Mountain America's Financial Education Initiatives Reach Over One Million Individuals in 2020

In 2020, Mountain America Credit Union’s financial education efforts reached more than one million community members through private coaching sessions, webinars, podcasts, publications, gamified education resources, and blog features.

Through this personalized approach to educational offerings and branch service, Mountain America has helped members save over $100 million in interest this year.

A September 2020 J.D. Power survey found that one-third of U.S. consumers do not have enough money to cover living expenses and 58% do not have enough cash on-hand for a $500 emergency. To help individuals navigate challenges and define and reach their goals, Mountain America expanded its financial education efforts in 2020, including webinars, a financial coaching program, and the Guiding You Forward podcast series.

“Mountain America is committed to enhancing the lives of our community members by offering valuable financial guidance,” says Tony Rasmussen, vice president of financial education at Mountain America Credit Union. “This year brought an increased need to reach members with financial education. By expanding our educational offerings, we were able to reach thousands of more individuals than in past years and provide a more tailored approach.”  

With more consumers seeking financial education, Mountain America expanded its financial education offerings in 2020, launching the following programs and initiatives:
 

• Webinars: Ranging in topics from improving your credit score to preparing to withdraw from your retirement fund, this year’s webinars reached more than 12,000 consumers.
   

• Financial Guides: Private one-on-one appointments with financial guides are offered at no cost, allowing community members access to tailored advice on debt reduction, savings goals, retirement planning, home buying, and more. Mountain America’s Financial Guides have provided individual coaching sessions for more than 700 people since the program’s inception in April.

• Guiding You Forward podcast: Nearly 300,000 viewers tuned in to watch the Guiding You Forward podcasts, a library of 25 podcasts on YouTube featuring subject matter experts with topics ranging from tips for saving for a down payment for a home, understanding what types of mortgages are available, budgeting, understanding your credit score, and so much more.
   

Mountain America also continued the following partnerships during 2020:
 

• Community partnerships: Mountain America collaborated with over 60 organizations, ranging from local businesses, government entities and non-profits, to offer free, financial education workshops.

• Gamified platform and publications: Banzai, an interactive educational platform, helped teach 11,000 kids, teens, and adults the basic principles of money through simulating real-life experiences. In partnership with the Deseret News, both The Game of Money and Money Matters publications are distributed to schools and homes across Utah, providing free financial education to approximately 600,000 individuals. The Game of Money teaches teens how to budget and anticipate living expenses. Money Matters offers parents the opportunity to talk to their children about money while also giving parents more in-depth financial articles.

• Blog: The blog, which has had more than 100,000 visitors this year, offers tips on a variety of topics, including buying a car or home, rebuilding your credit, and how much home you can afford.
   

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Media Contact
Contact our Public Relations team at publicrelations@macu.com for media inquiries.
   
About Mountain America Credit Union
With more than 950,000 members and $11 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union assists members on the right path to help them identify and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile banking technology, over 95 branches across five states, and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain America—guiding you forward. Learn more at macu.com.