By David Pilley on February 3, 2012
.jpg.aspx) People are fed up with big banks right now, and the anger is well-justified. Whether it’s a $5 charge to access your own money through a debit card or a $20 fee to transfer funds from savings to checking because of overdraft, these for-profit entities just don’t seem to care about their customers as much as they do about making money. It might be time for a switch. It might be time for you to use the old adage, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” It might be time for you to join a credit union.
Credit unions work in a cooperative nature. That is, you can join a specific credit union if you are part of a group that shares a common bond. The types of common bond include employer, college or university, place of worship, and even geographic area. There are thousands of credit unions out there, but you might be unaware since they don’t typically advertise in the Yellow Pages or on TV. At a credit union, you may enjoy lower fees and higher interest rates on your savings. This is available because credit unions are not dependent on money-hungry stockholders. They are reliant solely on their members, and once you join one, you have a say in how it is run. Credit unions are “not-for-profit,” meaning they do not rely on donations; if they make any profits, they use it to offer more affordable loans or higher returns on savings.
So, how do you join? Well, the first place to ask is your employer. Ask the HR department, your boss, or your co-workers to see if they belong to a credit union that caters to the company. You should also ask your family about joining. Most credit unions allow immediate family members to join, so ask your parents or your siblings about it. Ask your spouse, too; most credit unions will also allow you to join if your husband or wife is already a member.
Being a member of an organization outside of work may also mean eligibility for membership into a credit union. Churches and colleges are two types of organizations who may have a credit union, and it’s not really difficult at all to join. In some cases for college, you don’t have to be a graduate; you simply need to have taken some courses at the university to be eligible. I also found a website called findacreditunion.com, where you can search for credit unions located near where you live.
When you find a credit union, you will need a few documents. Of course, you need to show proof of identity, but the most important thing is proving your membership of the certain group. Bringing a pay stub or a company ID tag will be acceptable; if you are joining via family relation, bringing your mother or wife or whomever is already a member of the credit union may be beneficial. You may also need a certain amount of money in order to join. Whatever the qualifications are, it’s actually quite simple to join a credit union. Once you do, you may wonder why you didn’t join sooner!
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