Elect To Be In Control Of Your Finances

The clock is ticking its way to election day and you've probably noticed a steady stream of voters at area polling places casting early ballots.  Once the media attention shifts away from hurricane Sandy and back to politics, there will be no escaping the ads and commentary right through to the final tallies.  For so many of us, elections foster a sense of pride. They are empowering and a true sign of democracy in action.  Yet it's not uncommon for those feelings to give way to a feeling of futility, begging unanswerable questions like, does my vote really matter? It can leave you feeling insignificant and powerless, vulnerable to the will of others who you perceive to have more power or greater influence than you.

Take heart. You are powerful and influential. You are a member of the credit union. You have control over your finances and access to the best rates, plans and programs available.  As a member your vote is counted as a single vote in every election, not lumped into a geographic area where a representative of the plurality casts a vote. No, I'm not sure what that means, either. But it sounds like my single vote doesn't hold much weight. That's how we elect a president in the United States - by an electoral college. But that's not how you, a member of a credit union, elect your board of directors. At a credit union, it's one person, one vote. It doesn't matter if you have $20 dollars in your account and use just one service. You get one vote. It doesn't matter if you have $200 million dollars and use every service available. You get one vote. It's an even playing field where membership has its privileges, not where the privileged have membership.

By becoming a credit union member, you have cast your vote to take control of your finances, have a say in how your money works for the good of the members. Bank board members are elected by share holders, not the regular guy with a savings account and an ATM card. Not by the working Mom with a car loan trying to make a nice life for her family. 

Feel empowered and know that you matter. When you go to cast your ballot in this year's election, do so with pride that you have already made a good choice for you and your financial future. And although your national vote will be a small voice among the masses, you took the opportunity to have a say, to participate, because that's what credit union members do, they have their say.

^TFCU