We Make Learning About Money Fun!

Do You Love Your Kids?

Do You Love Your Kids? Seriously? Do you love them? I think every parent or grandparent will answer this question, ‘Yes’.

You could give them myriad treats to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but I’d like to ask you to consider giving them something a large portion of my generation (Gen X) may never have as a result of the current economy: Financial Security.

Start your kid a ROTH IRA for Valentines Day. You can open one at any licensed or charted financial institution. This is a retirement savings account that allows your kid(s) to use this money tax...

Snowmageddon Doesn’t Stop Credit University!

On January 23rd, the first day most of us went back to school after a fun but weird week of massive amounts of snow, Credit Union sponsored Credit University was back in class in Tacoma at Wilson High School! While it was pretty crazy to be back on that first day, we had a lot of fun, and students learned that some of the choices they’re making today could be impacting their employability down the road.

What is ‘Credit University’, you might ask? Uh, in the words of one Mercer Island student, ‘You were the best speaker we had all...

WA State Tech Prep Directors attend IEIYC Workshop

Tech Prep Directors across WA State gathered together at Spokane Falls Community College today for a workshop that included a presentation of the Investor Education In Your Community program, sponsored by the Investor Protection Trust with the support of the WA State Dept. of Financial Institutions.

In addition to receiving information about how to contact their regulator with questions regarding the financial service providers they’re using, the group received information about how to safeguard their investments in volatile markets, how to avoid investment fraud, the role of their state regulator, and how bringing investor education into their classrooms promotes critical thinking...

Where to Find Money: What About Your Closet?

Last year my life changed significantly.  I moved.  I  was single again.  I had  new goals to fashion, and I was at a bit of a loss. I was also a small business owner in the midst of a recession, and that felt something like wolves gnawing at my rented front door.

The impact the recession had on my business impeded my ability to meet my retirement savings goals.  While I’ve long kept emergency savings on hand, I didn’t want to tap those reserves, my current security, in exchange for my future financial well-being.  Determined to get through all the changes and find a way to save for the future I...

A Surprising Revelation at WBW Gonzaga’s Credit University Presentation

File this one under ‘Not Quite What I Expected’.  Thanks to these credit unions, I was able to deliver a presentation on identity theft prevention, credit, and savings to 250 teens last week.  It was a great presentation that resulted in tons of audience questions, and a surprising revelation.

One of the FAQs that always comes from teens is when they should get their first credit card.  I explained that with the changes in the Credit Card Act, teens wouldn’t necessarily be able to obtain their own credit card when they turned 18 without meeting certain requirements.  The age of credit card...