Episode 182-Bonus Episode- Everything You Need to Know About Credit Unions and Why Banking with a Credit Union is Good for Your Wallet and Community

Jamila Souffrant 0:00

You're listening to the Journey to Launch podcast. Everything You Need to Know About Credit Unions and Why Banking with a Credit Union is Good for Your Wallet and Community.

Intro 0:13

Welcome to the Journey to Launch podcast with your host Jamila Souffrant, as a money expert who walks her talk, she helps brave Journeyers like you get out of debt, save, invest and build real wealth. Join her on the Journey to Launch to Financial Freedom.

Jamila Souffrant 0:40

Hey, hey, hey, journeyers Welcome to the Journey to Launch podcast. I'm so excited to speak to you today to bring you this bonus episode about credit unions. Now I partner with Digital Federal Credit Union, also known as DCU. And it's been a great great partnership because a synergy of what credit unions are all about and what DCU all about matches my vibe matches journey to launch, because not only are they about helping their community, they're also helping your wallet as a credit union member. And so I wanted to bring more light about credit unions to you some more education around what credit unions are, why you should join one and bust any myths that you may have. I mean, I even joined my own local credit union since starting this partnership, MCU. And so it was really important for me to bring you more information about credit unions. And so on the podcast today I am talking to Ron McLean. Ron is president and CEO of the cooperative credit union Association, also known as CCUA. The cooperative credit union Association represents nearly 200 credit unions in Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, empowering them individually and collectively to provide consumers with outstanding financial services. CCUA provides advocacy before legislators and regulators resources for staying compliant and educational opportunities to help credit unions effectively lead and manage thriving credit unions. So Ron basically knows all about credit unions, so I had to invite him on the show, to really give us all the information about why we really need to consider credit unions as a valuable, viable option for our banking needs.

And even better guess what Ron and I are going live on Instagram together next Friday. So depending on when you listen to this, Ron and I are going live on November 20 at 12pm Eastern Time on Instagram will be going live from my page Journey to Launch and Digital Federal Credit Union's page DCUs page and their page is DCUcreditunion, so make sure you're following me and DCU and then you can check out our live on November 20 at 12pm. Eastern time, I'll be sitting down with Ron and so you can access questions in real time about your credit union options how you join one, maybe something we did not address in this episode.

First, a word from our sponsor DCU, also known as Digital Federal Credit Union. Now at their core credit unions were founded on the philosophy of people helping people for individuals that might find themselves part of the underbanked or underserved communities. Credit Unions offer individuals a safe place to manage their finances or help fund purchases as an alternative to other financial service providers like payday lenders, at DCU. The credit union places and enhance focus on financial education by offering learning modules on key financial topics like budgeting, saving for the unexpected, building credit and much more. DCU also offers a secured credit card that could help individuals establish or improve their credit by borrowing securely against their savings balance. To learn more, check out dcu.org and stick around to the end of the show for a new segment called the DCU money tips of the week, where I'll be sharing tips to help you save and manage your money so you can reach your goals.

If you want the episode Show Notes for this episode, go to journeytolaunch.com or you can click the description of wherever you listen to this episode to get the full episode show notes. Now if you are a new listener to the podcast or an OG Journeyer, I've created a jumpstart guide to help you on your journey to financial freedom. It includes the top episode so listen to the stages to go through to reach financial freedom resources to help you and so much more. Get it for FREE by texting launch to 33777 text launch to 33777 or go to journeytolaunch.com/jumpstart to get your guide for free right now. Okay, let's hop into the episode.

Hey Journeyers, I'm excited because I have an honorary Journeyer on the podcast Ron McLean, who is from CCUA, Cooperative Credit Union Association. Hi, Ron,

Ron McLean 5:05

Jamila, how are you? I'm pleased to join you. So thank you for the invitation.

Jamila Souffrant 5:09

I'm really excited to have you on the show. Because since the partnership with DCU that we've created, I wanted to make sure that my audience is well versed and knowledgable just as I'm still learning myself about credit Ian's and so who better to talk to about the benefits of credit unions and things that we are still learning and that we need to know, is you so I want to bring you here to give us some more background, and give us all the things that we should know, while we're making decisions on which credit union to join, how we can join and all the amazing things.

Ron McLean 5:40

Jamila it's a great story to tell I'm happy to share it. And I think I have a lot of information or information that your audience can benefit from and listen from. So I'm here to help you and help your your audience so I fire away.

Jamila Souffrant 5:52

Right, so Okay, CCUA, what exactly is it? Right? It's it's something that benefits credit unions, but like, what do you do in the midst of this?

Ron McLean 6:00

Yeah, so CCUA, and what you'll find is in the credit union system, there is a ton of acronyms, and CCUA stands for the Cooperative Credit Union Association. We are the trade association representing credit unions in four states, those would be New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Delaware. And our company, we are the champion. We are the voice for credit unions in those four states. So we do a ton of things when it comes to advocating with members of Congress, regulators. But we also do a ton of compliance education, PR. But at the end of the day, we're trying to create a an environment where more and more consumers can gain access and benefit from being a member of a credit union.

Jamila Souffrant 6:45

Right now, what do you think has been like a barrier for people joining credit unions? Because you guys have been along around for a long time now. Right?

Ron McLean 6:53

Sure. I think it's, in some cases, it's just general awareness. And in some cases, it's a history of just not knowing if somebody can belong to a credit union. And we'll, I think, talk about more that in a little while. But I like to say that not everybody can join every credit union. But there's a credit union for everybody.

Jamila Souffrant 7:12

Yeah, and even to me, like, you know, I've been in the personal finance space, talking about money. And I've, since the partnership with DC, you've done my own research, joined my own local credit union. And hearing all the benefits, I'm just like, this is a no brainer, you think like everyone would try, but there are some barriers. I would like to talk a bit through that. But first, let's back up a bit and talk about what a credit union is for people who have no clue what it is.

Ron McLean 7:38

Sure, sure. So at its very core, a simple term I would use is a member owned financial cooperative, what you're gonna hear me talk about a lot today, to me, is the term member, when you are a member of a credit union, you are not a customer. So that's a big difference. Essentially, creditors are owned and controlled, operated by the members of that credit union. So it's going to be a lot of the similar type of services, products that a consumer might think of when a bank, but very mission oriented, a big differences are not for profit stature, and also being run by a volunteer board of directors that makes them very, very unique. And ultimately, for any credit union, it's essentially that if you are have a profit for that credit union, that money goes back to their members in the form of lower fees, better rates on loans, but are rates on shares, new and enhanced services, something that's very unique for credit unions is the term one member, one vote. So if you are a member of a credit union, and you are voting, say, for the board directors, whether you have $50 or $500,000, on deposit, your vote counts the same. So very much very much a democratic way of doing banking, and a real incredible proud history of lifting people up, serving underserved communities, fighting for economic justice. So a rich and proud history, which I'll talk more about, hopefully, in our conversation.

Jamila Souffrant 9:21

Yeah, and that's the you know, amazing thing. I think, especially in today's climate with so many more people are conscious of how they're spending their money and who they spend their money with. This is a great solution alternative or just like a complimentary service that even if you still bank with traditional banks, that you are considering a credit union like not just for your community, which is great, but just it's like also just good financial tools and products.

Ron McLean 9:47

Yeah, I would say it's in your best interest to take a hard look and if not definitely join a credit union. You will save money. You're going to put some more dollars back in your pocket and it's real dollars. The average family will save several hundred dollars a year at a minimum by being a member of a credit union. And that membership can extend to your family. So it's again in just strictly dollars and cents. There's a great other story when it comes to local trusted, you know, financial institution. But at its heart, you know, it's mission oriented, it's about people helping people, people over profit. And part of that translates into saving people money.

Jamila Souffrant 10:30

Right. So it's the best, like you said, of both worlds. Yes, it has that good mission. But it also is a bit, you're making good judgment calls as a personal steward of your own money, putting your money in a credit union, because you're making money. It's not like a charity, where you're losing money, you are banking with the best here,

Ron McLean 10:47

Jamila, I want to stress with your with your audience, too, that when a member walks into any credit union, that credit union, they want what's best for you and your family. So they won't try and feed a death, they won't try and sell you something across something that's not in your best interest. They want what's best for you, your family, etc. So you're a member owner of that credit union, so they want to help you, and they will have your best interests in mind. And no matter what solution they have for you, and to help you get to a better place in life

Jamila Souffrant 11:19

right now. And you know, the amazing thing is there are so many credit unions, so your organization supports how many credit unions,

Ron McLean 11:25

right, so CCUA, we represent about 210 credit unions in the northeast, there's roughly 5000 across the country, it is a growing membership. So nationally, 100 and 20 million or so people are members of a credit union, assets are growing members are growing, it's definitely on the upward climb. But for our membership in our four states, we have 210

Jamila Souffrant 11:49

Wow, that's a lot. And so now let's talk about when people are considering joining one, what are some of the things that like they need to look for, because one of the things that I've heard come up for people is, well, I don't know if I can actually join, like, I've seen the credit union, there's one around the corner, like for me, there's one around the corner, but you don't necessarily, you know, think about it, and you're like, well, maybe that's for us, like you know, someone else, like I don't know, if I'm eligible. So let's talk through how one can find it the eligible and then join a credit union. Sure,

Ron McLean 12:17

so So there are two sites I would like to direct your audience to. One is called bettervaluesbetterbanking.com again, bettervaluesbetterbanking.com. Also another site called yourmoneyfurther.com. Again, me repetitive here Jamila, yourmoneyfurther.com, you can go to both those sites, you can just put in your zip code that will give you a list of credit unions in your area. And it would take you know reaching out to a couple of credit unions to talk about you know, joining and membership, you can visit websites that will give you information about how you can join, and it's going to run the gamut. Some credit unions will have a a we call community charter where it might be if you live work, worship, or go to school in a certain area that qualifies for membership. You know, I have to say that credit union represents society. There are credit unions, for the military, for postal workers, for hospitals, for teachers, for police for fire, it's gonna really, I guess, be different per credit union, not everyone has a community charter, some are going to be specific to a, again, perhaps an employer or an association. But there are two great tools and bettervaluesbetterbanking, and yourmoneyfurther to explore membership.

Jamila Souffrant 13:35

Yeah, and I will link all those website links in the show notes so that people can also um, follow up. And the other thing so when I joined my local credit union, which is Municipal Credit Union, I was able to join because my husband is a teacher, so teachers were allowed to join and then any family member, so as his wife, I was able to join, so sometimes it's just relationship wise that you can also be eligible.

Ron McLean 13:56

Yeah, many times it's, uh, you know, once a member, always a member, so member for life, if you will, and that having that extend to the to the family is just brings greater value to the creditor membership. So in our household, again, a member members will save hundreds of dollars and, you know, family of five, do that times five, that's that's real savings.

Jamila Souffrant 14:17

Right now, how so? If one so someone's interested in joining a credit union. It's no also it's also not that different from joining a traditional bank in terms of there for at least what I went through. It was simple. It was easy. I did it online in 10 minutes, so open up my account. And so I think sometimes a barrier for people could be well, like, how much more work is this? Because it seems like a smaller operation. But just like you explained, actually, credit unions are a big operation. It's just that a lot of people don't necessarily, like know about it, but they're just as in tune with technology and being able to do things online, just like another financial institution.

Ron McLean 14:52

Yeah. 100% that's a myth. I think that is certainly incorrect and not accurate. current news have killer apps. They have killer websites, any device anytime a day at your convenience. So, you know, think of produce, you know, on par, if not better than many of the banks out there. So, again, they invest in technology. They have great cybersecurity aspects. But again, you know, great apps, you know, remote banking, online banking, don't ever think for a minute that a credit union does not have great technology, because they do.

Jamila Souffrant 15:26

Right. And then the other thing is that your money is safe at a credit union. So that might be something that people are thinking, well, I don't know, you know, but your money is just as safe or safer.

Ron McLean 15:35

Absolutely, I would say it is equally safe between a credit and a bank. If you're a customer of a bank, and you walk into that branch and go to a teller, you might see a sign or you would see a sign for your deposits are insured for up to 250,000 by FDIC. So if you walk into a credit union, and you go up to the teller, you will see that your deposits are insured up to the exact same amount by NCUA, which is one more acronym that stands for the National Credit Union Administration. Both FDIC and NCUA are government institutions. So your money, your money is super safe. And it's equally as safe between banks and credit unions.

Jamila Souffrant 16:20

Right. And that's important to note, because I think there's a lot of mistrust of just systems and financial systems with institutions. And so further ensuring people like, Look, your money is just as safe here, anywhere else is important.

Ron McLean 16:32

And Jamila, I would say, you know, use the word trust. And I want to make sure your audience knows that no one is trusted more for financial institutions than credit unions, year after year, year after year. For decades and decades, there have been surveys done of consumers, who do you trust more? And lo and behold, the answer is credit unions. So that's not not not me saying that only I'm basing that on a history of, you know, just a ton of people being asked that question. So walking into a trusted financial institution, I think has great meaning, no matter what time it is, or what year it is, that trust factor, I think is a huge benefit. Again, it goes back to being a member owner,

Jamila Souffrant 17:19

right. And what really, I love about the mission of credit unions is like the community that it's within that it serves. So like if you're banking with a credit union, and you know that money is most likely being deployed to other people within your community, small business owners and some credit unions are made up of like, maybe have a higher percentage of business owners and others. But there was one credit union, it slips my mind now, but it was in Brooklyn. And I love that one of their things was they actually didn't require like a social security number to join. So because the community was very had a lot of, you know, immigrants and undocumented people, but so underbanked people that need the services, and this credit union was able to provide membership to these people. And I thought that like that, to me is just an amazing testimony to the different types of credit unions and how they serve really serve the community.

Ron McLean 18:10

Yeah, and let me just pick up on that a little bit and speak. So very inspiring. So a couple of stories for you just to share. So I've been in the credit system for almost 30 years. So once a couple stories that jumped out to me are a credit CEO saying, you know, we have taxi drivers that are part of our membership, many of them are immigrants, and they don't speak English well, and that the taxi drivers would come to the credit union, bringing their bills with them. And the CEO would sit down with that member with that taxi driver open their bills, and help that member pay their bills. That's that's called you know, going above and beyond, our members bend over backwards, our credit unions bend over backwards to make a difference in their members lives. That includes financial education, financial literacy, I've been in credit unions that are in inner cities and rural areas, all points in between that sit down one on one and teach them financial education, teach them financial literacy. Many credit unions do that with technology as well. But it's the personal human touch that I think resonates with people. And it's part of what I call the credit union difference. But you know, what, you your example Jamila for New York City, that takes place at thousands of credit is across the country.

Jamila Souffrant 19:30

Yeah. And also important to note like, and this is where it comes in, of it being like a balanced approach where Yes, you're helping the community you're giving back in certain ways. But again, when you're banking with a credit union, it is for the betterment also of your personal finances of the financial tools you have, because I don't want people to think well, this is just like a goodwill gesture like it is. But the powerful thing about this is in addition to that, you're actually like on par with and like you said, more time saved And earning more because of this,

Ron McLean 20:02

you're gonna have access to the full range of traditional banking services. And some will be very particular when it comes to financial literacy, financial education, and various types of services. But it's the the mission behind it. It's the caring for families, for people, for businesses that really, really stand out and resonate with people.

Jamila Souffrant 20:24

And, you know, isn't get also specific about the products because, you know, we're talking in general, and maybe some people are like, well, maybe it's just like a checking account or savings account, but it's a wide like array of products that credit unions offer. So let's just go through like, it's literally everything, it's secured credit cards, its business loans, what else?

Ron McLean 20:41

Yep, so it's going to be the full range of lending lending products, certainly on the mortgage lending side or the you know, home lending side, it's going to be the 1530 year, all points in between, at the end of the day, the credit union will want to get you into that home, into that place where you can call your home, they will bend over backwards to make those terms work for you and your family, it's going to be, you know, credit cards, it's going to be auto loans, you and new and used, it's going to be a full range. And on the on the share size is the positive side, it'll be you know, IRAs, CDs, money markets, checking, savings, they will want you to save responsibly. So and that's just on the, you might say the sharing loan side, you're gonna have remote deposit capture, Bill Pay, you know, peer to peer banking, it's going to be a full range, again, any device anytime, at your convenience. And in some cases, credit unions will have maybe a home energy type loan, which I thought was very unique. Some credit unions have sometimes offered loans for help an immigrant become a US citizen, which I think is very, very unique and special. I seen credit use do loans to help people have an adoption, you know, to pay those kinds of expenses. So those are very personal stories that resonate. And it's not going to just stop at the the whole mortgage, the checking account, it's those really caught one off personalized service that have extra meaning and value, I think to people,

Jamila Souffrant 22:17

right. And, you know, one of the things I was most excited about when being able to partner with DCU was on when I got to understand like, the like the credit union like the way that you guys different credit unions like it's like not a competition at all. It's like all for one, like you said, because you know, I was like, Well, you know, I think joining MCU for me is better, because it's like around the corner. And they were like, Yes, go ahead. And I think on you know, we had a conversation and you were like, it may be true. But like that there's something called, I can actually access like you. There's a way in which you can access your money if the credit unions are associated with each other through their tellers and banks. So I also want to talk about that network system, because it's literally not a competition between the credit units. Everyone is trying to like lift each other up within this system. Yeah,

Ron McLean 23:01

yeah. To me, that's incredibly unique, you know, comparing us to others in the financial space. So a few thoughts quickly on the backup, you mentioned DCU a few times they are a member of our association. They are one of the most respected credit unions not only in New England, but the country. I know their team, well, they have a huge heart. They contribute to thousands of community organizations every single year. And I would say that, you know, DCU lives the credit mission every single day. But within our membership we have credit is way below that, their size, that have the same big heart and mission of serving members. So it's just incredibly heartwarming to see our membership of different asset sizes, fulfill that credit union difference in mission and philosophy. So collaboration is certainly very unique. It kind of blows people away that well, you guys get along and you guys help each other. You know, it's very unusual for people on the outside to see that. So what does that look like for your your audience, that means they collaborate on a surcharge free network, literally 30,000. You know, a network of 30,000 through the co op Financial Services is great for members. There's something called shared branching, close to 2000 credit unions in the country literally share their branches. So a member at one credit union can do banking at another credit union, that opens up roughly 5000 branches coast to coast. That doesn't happen anywhere else. It's the collaborative approach. The creditors have to help one another. It's good business, but it's also the right thing to do to bring the credit union difference to more and more people. And it's very unique, very special. And I think makes us stand out and one more way.

Jamila Souffrant 24:47

Yeah, sure does. And so if someone wanted to understand or know like, like if their credit union and that they're considering or the current one that they maybe don't even know there's a benefit to this, they would just need to call and ask or is there a site one of the like the sites to go To get that information,

Ron McLean 25:01

yeah, first things first, I would start with where you currently do your Where's your membership app, we do your banking app for the credit union. So they would be the first ones to validate, you know, yes, we are a part of shared branching or not, roughly half of the 120 or so million people in the country have access to shared branching. So there's a good chance that your credit union is part of that,

Jamila Souffrant 25:24

right. And the other cool thing is the access to your money. So I think that's also like a myth of that it's hard to get to like, especially if you move away, you know, life changes and career changes. And just the unknown, is if you join a credit union, like the thought processes, maybe with a traditional bank, you can rely that they're mostly the big ones, you know, will be everywhere. But that if you move away from a credit union, and like what happens, can you talk through the access to your money, and then moving away from wherever you opened your account.

Ron McLean 25:51

Sure, yeah. So great access to your money. As far as if you move, say, if I moved from Boston down to Florida, I'd have access to shared branching, who I actually, you know, I'm a member of a DCU. But you know, they have great technology, we touched on that earlier. So online, digital banking, the app surcharge free networks, so your your membership that that membership travels with you, and you will not miss a beat. I know a ton of people that have moved from place to place at a state that have not missed a beat when it comes to having full access to your money. And it's just, again, part of what we do.

Jamila Souffrant 26:29

What is then the charge for more people to join and like credit unions, is it more of a knowledge, like just getting the benefits and promoting credit unions more to the public is there, what is on your mind for your organization, a way to increase membership, so people more people join and know about it.

Ron McLean 26:47

Yeah, it comes down to in many cases, awareness, people just not knowing that they that you know what credit unions are. And there is that kind of perception that Oh, a credit might be challenging to join, I'm not sure if I can quite join that credit union. So as an association, we need to help fight down those barriers that people might have a perception. And we're working on that we have our own four state awareness campaign called Better Values, Better Banking, there's a national campaign taking place right now called Open Your Eyes. And that's really open your eyes to the benefits of a credit union. So there's initiatives taking place at the local, state and national level. At the end of the day, if people just kind of dip their toe in the water and say, You know what, I'm going to take a shot at this and belong to a credit union, it's going to pay huge dividends, no pun intended, over time that they will find the service is more personal, it's more meaningful, it's more trusted. You know, in today's day and age, I think, the social mission of giving back and keeping money local, of helping your neighbors get to a better place financially. And that resonates with people. People want to help people, you want to help your neighbor, you want to help your town in your city and your community get to a better place. So people over profit is not just a term, people help you people, not only a term that's lived every day for our members, and if consumers were to, again, dip your toe in the water and take a shot at it. I think they fall in love with a credit on day one.

Jamila Souffrant 28:20

Yeah, I mean, I have I feel like it's definitely been a great experience for me since joining. And credit unions have been around for a long time. So it's not like they're going to go somewhere. So I'd like to kind of get into the history of credit unions how they came to be, if you can just give us like a little walk back in history.

Ron McLean 28:36

Yeah, I don't want to go too far back, I go back quite a ways. And the real roots came from Europe. It was a cooperatives that were in in Europe that taking place you might have been a farm cooperative, or, you know, some kind of financial cooperative, but that that migrated across the ocean, and really took footprint in Canada. And there's some early pioneers, Alphonse Desjardin, Edward Filene, who are big people in our in our world, but they were really pioneers in North American cooperative movement. And in Massachusetts, we are home to the first state credit union and law in 1909, that helped establish the credit system in Massachusetts. And it started out small, but over time, it just spread like you know, a seed, you know, it just grew and grew. And 1934, President Roosevelt signed the Federal Credit Union Act into law that opened up things even more, but it kind of germinated in, in Europe, came across the ocean, Canada down to the US. And it really started out for people that didn't have access to mainstream financial services and might have been immigrants of some kind or people that felt left out in society. And it took maybe a local leader of some kind to band together. peers, and in those days Jamila, it was modest beginnings, it may have been a $25, you know, start to that credit union in 1909 or 1910, or something like that. But the the concept of pulling money together to help your neighbors help people have a common bond, get to a better place, just took off. And, you know, fast forward years and years have gotten through depressions, World Wars, pandemics, even, but credit unions are thriving. They are growing 120 million, I think those credit founders in 1909, would be amazed at the credit system today, and incredibly proud that today's leaders like DCU, or others, have lived up to that mission of people helping people.

Jamila Souffrant 30:48

Yeah, and again, it goes so in line with some, you know, my podcasts with my content, when I talk to journeyers. It's about you know, reaching financial independence and freedom and creating more options in your life. And a lot of that is just doing it in a way that also is in alignment with your values. And so I think now more than ever, people are realizing that how they vote with their money is important, how they, you know, bank is important and who they support and give their money to is important. So I really hope that this crash course in credit unions was great for people to really like, I want you to take action guys, I want you to really look up if you're not a member of your local credit union to look up we'll do the sites again, where you can check out who you have access to I think you had said bettervaluesbetter banking.com, and yourmoneyfurther.com, right?

Ron McLean 31:38

Yep, bettervaluesbetterbanking.com and yourmoneyfurther.com. And Jamila, if I can just give another plug for our credit our credit union. So yeah, I can tell you that they give give money, they get millions of dollars every year to charities which they do so. But it's not just writing a check for credit unions. It's that personal touch. So in Massachusetts, we have something called the Mass Coalition for the Homeless and Build a Bed for Every Child. It's the state charity that credit unions rally around. And what happens is several times a year, credit unions will come together and build a bed for homeless child. And that's you know, hundreds of people doing that every single year. And it's not just build a bed for a child, our credit unions will, they'll give them a book, they'll give them a blanket, they'll give them a stuffed animal. So it's just incredibly personal, incredibly meaningful. And that's just one example of thousands about how how credit is care, whether it's DCU, or the credit unions across New Hampshire, Delaware, Rhode Island, I could I could rattle off many more, but at least some of them out and want to know, you know, leave any of our members out. But I'm incredibly proud of how credit unionsis make a difference. Throughout the pandemic, our credit has stepped up naturally in their DNA to waive billions of dollars in payments for mortgage consumer, business loans, they waive millions of dollars of fees, set up emergency loans, it's just an incredible story that I think needs to be told we're trying to tell the story and having your journeyers hear this, I think it's just one more venue. So to your listeners, if they're on a journey, you have a financial partner for life, and your local trusted credit union. And again, I would say take a hard look. And at the end of the day, I think you'll be thrilled.

Jamila Souffrant 33:25

Amazing. So again, we'll link all of that in the episode show notes. This was a great event for me, I learned some new things on this in this conversation. So I'm really hoping that you listening will also really take action and check out your local credit union. Thanks once again,

Ron McLean 33:38

Jamila, Thank you and have a great day to your listeners. And I will see you on the journey.

Jamila Souffrant 33:46

All right, I really hope you enjoyed and got a lot of information from this episode with Ron. My intention here is not only that you are educated in this, like that's amazing, but that you take action. So check out your local credit union and become a member. And don't forget, Ron and I are going live on Instagram on November 20 at 12pm. Eastern time. So come join us, I'm @journeytolaunch and DCU is @dcucreditunion, make sure you're following us and join us live to ask your questions and to see us and interact with us.

Okay, here's the DCU Tip of the Week, do a fall cleaning now's a great time to see what you have around the house that you no longer need. Consider selling furniture or co signing clothing that's in good shape for extra cash and make sure you put that extra money to your savings goals.

If you want to check out the episode shownotes that's where you can get links to anything that's mentioned and even get a transcribed version of this episode that you can read. Go to journeytolaunch.com or click the description of wherever you're listening to this episode. Now you can also still grab your free journeyer jumpstart guide by texting Launch to 33777 or go to journeytolaunch.com/jumpstart

If you want to support me and the podcast and love the free content and information that you get here, here are four ways that you can support me in the show. One, make sure you're subscribed to the podcast wherever you listen, whether that's Apple podcasts, that purple app on your phone, your Android device, YouTube, Spotify, wherever it is that you happen to listen, just subscribe so you're not missing an episode. And if you're happening to listen to this in Apple podcasts, rate, review, and subscribe there. I appreciate and read every single review. Number two, follow me on my social media accounts. I'm @journeytolaunch on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And I love love love interacting with journeyers there. Three, support and check out the sponsors of this show. If you hear something that interests you, sponsors are the main ways we keep the podcast lights on here. So show them some love for supporting your girl. Four, and last but not least, share this episode this podcast with a friend or family member or co worker so that we can spread the message of Journey to Launch. Alright, that's it until next week, keep on journeying journeyers.