Spring is here, and like the plants in our gardens, a new hope for a return to normalcy is also starting to grow in our hearts and minds.
Like gardening, cultivating your financial wellbeing takes time and planning, and can come with lots of guidance and rules. Knowing our members like we do, here at County Credit Union we understand that some of those old adages work for our real lives, and some need a little pruning.
For example, you have probably heard the phrase, “Buying is better than renting.” Well, maybe and maybe not. For some of our members who are concerned about their jobs or think they might be relocating soon, renting is a better option for their situation. And we know home maintenance can be a burden if you are not prepared to manage it.
Another rule we hear a lot is you should be completely “debt-free.” This makes sense in a lot of ways, but debt is more complicated than elementary school math. There are a lot of factors to consider. Becoming debt-free and building good credit over time usually involves changing your buying and spending behaviors while making good financial planning choices.
The rules pile even higher when you start discussing retirement. We get advice on the percentage to save, how much risk to consider, and so much more. However, your retirement planning should fit into your overall financial goals. Working with a professional to set those goals and adjust them when things change can help you create a plan that fits you.
It can be hard to understand what rules will help your financial plans be fruitful and grow, and which ones are just weeds in disguise. At County Credit Union, we have discovered a set of simple rules that really work for our staff and our members.
- Be careful about taking on debt, but don’t shy away from it.
- Save whenever possible because nobody knows the future.
- Be responsible with your credit and pay your bills on time.
- Get financial guidance from someone you trust.
- Avoid instant gratification on credit purchases.
- Don’t wait until you are at retirement age to come up with rules that work for you.
- We need other people way more than we need money.
Beyond just financial rules and routines, we know this last year has changed so many things about our usual life, but County Credit Union’s dedication and commitment to our members has not wavered. When other financial institutions were shutting down, turning people away, or directing them to drive-up lanes, CCU followed the guidance from the CDC and St. Louis County, and was always here for our members with our lobby open, shields up, and masks on.
With some recent changes to the CDC and St. Louis County rules, we wanted to include a quick update about what that means at County Credit Union.
To put it simply, if you are fully vaccinated, please feel free to use our services without a mask. If you are not vaccinated, we ask that you continue to wear your mask when you are conducting business at CCU, and as we have done for over a year, if you need or want a mask, just ask and we will provide one for you. In either case, your dedicated CCU staff is ready and waiting to serve you.
We hope your real-life gardens and financial plans grow and flourish this spring and beyond. Remember, CCU is large enough to provide the financial products and services you need, want, and deserve, and small enough to care about you and your personal goals. We can’t spell CCu without yoU!
