Financial education
Free education for members + the public
Workshops, online courses, K-12 curriculum, and 1:1 financial advising. We’re a credit union — teaching people how money works is part of why we exist.
Education programs
47
Schools using our curriculum
12,400
Workshop attendees in 2025
$310K
Annual program investment
1:1
Free advising/year/member
In-person workshops
Free + open to the public
First-time homebuyer
3-hour workshop covering pre-approval, downpayment programs, closing costs, inspection, what to ask. Required for our first-time buyer grant. Hosted monthly at all branches.
Credit fundamentals
How FICO is calculated, how to dispute errors, how to build from zero, how to recover from late payments. 90 minutes. Hosted bi-monthly.
Retirement basics
401(k) vs. IRA vs. Roth, employer matches, target-date funds, rollovers. 90 minutes. Hosted quarterly.
College planning
529 plans, FAFSA, scholarships, student loan tradeoffs, in-state vs. out-of-state. For parents and HS juniors/seniors. Hosted quarterly.
Small business credit
Building business credit from scratch, separating personal + business finances, SBA loans, lines of credit. For early-stage entrepreneurs. Hosted bi-monthly.
Estate planning
Wills, beneficiaries, POAs, trusts (when needed). What every adult should have in place. Hosted quarterly.
Online courses
Self-paced + free
Money 101
10-module fundamentals course. Budgeting, saving, credit, debt, investing basics. Designed for ages 18–25 but useful at any age. ~6 hours total.
Build your credit
5-module course on going from zero credit (or rebuilding from low credit) to a solid 720+ score. Covers builder loans, secured cards, dispute process. ~3 hours total.
Buying your first home
Companion to the in-person workshop. 8 modules. Pre-approval through closing. ~5 hours total. Required for our first-time buyer grant if you can’t attend in person.
Investing fundamentals
Index funds, ETFs, asset allocation, tax-advantaged accounts. Conservative, evidence-based investing — not stock-picking. ~4 hours total.
K-12 curriculum
Used in 47 schools
Elementary (grades 3–5)
Saving, spending, the difference between needs and wants, simple banking concepts. 12-week curriculum integrated into math class.
Middle school (grades 6–8)
Budgeting, intro to interest + loans, how banking works, intro to investing concepts. 16-week curriculum.
High school (grades 9–12)
Personal budgeting, credit cards + scores, student loans, taxes, retirement basics, intro to investing. 18-week curriculum aligned with NC + SC standards.
Free for educators
All curriculum + lesson plans + assessments are free for any K-12 teacher in our region. No strings attached. We just want kids to graduate financially literate.
1:1 financial advising
Free for every member
30-minute consult, free, once/year
Sit down with a CFP advisor and review where you are. Goals, debt, savings, retirement readiness — your choice of topic.
Specialty topics
Beyond the standard consult, members can book deeper sessions: estate planning review, college funding strategy, debt-payoff planning, retirement projection.
By appointment, in-branch or video
Book online or by phone. Most regions have advisors available within a week. Video appointments available 9am–5pm M-F.
No sales pressure
Our advisors are salaried, not commission-based. We don’t sell investment products — referrals to fiduciary advisors only when appropriate.
Education questions
What people ask
- No — most workshops are free + open to the public. The K-12 curriculum is free for any educator. Only the 1:1 advising is member-only.