As a cooperative credit union, we are member-owned and member-operated, so our primary focus is on doing the best we can for our members, not trying to give the biggest payout to shareholders. In addition to offering the best rates possible and minimal fees, one of the ways that we honor our mission as a cooperative is by providing financial education tips, resources, and content to our members. In today's world, financial literacy is more crucial than ever. No matter if you're just starting your financial journey or simply looking to build on your existing knowledge, understanding the fundamentals of money management can pave the way for bright financial future. Throughout this year, we have provided a financial education tip on our social media channels each month to help our members increase their financial knowledge. If you missed any of these tips, no need to worry! To help wrap up 2024, we’ve collected all 12 financial education tips from this year so you can enter 2025 with greater command of your finances:

January Financial Education Tip: USALLIANCE Financial Education Center

Did you know that USALLIANCE Financial provides free financial education resources? Visit the Financial Education section of our website to learn about a number of financial topics including personal finance, budgeting, home ownership, and much more: https://www.usalliance.org/financial-education

February Financial Education Tip: Start an Emergency Fund

We've all heard it before: saving up an emergency fund is a key part of your financial wellness. It's usually suggested that you should have 3-6 months' worth of living expenses put away in case of an emergency such as losing your job, a major health incident, or any of the other unforeseen things that happen in life.

That can seem like a ton of money to save and set aside, and many people get too intimidated by the goal number to even start. Don't worry about saving it all at once - start small, keep building your emergency fund consistently, and over time, you will get there!

March Financial Education Tip: The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)

Created by the U.S. Congress in 1970, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) is an independent federal agency that insures deposits at federally insured credit unions, protects the members who own credit unions, and charters and regulates federal credit unions. The NCUA also has a wide range of free financial education resources available online.

Visit the NCUA Financial Literacy & Education Resource Center: https://ncua.gov/consumers/financial-literacy-resources

April Financial Education Tip: Preparing Your Tax Return

Tax Day is only a few days away on Monday April 15th! If you've been procrastinating, it's getting down to the wire!

Luckily, the IRS provides helpful resources for preparing your tax return: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/resources-to-help-you-prepare-your-tax-return

Make sure you get those returns in before the deadline on April 15th - but taxpayers living in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 17th, due to the Patriot’s Day and Emancipation Day holidays.

May Financial Education Tip: Practical Budgeting

Budgeting is a fundamental part of anyone's finances, and learning about budgeting is one of the most crucial steps to financial education. However, as much as it's talked about, budgeting can be intimidating if you're starting over from scratch or if you've never made a budget before. Our article, "Practical Budgeting Made Easy" can help get you started: https://blog.usalliance.org/practical-budgeting-made-easy

Be sure to check back or sign up for updates from our blog for more financial education content!

June Financial Education Tip: Saving for Retirement

No matter how young you are, saving for retirement is vital. Starting your saving early means that you will reap the maximum benefits of compound interest, earning you interest not just on your deposits, but on the interest you earn over time as well. Many companies offer sponsored retirement plans like a 401(k) that are also a great way to save for retirement - especially if your company offers a match on contributions. That's free money you should not pass up!

July Financial Education Tip: Financial Glossary

One of the first and most vital steps in becoming financially educated is simply learning key financial terms. Without knowing the basics of financial language, it's nearly impossible to graduate to more advances financial concepts and tools. Our Financial Glossary Infographic will give you definitions of terms you need to know and speed up your financial education journey: https://blog.usalliance.org/infographic-financial-glossary

Be sure to sign up for updates from our blog for more financial education content!

August Financial Education Tip: When to Give in to the Urge to Splurge

We talk often about being careful and responsible with your finances, but we all spend extra on a little something now and again - especially during the summer! Our article, "When Should I Give in to the Urge to Splurge?" will teach you an important part of financial education - how to keep even your extra spending in check: https://blog.usalliance.org/when-should-i-give-in-to-the-urge-to-splurge

September Financial Education Tip: Interest Rate vs APR

"Interest rate" and "APR" are two financial terms with an important distinction, but many people use them interchangeably. Check out our infographic "Interest Rate vs. APR" to get educated on the distinction between the two and learn to use them to your advantage: https://blog.usalliance.org/infographic-interest-rate-vs-apr

October Financial Education Tip: Pay Yourself First

It's the golden rule of personal finance. Learn how this very simple, very effective advice can change your financial future with our infographic, "Pay Yourself First": https://blog.usalliance.org/infographic-pay-yourself-first/

November Financial Education Tip: Watch Your Savings Grow

One of the most important financial lessons you can learn is the magic of compound interest. Check out our infographic, "Watch Your Savings Grow" to learn how powerful compound interest can be and see some examples that will show you that power in action: https://blog.usalliance.org/infographic-watch-your-savings-grow

December Financial Education Tip: 12 Free Online Personal Finance Courses

Did you know that there are hundreds of free classes online where you can continue your financial education - or start it - on your own schedule? If you're not confident in your financial know-how, look into some courses that can help you out. Here are 12 recommendations from U.S. News: https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/family-finance/articles/worthwhile-online-personal-finance-courses

Be sure to follow USALLIANCE on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X so you don’t miss any of our financial education tips or other important posts!