listen to the most recent edition of WaunaTalk, and learn more about managing your credit, and the things working at a credit union will teach you about your finances.
At Wauna Credit Union our mission is to provide opportunities for our members to build their financial well-being. That doesn’t just mean offering the best products with great rates, or offering the latest in technological innovations for our members. It also means educating people on how to manage, and grow, their finances, as well as providing tips on financial best practices.
That’s why we’re so excited to introduce the first episode of our podcast, Wauna Talk. Wauna Talk aims to provide a quick look at financial matters that affect members.
In the first edition Josh Rein (hey that’s me!) and Michael Murdoch discuss the new U-Banking platform. Take a listen, and don’t worry we’ll keep improving that audio quality.
Whether it’s helping you save for a house, make sure you have money for retirement, or just assisting in helping you meet your daily needs, Wauna Credit Union is here to serve our members, and ensure your financial well-being. One of the ways we do this is through financial education.
We have teamed with BALANCE Financial Education to offer our members six free webinars on a variety of topics to help you realize your dreams. Even if you can’t attend one of the free webinars, we have many financial education resources on our website, including;
BALANCE Education for adults
Elements of Money for teenagers
M3 Money Club for younger kidsJUNE — BASICS OF PERSONAL FINANCE
From managing daily expenses to investing for retirement, this webinar helps participants set personal finance goals, learn the basics of smart money management, and build a solid financial foundation for the future
Session 1: Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (PST)
Sign Up: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/730424653146013955
Session 2: Thursday, June 14, 2018
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (PST)
Sign Up: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/730424653146013955
JULY — USING CREDIT CARDS WISELY
A credit card can be a valuable financial tool. However, before racking up big charges on multiple cards, participants should learn smart ways to handle their credit cards and take a disciplined approach.
Session 1: Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (PST)
Sign Up: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/9063245048060404227
Session 2: Thursday, July 19, 2018
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (PST)
Sign Up: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/9063245048060404227
AUGUST — DRIVE AWAY HAPPY: CAR-BUYING DECISIONS
Getting a car can be overwhelming and stressful with all the decisions to make: new or used; buy or lease; zero percent financing or rebate (not to mention what color to pick). Participants will learn tips and tricks to have the best car shopping experience possible, while also making wise financing decisions.
Session 1: Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (PST)
Sign Up: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/3263578497262937603
Session 2: Thursday, August 16, 2018
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (PST)
Sign Up: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/3263578497262937603
Home Equity Line of Credit
It’s the DO Days of Summer!
What’s on your list?
Open up the possibilities with a Home Equity Line of Credit!
Learn more about our special summer HELOC offer on our website or at any Wauna CU branch, and apply today!
Credit Cards
Planning a vacation?
Take a Wauna CU VISA credit card along!
Platinum VISA Credit Cards
Reward VISA Credit Card
Apply on our website or at any Wauna CU branch!
Lower Interest Rates & Fees, Secure EMV Chip Cards, Great Rewards, Balance Transfer Bonus, Introductory Rate Offer
Financial Education
When it comes to money management, we could all do better. Wauna CU now offers Financial Education programs for everyone!
BALANCE for adults
Elements of money for teens
M3 for younger kids
waunafcu.org
800-773-3236
Find us on your favorite social media site, and stay up to date by subscribing to our blog!
Last week was Star Wars Day, which Wauna Credit Union always dutifully celebrates—we’d also celebrate John Wayne Day if anybody wants to help us get that going. On its surface, Star Wars Day is just a fun way for us to dress up like Darth Vader and have fun with our members, but there are actually several things that the preeminent saga of our time can teach us.
One of those things is how things we do and decisions we make can stay with us throughout our life. In Star Wars Luke literally sees and hears Obi Wan, Yoda and eventually Anakin–Sebastian Shaw not Hayden Christensen thank you very much—who continue to guide him. Similarly, we are all guided by the lessons imparted on us by our parents, teachers and other influences. Very often these lessons help us, but sometimes people learn the wrong way to handle finances.
Often people fall behind early and are constantly being visited by malevolent ghosts who encourage them to spend more than they have, not pay bills on time and consistently over-extend themselves. Wauna CU has multiple online ways to help with this, education programs like Balance for adults, The M3 Money Club for young children and The Elements of Money for teens.
A lot of us prefer in person help as well, for that we offer a credit enhancement program. As a community-oriented institution we want to help be that positive 
influence for our members. Our member consultants will sit down with a member whose credit isn’t quite where they want it to be, and go over their credit report, explain what the different notes and indications mean, provide a plan of attack and then periodically check in to apprise progress. Teaming with our members like this is one of the ways we stay true to our goal of being a true member of the areas we serve.
Wauna Credit Union’s Mission is to provide opportunities for our members to build their financial well-being. One of the most important places we demonstrate this core belief is through financial education and helping our members either improving, or starting, their financial setting. Nowhere is this more evident than our commitment to providing our youngest members with the financial start to lead them to a positive lifetime relationship with money. One of the ways we’re doing this is partnering with thousands of credit unions across the country for Credit Union Youth Week, April 24-29.
This week in order to encourage parents to begin their child’s savings, and start that financial conversation with their family we’re doing a few extra things to help our members out.
The M3 Money Club for kids. An immersive kid-friendly adventure featuring superheroes, fun and valuable money lessons
The Elements of Money for teenagers. A financial education, site that gives teens more than 100 podcast episodes, educational articles, eLearning modules and videos
Every person is unique, but most people who save regularly developed the habit early on in life. Learning to understand money and save for long-term goals is a crucial life skill, and one Wauna Credit Union is committed to helping our youngest members achieve. Credit Union Youth Week is just one way we do that.
One of the complimentary benefits all our members receive is a comprehensive financial education program through our partner BALANCE. BALANCE offers free lessons and amazing personal budgeting tools to help our members improve their money management skills. It also provides housing counseling, assistance making a debt repayment plan, a credit report review, and a toll-free information line.
In April BALANCE is offering a webinar on using your home equity. This is a great opportunity for members looking to take advantage of their largest asset to improve their lives.
If you’re interested you can register for either of the two times below.
Session 1: Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (PST)
Register: bit.ly/2jbjlAu
Session 2: Thursday, April 20, 2017
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (PST)
Register: bit.ly/2jbjlAu
One of the things that makes Wauna Credit Union special is our Mission to provide opportunities for our members to build their financial well-being. If you live, work, attend school or worship in Clatsop County, Columbia County, Western Washington County, or Pacific County Washington, we want to help you realize your financial goals. Sometimes, that is very hands by providing personal loans, mortgages or credit cards to help you grow. We pride ourselves on is our commitment to helping provide financial education to all our members. Sometimes this takes the form of our credit enhancement program, where we sit down with a member whose credit isn’t quite where they want it to be, and go over their credit report and help them make a plan to improve it. But financial education isn’t only us telling members what they need to do, one of the features we offer is BALANCE, which offers a ton of ways for members to take control of their finances.
What is BALANCE
BALANCE offers amazing personal budgeting tools to help our members improve their money management skills. Some of the things it offers are housing counseling, assistance making a debt repayment plan, a credit report review, and a toll-free information line, all free to Wauna Credit Union members. BALANCE also offers educational modules on a variety of subjects related to money, saving and spending goals. Read the modules or listen to many of them on podcasts and improve your relationship with money forever.
MoneyDesktop and MoneyMobile
MoneyDesktop is available directly from Online Banking. It gives members an easy and secure way to track finances and budget. You can add any account you want, whether it’s with us, or somebody else to get a full view of how you spend your money. Members can also download the free MoneyMobile app and take all of that information with you wherever you go.MoneyDesktop & MoneyMobile allow members to visualizes their spending as well. They both are great ways to offer help you take control of your finances.
We really hope that members can take advantage of these great free programs Wauna CU offers.
Start by identifying the income sources you’ll have in college, such as wages from a part-time job, scholarships and financial aid. Then estimate how much you’ll be spending. You can probably ballpark costs such as tuition, room and board, school supplies, laundry and transportation.
You should also allocate some money for discretionary spending, such as food outside your meal plan and entertainment. Consider limiting these expenses with a weekly allowance.
Your budget can show you when you need to cut back on spending and when you can afford a treat. If you need help, try an online tool like Mint.com.
There are two main types of student loans: federal and private. It makes sense to borrow as much as you can in federal loans before resorting to private ones, because federal loans generally have lower interest rates and broader repayment options.
Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, to get federal loans and see if you qualify for need-based aid, including grants, work-study and some scholarships.
Do your best to figure out how much you’ll need before you take out loans, whether they’re from the government or a private lender. Either way, you’re on the hook to repay them, so borrow only what you have to.
Credit cards can be tricky, particularly if you’ve never had one. They’re useful tools for building a credit history — but they’re also fraught with danger if you overextend yourself.
To get the greatest benefit out of a credit card, use it wisely. That means paying off your balance in full each month to improve your credit score and avoid costly interest charges.
It helps to view your credit card as you do your debit card: You can’t spend what you don’t have. Speaking of debit cards, make sure you don’t authorize your banking institution to charge an overdraft fee if you inadvertently withdraw more money than you have in your account.
If you want a credit or debit card, consider getting one from a nonprofit, member-owned credit union like Wauna Credit Union. These financial institutions generally offer lower interest rates and fees than traditional banks.
Many major companies offer student discounts. Among them: Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Banana Republic. If you’re hoping to make a purchase and the merchant hasn’t advertised a student discount, there’s no harm in asking.
You can also save money on textbooks by buying used copies from websites such as Abebooks and Chegg.
A degree doesn’t guarantee you a great-paying job. But college graduates still generally out-earn people without degrees, according to a 2014 report by the Pew Research Center.
And this much is certain: Developing smart budgeting and spending habits in college will continue to pay off long after you graduate.
Peter Lewis, NerdWallet
© Copyright 2016 NerdWallet, Inc. All Rights Reserved
*Thanks to our friends at NerdWallet for this informative guest blog!