what my generation wants and needs from credit unions, and the world in general.

Five things credit unions need to know about my generation

 

As a college student, apparently I am a demographic that lots of credit union marketers are eager to reach. So I have been asked to write about what my generation wants and needs from credit unions, and the world in general.

Okay. You asked for it:

1. We want to be treated like adults.

We want to be equals and we want to be respected. We don’t want to be around people who are condescending, or doubt us. We take this same approach to our finances. No one wants to feel left out when it comes to his or her own interests, young people included.

But this is difficult because…

2. We don’t have that much experience.

The truth is most of us middle-class college students haven’t done much in the way of taxes or budgeting so far in our lives. The only loans we have experience with are student loans, and taking a loan out for a car or house is still a foreign concept. We don’t think in thousands of dollars except when it comes to college tuition.

This is doubly problematic due to the fact that…

3. We think we know everything.

This is the part that causes the most issues between generations. Not all of us would be willing to admit it, but we think we know best. But don’t shortchange us: we often know more than we’re given credit for.

This is probably because…

4. We’ve grown up with the Internet.

My generation is the most connected, most technologically savvy generation that’s ever existed. We’re informed to an unprecedented level. We know more about the world than previous generations could have ever imagined we would. Which is why we want a toehold in understanding the financial world.

And on top of everything…

5. We’re ready.

It may be frightening, but we need to be given that opportunity and allowed to make our own mistakes. We want to learn what there is to learn about the world of money so that we can take control of that aspect of our lives. We’re ready to get rid of the mystery.

Meet Sam
Sam is a multilingual 21 year old college student, and since we’ll have him in captivity for a little while this summer, we’ve asked him to write about what he and his generation want and need from financial services and the world in general.

Kent Dicken
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