DECISION PARTNERSContent and Resources
Engaging Members When They Need It
Whether a member is exploring how to buy a new car, pay for college, or protect their family from the unexpected, they're probably not calling to see when a seminar might be scheduled - they're going online. When they do, your credit union's MoneyEdu service will be there, strengthening member relationships with non-commercial education they can trust.
As opposed to one-size-fits-all websites, MoneyEdu uses content personalization to help members focus on what they want to learn. Members can save content to their homepage, create and manage checklists, take notes on any topic, and (if enabled by your credit union) choose to share certain exercises with credit union staff for personalized advice. MoneyEdu saves each member's work between sessions, making your credit union increasingly relevant to their financial education needs over time.
MoneyEdu Topics
MoneyEdu offers a growing library of topics relevant to any member. Select topics include:
Financial Basics
From understanding the concept of "financial health" to making a budget to understanding credit reports and scores, our Financial Basics course gets younger members off to a great start. Almost any member can benefit from learning (or reviewing) these crucial topics.
Buying a Car
Buying a car is one of the largest and most complicated purchases any of us will ever make. Topics include buying new versus used, lease options, evaluating a used car, the implications of different types of financing, and even how to negotiate price with dealers.
Paying for College
Whether your member is the parent of a college-bound student or an adult exploring the idea of going back to school, Paying for College offers the education each member needs. The course dispels common myths about paying for college, covers the pros and cons of various loan programs, and explains loan repayment options.
Financial Trouble
At some point, almost everyone will encounter some type of financial trouble - from an occasional missed payment to personal bankruptcy. This material explains consumer rights, how to create a plan for moving forward, and suggestions for when to seek help from a financial counselor.
Starting a Business (Coming Soon!)
More people than ever are considering whether or not to start (or purchase) a business. This material helps members learn how to minimize financial risks, evaluate opportunities, deal with basic legal issues, and avoid the many scams that target aspiring entrepreneurs.
Elder Care (Coming Soon!)
Middle aged Americans are increasingly playing a pivotal role in the care of aging parents and in-laws. Covering everything from creating a financial plan to having difficult conversations, MoneyEdu's elder care material offers a sensitive and comprehensive approach to balancing the needs of all family members.
Getting Married
Saying "I do" is just the beginning. This material helps members learn how to plan for major expenses, talk about money, discover when prenuptial agreements could be appropriate, and understand the tax implications of marriage.
Having a Baby
As the largest financial responsibility any of us can incur without a credit check or down payment, our Having a Baby course covers key topics every new parent (or those considering becoming a parent) should understand. From understanding the differences between health insurance plan benefits to planning for child care, this material takes an insightful approach to this unique experience.
Planning for the Unexpected
Thinking about an illness, car accident, or even death is never fun, but planning for unexpected events is part of any responsible financial plan. In this course, we explore auto insurance, home owner's and renter's insurance, health and disability insurance, and how certain legal documents can protect the wishes of members.
Saving and Investing
It's hard to turn on the television today without someone shouting stock picks or offering "flavor of the day" advice. Our saving and investing material helps members separate the sensible from the sensational, offering a conservative starting point for understanding investment vehicles, accounts, and strategies.
Retirement Planning
With changes to Social Security and pension plans a possibility, there's no better time for members to explore the options for securing their financial future. From understanding the tax benefits of various savings plans to making sure members take advantage of any employer benefits, this material offers practical insights for retirement planning.
Calculators and Exercises
Our content library is just the first step - MoneyEdu then helps members make sense of their education with interactive calculators, checklists, and other resources.
- Monthly Budget Calculator - Perhaps unlike any budget calculator you've ever seen before, ours offers personalized money-saving suggestions based on your projected spending behaviors.
- Budget-to-Actuals Calculator - Compare actual spending with a monthly budget, including line by line analysis and a "big picture" summary. Track progress over time and even export figures to a spreadsheet.
- Personal Goals Journal - There's no better way to achieve financial goals than to write them down. Members use this exercise to set short, medium, and long-term financial goals. Goals are saved and can be adjusted as needed over time.
- Personalized Feedback - Sensible, objective feedback and suggestions based on spending behavior, credit card use, and financial stress levels.
- Paying for College - Find any "aid gap" that may exist after earnings, loans, and expenses are calculated for each semester or academic year.
- Identity Theft Assessment - Personalized feedback based on common (but often overlooked) behaviors that may increase the risk of identity theft risk.
- Real World Calculator - For those just entering the work force after college, this tool shows entry-level income and budget scenarios for a variety of popular college majors based on national average salary data.
- Credit Card Repayment - Create a strategy for paying off credit card debt based on either planned payment amounts or the desired number of months over which the debt will be paid.
- Chronic Debt Assessment - This assessment exercise takes a look at over a dozen factors associated with compulsive spending behavior.
- Auto Financing Calculator - Explore monthly payment scenarios based on amount financed, interest rate, and the term of the loan.
- Financial Personality - Discover "hidden" attitudes toward money, including spending priorities, with this innovative tool.
Personalization Tools
MoneyEdu saves each member's work between sessions, becoming more and more relevant over time.
- Saving Content - Members can save relevant content to their home page for easy reference.
- Notes - Members can write notes about any topic in the MoneyEdu content library. Notes are placed both in the appropriate sections and assembled into one Master Notebook.
- Course Tracking and Review - Progress made on each course is stored in each member's account. Members can easily review any topic covered and print their course completion certificate.
- Content Sharing - When enabled by their credit union, members can choose to share their monthly budget and other interactive exercises with their credit union representatives for one-to-one counseling sessions.
- Integrated Communication Tools - When content sharing is enabled, members and credit union representatives have the option of secure, site-based messaging.
- Online Checklists - Members can add "to do" items to their interactive checklist and manage their tasks over time. Select content topics also have built-in checklist suggestions.
Did you know that Decision Partners is a true technology company? That means we do all technical development in-house. If you need a new tool, just ask! We're happy to implement community suggestions that improve MoneyEdu for everyone.