A loan officer sees a low score and asks, “What happened?” instead of showing you the door.

A certified counselor helps you understand why you’re where you are, and maps a path to where you want to be.

You leave with a plan, not just a rejection.

Diesel exports: President Trump floated banning diesel exports to try to lower fuel prices before the midterms, but oil industry leaders pushed back hard, warning it could actually raise gas prices and cost US companies billions in lost overseas sales. (more)

McDonald's stock sell-off: McDonald's stock is down about 30% from February and on track for its worst year since 2002, as customers complain prices have gotten too high, while rivals like Burger King and Taco Bell are posting stronger sales by offering better deals. (more)

Peloton treadmills: Peloton is launching three new AI-powered treadmills (priced $2,195 to $6,695) to ride the running/marathon boom and try to reverse its shrinking subscriber base, after its stock value has fallen 97% from its 2021 peak. (more)

Paramount-Warner Bros. merger: The 12 states suing to block Paramount's $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. agreed to drop the lawsuit after Paramount promised things like protecting CNN/CBS News' editorial independence and keeping jobs in California, clearing the way for the deal. (more)

Royal Caribbean & Sandals: Royal Caribbean is reportedly close to buying a 50% stake in all-inclusive resort chain Sandals for about $3 billion, valuing Sandals at $6 billion, as the cruise line looks to expand beyond ships into land-based vacations. (more)

“Two things I’ve done very early on is save as soon as I could start working. It was always instilled in us to put a portion of your paycheck for savings, which helped later on to be able to put money in a down payment for a home.”

“In addition to that, the second part of it is as I had gotten older, is really just listening about investing and how to invest wisely.”

“I’m always learning about what other options there are available and to begin to be educated and take steps to enter into an investing field outside of your 401(k) plan.”

“I think it’s very relevant to today, especially to young people, you know, where banks were giving every college student a credit card, and there was no thought of what is a credit score, what’s the impact?”

“It was just here you go, spend, spend, spend, and not even understanding how the credit card works.”

“And of course, many students, myself included, got into some difficulty at that point in time. And we had to figure out, okay, now how do we get out of this?”

Start somewhere simple. Christine says the question Cardinal hears most isn’t about strategy. It’s “Where do I start?” “Boil it down to something super simplistic and give me a starting point, and then I can navigate from there.” Same goes for building a business: you don’t need a perfect plan on day one. You need one doable first step.

Get educated before you need to be. Cardinal teaches in six area high schools every year, because Christine knows financial literacy lands better before someone’s in a bind, not after. For entrepreneurs, that’s a nudge to learn the basics now, before the stakes get high.

Find people invested in your success. Christine says a lot of people come to Cardinal wanting a coach: “someone who’s vested in my interest.” Build a network like that. People who tell you the truth and coach you through it.

You Own the Place: As a member you're an owner, not a transaction.

David vs. Goliath Energy: Big traditional banks primarily exist to serve shareholders while credit unions exist to serve their members.

Better Loan and Deposit Rates: Lower rates on auto loans and mortgages. Higher rates on checking and savings accounts.