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How to Improve Your Money Management By Peggy Werner
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inancial education and real-world money management skills are important topics that don’t get much focus in the classroom. That’s why MembersAlliance Credit Union, 2550 S. Alpine Road, offers online financial education resources. It also sponsors classroom financial courses that teachers can use. “You can never learn too early about the value of money and how much it makes a difference, for better or worse, in peoples’ lives,” says Matt Lynch, director of marketing at MembersAlliance. “The credit union periodically offers in-person financial education workshops for teens and adults in budgeting, investing, Medicare, understanding and improving credit and how to avoid financial scams.” BanzaiDirect is a free interactive online financial literacy tool made available through the MembersAlliance website, membersalliance.org, under “Planning &
Education > Financial Education.” The program allows people of all ages to go through the courses, make money decisions and learn from their choices. The 15-minute self-paced lessons allow children and adults to answer questions and shape perspectives about money. MembersAlliance also sponsors an in-school classroom version for teachers. Learn more about it at https://membersalliancecu.teachbanzai.com/. “BanzaiDirect makes it fun for children to learn and gets their parents involved,” says Lynch. “It’s important for parents to talk to kids about money. Even if they have their own money issues, they need to communicate the right way to handle money. Parents often don’t teach children about money because they aren’t confident or were never taught some of the necessary tools themselves.” The version for educators includes lesson plans, workbooks, quizzes, tests
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and other resources to teach and measure progress. Last year, about 40 teachers in the Rockford area used the program. MembersAlliance representatives also travel to schools, businesses and other organizations to teach students and adults about money management. “Understanding money is an ongoing struggle for people everywhere,” says Lynch. MembersAlliance has Rockford locations at 2550 S. Alpine Road, 6951 Olde Creek Road and inside the West Riverside, Walton Street and Rockton Road Wal-Marts. ❚
Smart Living Weekly
Jan. 9
29
