Featured
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Sierra Pacific Credit Union Membership
- Sierra Pacific Federal Credit Union is headquartered in Reno, Nevada and has been serving members since 1936.
- 10th largest credit union in the state of Nevada, managing $165.64 Million in assets and serving over 11,000 members.
Membership: Work with select employer groups or a member of specific groups such as the Nevada Alumni Association.
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Lake Trust Credit Union Membership
- Lake Trust Credit Union is headquartered in Brighton, Michigan and has been serving members since 1944.
- 8th largest credit union in the state of Michigan, managing $2.58 Billion in assets, serving over 178,000 members.
Membership: Live, work, worship, or attend school in Michigan.
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Lookout Credit Union Membership
- Lookout Credit Union is headquartered in Pocatello, Idaho, serving members since 1952.
- 9th largest credit union in the state of Idaho, manages $335.82 Million in assets and serves over 28,000 members.
Membership: Open to everyone who works with partner employers or is a member of specific associations and groups.
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Brewery Credit Union Membership
- Brewery Credit Union is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has served members since 1934.
- Manages $63.57 Million in assets and serves over 9,000 members.
Membership: If you reside in or are employed in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, Racine, and Kenosha Counties.
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University Federal Credit Union Membership
- University Federal Credit Union provides financial solutions such as loans, investments, savings, credit and debit cards, online banking, and other related services.
- Manages over $4 billion in assets and provides banking services to over 375,000 members.
Membership: Employed by a company, enrolled or employed by a school, or belonging to an association in the field of membership.
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NASA Federal Credit Union Membership
- NASA Federal Credit Union is headquartered in Upper Marlboro, Maryland providing checking, auto loans, personal loans, savings and investments to credit union members.
- 3rd largest credit union in Maryland with assets totaling $3.31 Billion and providing banking services to more than 186,000 members.
Membership: Employee or retiree of NASA Headquarters, any NASA Center or Facility, or National Academy of Sciences (NAS), member of 900+ associations, or relative to current member.
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Langley Federal Credit Union Membership
- Langley Federal Credit Union is a US credit union headquartered in Newport News, Virginia and has been open since 1936.
- 5th largest credit union in Virginia with assets totaling $3.44 Billion and providing banking services to more than 275,000 members.
Membership: Available to employees at over 1,000 employers and associations in the Hamptons Roads Area. Immediate family members of current members eligible too.
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Wings Financial Credit Union Membership
- Wings Financial Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative providing banking services, including savings, loans, and other financial services.
- Minnesota’s largest credit union has assets totaling $6.18 billion and serves over 296,000 members.
Membership: Anyone who lives or works in specific geographic areas in WA, MI, MN, WI, FL, and GA.
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State Employees Credit Union Membership (North Carolina)
- State Employees Credit Union in North Carolina is the largest in the state, offering banking and financial services.
- Managing over $42.85 billion in assets and serving over 2.49 million members.
Membership: Membership is limited to employees of the state of North Carolina. -
Sentinel Federal Credit Union Membership
- Sentinel Federal Credit Union is headquartered in Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota and has been serving members since 1955.
- 9th largest credit union in the state of South Dakota, managing $165.22 Million in assets and serving over 9,000 members.
Membership: You are eligible if you live, work, worship, or go to school in certain South Dakota counties in and around Rapid City.
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Lake Trust Credit Union Membership
- Lake Trust Credit Union is headquartered in Brighton, Michigan and has been serving members since 1944.
- 8th largest credit union in the state of Michigan, managing $2.58 Billion in assets, serving over 178,000 members.
Membership: Live, work, worship, or attend school in Michigan.
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Lookout Credit Union Membership
- Lookout Credit Union is headquartered in Pocatello, Idaho, serving members since 1952.
- 9th largest credit union in the state of Idaho, manages $335.82 Million in assets and serves over 28,000 members.
Membership: Open to everyone who works with partner employers or is a member of specific associations and groups.
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Coinstar / Turn Your Coins to Cash, eGift Card or Donate to Charity
Coinstar offers a convenient and accessible solution for individuals who want to convert loose change into usable cash or gift cards. Find a Coinstar kiosk near you.
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Partners Federal Credit Union Membership
- Partners Federal Credit Union is headquartered in Burbank, California and has served members since 1968.
- Manages $2.47 Billion in assets and serves over 178,000 members.
Membership: An employee of The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) or one of its subsidiaries
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Technology Credit Union Membership (Tech CU)
- Tech CU is a Silicon Valley-based financial cooperative that offers members banking services, including savings, loans, and other financial services.
- Manages over $4.84 billion in assets and provides banking services to more than 169,000 members.
Membership: Anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in select California counties.
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Blue Federal Credit Union Membership
- Blue Federal Credit Union is headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming serving members since 1951.
- The largest credit union in the state of Wyoming managing $1.9 Billion in assets serving over 120,000 members.
Membership: Eligibility for Wyoming and Colorado residents.
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Goalsetter App / Savings, Spending and Investing App for Families
Goalsetter helps children save, spend, and invest through one convenient app while learning about personal finance and sound money management.
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Acorns Banking / High-Yield Checking Account and Emergency Fund
Acorns banking is a checking account, emergency savings, and debit card that saves, invests, and earns money for you.
- No minimum balance or overdraft fees.
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Credit Sesame Cash: No-fee Debit Account Pays to Improve Your Score
- Sesame cash is a no-fee debit card and an online bank account that pays you to improve your credit.
- Robust mobile banking features to deposit checks, transfer money, pay bills, and more.
- Get paid 2-days earlier with a direct deposit of your paycheck.
What is Banking?
Banking is a form of money management using products and services related to savings and loans.
Different Types of Financial Institutions
Banks
Banks are what we typically associate with banking. They come in different sizes: local, national, traditional and online-only. Federal or state agencies supervise banks. The FDIC insures deposits of participating banks.
Credit Unions
Credit unions are not-for-profit financial institutions. They offer products and services similar to banks with a focus on member service, not profit. The NCUA insures deposits from participating credit unions.
Alternative Financial Services
Many fintechs are non-chartered financial services companies that offer banking services. You might think of them as an app offering checking and savings accounts, debit cards, payments, etc. They are not banks but work with partner banks or credit unions to hold your deposits.
Types of Banking Accounts
Banking accounts help make financial transactions convenient.
Savings Account
A savings account helps you save your money. You’re storing your money for future use and hopefully earning a reasonable interest rate. Interest is the money you earn for letting the bank keep your money. Some financial institutions impose minimum deposits, withdrawal limits, and fees.
Checking Account
A checking account is a transactional account that allows you to make deposits and withdrawals of your money anytime. Checking accounts is not the best place to store your money, as the goal of the account is for use, not saving.Most checking accounts do not pay interest, but some do. Be mindful of transaction limits, minimum balance requirements, and fees.
Debit Card
Checking accounts come with a debit card enabling you to spend your money conveniently. A debit card allows for making purchases at stores and online shopping. You can only spend the money that’s in your checking account. Additionally, you can use your debit card at ATMs to make deposits, withdrawals, check balances, and transfers between accounts.
Money Market Account
A money market account is a type of hybrid savings and checking account. It tends to have higher deposit requirements but often pays more interest than a savings account.
Certificate of Deposit (CD)
A certificate of deposit, also known as a CD, helps you save money with a set interest rate for a specific amount of time. Your cash is term-locked. In exchange, you get a higher interest rate compared to a traditional savings account. Certificate terms can start at 30 days and go to 5 or more years.
How to Choose the Best Banking Service
You have many choices on the type of account to use and the variety of financial institutions available. So, shop around. Ask the following questions to help you narrow down your choices:
- What are the products and services offered?
- What are the fees?
- Are there minimum balance requirements?
- Do I need a physical location (like a branch) or prefer better mobile app services?
- Does local banking matter or is national big bank convenient?
- Are deposits FDIC or NCUA insured?
- How to access your money?
- Debit card? ATM network?
- Can I set auto-transfers, auto-payments, and alerts?
You want to determine how the banking provider aligns with your needs, the cost of services, safety, security, and overall convenience.