Being an impactful financial institution requires as much listening as action. When our membership let us know they were looking for more intensive, on-going, one-on-one assistance with personal finance, we looked to our existing staff and what sort of training we could provide to meet this need.
Our current Money Guide team includes: Eurika Boulay in our Northampton branch, Jeremy Raddar in our Hadley branch, Gwen Schanck and Angela Winslow in our Springfield branch, Kathi Bates and Dina Leavitt in our Worcester branch, Matt Eddy in our Contact Center, and Cait Murray in Retail Services.
In addition to the years of member service experience held by these employees, the certification included a lengthy self-study program combined with in-classroom hours, and a final 100 question certification exam. Since certification, the team has also taken the time to develop some useful financial tools and learn about local resources to share with our members. We are so proud of these employees and know that they are the perfect team to help our members succeed in meeting their financial goals.
Top, from L to R: Eurika Boulay, Jeremy Raddar, Gwen Schanck, and Angela Winslow. Bottom, L to R: Kathi Bates, Dina Leavitt, Matt Eddy, and Cait Murray
Who should meet with a Money Guide?
The Compass Financial Pathways program is designed to assist members on their journey to financial wellness, whether they’re just starting out or already on a particular path. Our Money Guides can teach our members how to create and manage a budget, plan to pay down debt or improve credit, set goals for the future, or navigate challenges that life throws at them. We understand the path to financial wellness is a long one and our Money Guides are prepared to work with our members over a number of meetings and review their progress. Our Money Guides may also offer a Co-op Points reward as an incentive for meeting the member’s financial goals.
Money Guides, with their intensive knowledge of all UMassFive services, will be able to provide referrals to other departments as appropriate, whether it be our Financial & Investment Services team to discuss long-term investment options, our Member Services team if financing is desired, or to the team at GreenPath Financial Wellness for more intensive situations like a debt management plan. We see Compass Financial Pathways as a great free resource for those seeking partnership to improve their financial wellness in many capacities and we encourage our members to take advantage of this wonderful program.
