Still time to enroll in LAFCU’s free personal finance course until 9/6

There’s still time to enroll in LAFCU’s free, comprehensive personal finance course Pathway to Financial Transformation for adults, ages 20 and over. The deadline is Sept. 6, 2022.

The 16-session, virtual course covers topics critical for financial stability and, ultimately, financial freedom. It is structured similar to a college course with assignments and quizzes.

“We saw the pandemic upend the financial lives of many,” said Shelia Scott, community financial education & business development officer who leads the course. “Pathway to Financial Transformation accentuates hope. It helps individuals prepare for life’s mishaps and understand financial success is an option for everyone. That’s important to LAFCU because individual financial stability is important to the success of the communities LAFCU serves.

The one-hour classes are Thursdays at 6 p.m., about twice monthly, Sept. 8, 2022 – April 27, 2023.

Scott explained that classes offered across eight months allows time for students to realize benefits of even small behavioral changes.

“That’s building a pathway to financial transformation,” she said.

This is LAFCU’s second offering of the course; the first cohort graduated April 2022. Scott said some students were able to stop living paycheck-to-paycheck, pay off debt, start a savings account and improve their credit score.

One graduate, Cathy Daniels, Dimondale, sums up the course’s impact: “It changed my life. It is so useful to everyday life it should be required learning for everyone.”

Course topics include financial attitudes and behaviors, budgeting, investing, home and automobile ownership, dealing with financial stress, improving one’s credit score, money management in retirement, and barriers that have prevented equal access to financial resources.

Speakers will be LAFCU professionals in collections, lending, investments, insurance, and diversity, equity and inclusion; as well as outside experts in financial counseling, auto lending and auto maintenance, and mortgages; and even a health and wellness coach.

Graduates will be celebrated at a cap-and-gown ceremony.

To enroll, visit www.lafcu.com/pathway. The course is open to people who live, work, worship or attend school in Michigan, the credit union’s geographical service territory.

The Pathway to Financial Transformation personal finance course is the most recent complement to LAFCU’s financial literacy program, which includes free classes on singular financial topics for adults and real-world financial education for K-12 students.

Chartered in 1936, LAFCU is a not-for-profit financial cooperative open for membership to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Michigan and to businesses and other entities located in Michigan. The credit union serves 72,000 members and holds over $950 million in assets. It was named a Best Credit Union to Work For in 2020.

LAFCU offers a comprehensive range of financial products and services as well as an expanding complement of financial technology solutions. Members enjoy benefits such as low fees, low interest rates on loans, high yields on savings, discounts, knowledgeable employees and nationwide access to fee-free ATMs.

A recipient of the national Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award for credit unions, LAFCU enriches the communities it serves by supporting many organizations and causes. To learn more about LAFCU, call 800.748.0228 or visit www.lafcu.com.