finances | YOUTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
Families are welcomed at Weld County Credit Union. (Photo courtesy Weld County Credit Union)
SMART IDEAS:
Investing i iin your children’s hild ffuture with i h Youth Savings Accounts at Weld Community Credit Union BY EMILY KEMME MARKETING FEATURE
W
eld Community Credit Union has a goal: to create a positive experience for customers of all ages when they walk through the doors of their financial institution. As a member-owned cooperative with a mission to provide financial services based on the philosophy,“People helping people,” an essential pillar of that mission centers on educating youth to be financially responsible, independent adults. “We make it fun for our youth to come in and deposit money; it gets them into the habit of coming into the credit union,” CCU marketing director Jolene Yates said. Encompassing a belief that it’s never too early to start saving money, WCCU has an account to fit every family’s needs. Two levels of youth accounts offer opportunities to learn why it’s a good practice to save for the future,and understand how to maage money. Because the accounts are family oriented, the youth clubs offer 8 | mywindsor | FEBRUARY 2022
age appropriate activities that foster engagement, and kids gain a solid understanding of where their money is going. All accounts require joint ownership with an adult over age 18. For kids 12 and under,after opening a new account they receive a piggy bank and kid’s cash (called Monkey Bucks) to collect and save. Young adults ages 13-17 can open a Student Club account, which includes eChecking.This level provides access to WCCU’s online banking system and mobile banking app. It’s all about creating excitement for banking while educating kids on how finances work, Yates said. Age based Youth Club activities are accessible through WCCU’s newsletter.The youngest group, Coin Collectors (ages 0 to 5) can play easy counting or coin identification games. Currency Captains (ages 6-12) are assigned math problems,and the Credit Champions (ages 13-17) can download Zogo, a free smartphone app which breaks down
