UnBankingUnBelievable

I have been working at NWGACU for about 3 years now and I’m loving it! It’s not only a great place to work, but I get to do something that I’m passionate about: talk about money!

But sometimes I get so caught up in telling strangers, students, and members about the credit union difference that I often forget about my friends. The people in my life may know that I have a job at a credit union, but that doesn’t always mean we’re on the same page about finances. I’m just realizing this because I have a great friend that asked me about credit unions  recently.   

Friend: “Wait, credit unions are different than banks?”

Me: “Oh wow, we need to talk!”

I proceeded to tell her about how credit unions are owned by their members, not stock-holders and that we’re not-for-profit. These two things make it possible for us to offer fewer fees, much better loan rates, and treat people as people – not customers with earning potential.

Usually we’re able to save people money on loans since our rates are so great, but the saving doesn’t end there. We also have the best credit card around – great rewards, lower rates, and a lot less fees. And I love to tell people about our credit builder loan because we know that people don’t always have good credit, but instead of sending them away, we are able to help get their credit back in order.

Do you love your credit union as much as I do?

If so, it’s time to start telling your friends! Don’t leave them out of the loop – the money-saving, people-loving credit union loop.

International Credit Union Week was a lot of fun this year! We shared free stuff with our members, taught a free seminar on budgeting, and opened up accounts for lots of kids!

You’ll notice Billy here on the left sporting the fashionable reusable tote bag that we gave away. He enjoyed showing it off for the week.

Tuesday was a day set aside for financial check-ups. If you are interested in sitting down with a Financial Services Officer to discuss debts, budgeting, and reaching your goals, just stop by one of our offices and fill out a financial check-up form. We love helping people find places to save money!

On Wednesday we hosted a seminar on budgeting and got to speak with members about managing life on a budget. We shared a meal and discussed the pitfalls we often see when trying to budget our money.

Thursday was the candy buffet to say ‘thank you’ to our sweet members.

And the final day of International Credit Union Week was devoted to accounts for kids! We saw lots and lots of kids come in with their parents to open a brand new Little Sprouts or Acorn Club account. These are our new kid’s club accounts and we’re excited to share them with you soon!

Thanks for a great week and a fun celebration of credit unions and our members!

Who doesn’t love a good Halloween costume contest?

Last year was a blast and we’re sure it’s going to be even bigger this time around!

Join us this Friday, October 29 at 5:30. There is no need to enter your kiddos into the contest until you get to the Redmond Road office on Friday.

Two age groups will be eligible to win – ages 0-4 and ages 5-12.Winners recieve $50 and second place gets $25 put directly into their savings account. 

Our judges will be looking for cute and creative!

Happy Halloween!

The more time I spend at the credit union, the more I realize what a great place this is. We offer honest financial services and our staff has a genuine concern for our members and their financial well-being.

But, honestly, what really makes the credit union great is the membership. There are thousands of people who call NWGACU their financial home – these are the people that make our jobs fun and rewarding.

International Credit Union Week, more than any other week, reminds me of how grateful I am for the awesome members we get to work with.  These members are constantly reminding us of why we do what we do – which is pretty great to hear every now and then.

So, happy International Credit Union Week!

And…

thank you.

Budgeting is a word that scares most of us out of organizing and keeping up with our finances. It seems daunting and restrictive, so most of us stay away from it.

At the credit union, we want to see our members succeed financially and a big first step is organizing and planning. We’re offering a free seminar to help you get started or refresh your memory with some tips to keep you going strong.

It’s called ‘Life on a Budget’ and it’s geared toward any and all members seeking to start or update their budget. Join us Wednesday, October 20 at 12:00 in the Etowah Room at the Library. The seminar will last about an hour and we’re providing lunch! You’ll also have a chance to win prizes!

RSVP here to let us know you’re coming.

The parking lot at our Redmond Road office is quickly filling up with Enterprise cars for the big Car Sale!

The sale beins at 1:00 today and will last until 6:00 tonight. We’ll be back tomorrow morning at 10:00 and sell cars until 4:00 tomorrow afternoon.

So, join us! The cars are in unbelievable shape and our NWGACU auto loans are as low as 3.99% on used cars!

Bring your trade and we’ll give you Kelley Blue Book Trade-In Value PLUS $500!

And we’re paying your first payment for you also!

Don’t miss out on this unbelievable deal. And I’ll be at the Car Sale all day Saturday with free food and a moon jump for the kiddos!

You have probably heard that we are giving away a 32-inch flatscreen television. And if you know that, then you probably already know that in order to win this TV you have to sign up for eStatements by Tuesday, August 31!

Here’s Tiffany with more:

Our new auto loan rates are so low that we feel like we just have to tell everyone! We’ve put the rates on our billboards, on TV, on the radio, and everywhere else we could think of.

We even told the car dealerships to make sure their customers know where they’ll get the best rates. But when I say we “told” the dealerships about our rates, we didn’t just call them up and tell them. That would have been boring!

We actually let these one-of-a-kind Honeymoon Bakery cupcakes do the talking:

Do you think they got the message?

YUM!