Real Solutions - A National Credit Union Foundation Program

Copies of the new book “Money Rules: The Simple Path to Lifelong Security” by bestselling personal finance author Jean Chatzky are now available from the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF). “Money Rules” contains a set of smart, actionable, engaging rules that if followed will allow readers to enjoy a lifetime of financial security and eliminate their stress about money.

The National Credit Union Foundation’s REAL Solutions Program in cooperation with the CUNA Mutual Group has developed a new Retirement Fair to assist credit unions help their member and staff better prepare for retirement. The fair is designed to have people think more carefully about the type of lifestyle they would like to pursue in retirement and then link it to their financial plan.

The National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) through its REAL Solutions™ program has released a resource guide for its free online report entitled “Credit Unions: Focused on Financial Capability Across the Nation,” which was released earlier this year. Both the report and new companion piece are the result of an almost yearlong data collection effort by NCUF with the help of state credit union leagues to illustrate how the credit union movement is making a difference through financial education and counseling.

The National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) recently released their 2011-2012 Annual Report entitled “Making Financial Freedom Achievable.” The report highlights NCUF activities over the 12 months. In early 2012, the Foundation announced a new mission and logo tagline, which corresponds to the theme of the annual report.

Originally posted at CUinsight – Want to make a big impact not only in the lives of your members but your community? One of the many things that set credit unions apart from the competition is their community outreach efforts, particularly with regards to financial education. Whether it be classroom seminars, financial counseling, experiential learning events such as Reality Fairs, and so on, credit unions exist to serve their members and diverse financial education is a key component for membership success.

Registration is now open for the Fall 2012 Credit Union Development Education (DE) training class taking place September 6-13 in Madison, Wis. Attendees of the six-day total immersion experience will learn about credit unions’ social responsibility and domestic and international development through interactive education and professional networking.

With the help of Montana Credit Unions for Community Development (MCUCD), credit unions in the state have embarked on a new program that will give their members access to both certified financial counselors and financial coaches.

For the first time, credit unions now have quantitative data to illustrate how the credit union movement is making a difference through financial education and counseling. The National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) through its REAL Solutions™ program just released a free online report entitled “Credit Unions: Focused on Financial Capability Across the Nation,” which is the result of an almost yearlong data collection effort by NCUF with the help of state credit union leagues

In 2011, the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) and its REAL Solutions® program conducted a comprehensive national study of credit-union provided member financial education to provide state leagues and the broader credit union movement with information that quantifies the extent to which credit unions advance consumer financial literacy and decision-making. Working with state credit union leagues/associations, NCUF’s goal is to provide data that can be used in public awareness-building and related outreach efforts to demonstrate the power of credit union education and counseling initiatives, and to help credit unions implement additional financial education products, tools and programs for members/consumers.

We’ve just released the first 1-page case study from the National Credit Union Foundation’s (NCUF)forthcoming national report from NCUF showing how the credit union movement is making a difference through financial education and counseling. This case study on Schoolsfirst Federal Credit Union is from the section of the report on classroom presentations.

KS, IL & DE Pages Show how CU’s Financial Education Efforts are Making a Difference in their State

Three state pages were released from the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) and will be part of a forthcoming national report from NCUF showing how the credit union movement is making a difference through financial education and counseling. The Delaware, Illinois, and Kansas pages were put together from data collected by NCUF for its 2011 Credit Union Member Education Inventory.

NCUF REAL Solutions Program Director Lois Kitsch was recently interviewed by Mike Lawson from CUBroadcast. She talked about REAL Solutions, her experiences when working at the World Council of Credit Unions, and much more.

Credit Unions Still Have Time to Complete the Survey Credit unions are making a difference through financial education. For example in 2010, 200 credit unions reached 182,000 students through classroom presentations and over a million people were provided financial counseling or advice. This is from preliminary data collected by the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF), which has been collecting data for its 2011 Credit Union Member Education Inventory.

Credit union organizations can now apply for new Financial Education Grants from the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) through June 30. NCUF’s annual grant program was formerly known as “Innovation Grants,” but has been updated this year to realign with the Foundation’s new focus on financial education.

The National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) is collecting data for its 2011 Credit Union Member Education Inventory. Sponsored by state credit union leagues and NCUF’s REAL Solutions program, the data and information gathered from credit unions will enable the credit union movement to demonstrate the power of financial education and counseling on the lives of members and communities across the country.