Why Financial Literacy Is Becoming a Defining Moment for Credit Unions

Описание: “You’re either born into credit unions or you fall into them.”
It is a casual line in conversation, but it lands with weight. In that single thought, Sarah Snell Cooke captures both the loyalty and the looming challenge facing the industry. If younger generations are not growing up inside the credit union ecosystem, where do they learn what money even means anymore?

That question sits at the center of a wide ranging conversation on The Credit Union Connection, where Sarah Snell Cooke is joined by Chip Griffith, Chief Member Experience Officer at OneAZ Credit Union. The discussion moves quickly from personal stories to uncomfortable realities. Fewer Americans are working with financial advisors. Younger adults are piecing together guidance from family, friends, and whatever shows up in their social feeds. Credit unions, long trusted but often taken for granted, are standing at a crossroads.

Midway through the conversation, Sarah voices something many parents and professionals quietly worry about. Schools are cutting back on financial education, assuming it will be picked up somewhere else. Chip does not dodge the concern. With a background rooted in teaching and decades in financial services, he speaks with equal parts urgency and optimism about what credit unions can step into when those gaps appear.

What makes this exchange compelling is not just what OneAZ is doing, but why. Chip describes an internal shift that treats financial coaching as a core responsibility rather than a nice to have. The idea is simple but ambitious. If members are expected to navigate increasingly complex financial lives, the institution should meet them with real tools, real people, and real empathy. Not every member wants a lecture. Not every member is ready to open their books. The conversation explores how flexibility and trust matter just as much as expertise.

There is also a quieter thread running underneath the dialogue about employees themselves. As Chip talks about certification, growth, and pride inside the organization, it becomes clear that financial literacy is not only changing member relationships. It is reshaping how teams see their own roles. Learning becomes contagious. Confidence builds. Service feels more human.

By the time the conversation winds down, there is no dramatic takeaway or polished slogan. Instead, there is a sense that credit unions are being asked to remember who they have always claimed to be. Not just places where money is stored or borrowed, but places where people are taught how to move forward. In an era full of noise, that role feels both old fashioned and quietly radical.