Financial Literacy Seminars
We offer a wide variety of financial literacy topics to ensure that our members and their communities can lead a financially healthy life. From demystifying mortgages to learning budgeting basics, our team can customize any topic to fit the needs of your group or organization. If you’re interested in having Hudson Valley teach a seminar, complete the form below and a member of our team will be in touch with you. In the meantime, learn more about everything we have to offer!
- Compound Interest Mind Bend shines a spotlight on the effects of compound interest and introduces powerful examples of how starting early can translate into big savings in the long term.
- Emergency Fund Boot Camp describes what an emergency fund is and is not, why you need one, how much money should be in it, and tips on putting that money aside.
- Guaranteed Deposits introduces Certificates of Deposit (CDs) and the benefits and limitations of this type of investment product.
- Investment Vehicles is useful for beginner investment dabblers. This can be combined easily with the session on Compound Interest.
- Know Your Checking Account takes a look at the ins and outs of managing a checking account including history, overdrafts, holds and checkbook registers. This is great information to help young adults start out on the right financial footing.
- Pay Yourself First shares the important idea of prioritizing savings goals.
- Re-Engineering Retirement is a seminar that will help you plan for retirement shortages and needs, learn how to transition from accumulation building to retirement income, and use illustrations and worksheets that take the complexity out of retirement. Provided by Wealth Management at Hudson Valley Credit Union staff.
- Rule of 72 goes deeper into compound interest and demonstrates a simple way to estimate how long an investment will take to double in value. This combines well with other savings-related topics.
- Saving for Retirement is a basic introduction to common retirement savings products. As a financial cooperative, Hudson Valley Credit Union helps to support many local non-profits whose work benefits our members and their families.
- Save, Spend, and Share is our most basic money course for ages 10-13, focusing on saving money for a goal, understanding the power of saving early and often, and identifying wants vs. needs when creating a budget to save for something special.
- Boost Your Credit Score helps show that credit reports are more than just numbers. This is often combined with Breakdown of a Credit Score.
- Breakdown of a Credit Score shows you how credit scores are calculated and why they are important.
- Buying a Used Car walks through the benefits of buying a used car. It also shows you what to check for and how to get the best deal.
- Comparing Cards offers information on debit cards, credit cards, and prepaid debit cards to highlight the various ways to use each.
- Credit Building: Manage, Protect and Improve Your Credit Score is one of our more flexible courses which can extend beyond one hour, if required. Credit Building identifies terms borrowers need to understand, as well as the composition of your credit score and how to maintain a high one. We discuss how your credit score affects your ability to borrow and at what cost, as well as the actions that can help or hurt your score.
- Demystifying Mortgages shows how mortgages work and explains fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages, annual percentage rates, principal, interest and amortization. This is great info for first-time homebuyers.
- How to Save on Tuition is designed to help lighten the financial load of post-secondary education. Students are introduced to the importance of scholarship opportunities and provided with simple ways to reduce their total tuition.
- Leasing vs Buying a New Car takes a practical look at the different ways to pay for a new vehicle to make an informed decision before committing to such a major purchase.
- Loan Basics serves as an introduction to loan types and vocabulary.
- Owning vs. Renting a Home introduces the key differences between buying and renting a home and encourages thinking critically about which option best suits our personal and financial goals.
- Predatory Lending delves into the darker side of consumer finance, shedding a light on payday lenders, check cashers, pawnshops, and other high-cost alternative financial services providers.
- Strategies for Debt Repayment outlines three approaches to building a debt repayment plan - the Snowball method, the Avalanche method, and consolidation.
- Student Loans breaks down the differences between federal and private student loans, and points out areas to consider before signing on the dotted line.
- Using Your Credit Card is designed to help people have a healthy relationship with their credit cards and includes information on billing cycles, payment due dates, and credit card statements.
- Acing the Job Interview provides tips and tricks for preparing for a job interview - focusing on what to wear, what to bring, what to research, and what to say in order to land the job.
- After Grad: Work or College is designed to get students thinking about life after high school, comparing going to school with joining the workforce, and stressing the path to success is unique to every person.
- Avoiding Lifestyle Creep gives young adults the advice they need to make the most of their next raise or bonus, helping them to recognize and counter lifestyle inflation in their own spending.
- Budgeting Basics introduces concepts that can be applied to any budgeting system and shows that budgeting should come from confidence, not guilt.
- Building a Budget introduces the popular 50/30/20 budgeting system to help set up a budget and categorize expenses as needs, wants or savings goals.
- Choosing Your Financial Institution is a basic introduction to choosing a credit union vs. a bank.
- Common Money Beliefs is designed to get young adults thinking about the underlying beliefs that influence their financial decision-making.
- COVID-19 & Your Finances shares a set of action steps to manage money problems. For maximum impact, we can pair this subject with others to customize for the audience (for example, Building a Budget or Strategies for Debt Repayment).
- Credit Union Myths addresses four common misconceptions surrounding credit unions and how to compare them with other financial institutions.
- Earning Money Online identifies opportunities for young adults to safely make extra money online by selling stuff, skills, or feedback.
- Foiling Identity Theft shows simple and proper ways to maintain safety with personal information.
- Good vs Bad Spending delves into the psychology of building a budget that you will actually use.
- Grow Your Money Locally highlights the importance of supporting our local economy.
- How to Save on Groceries is a great topic for seasoned shoppers.
- How to Spot Scams takes you on a virtual tour of common frauds and different tactics scammers use.
- Income Essentials explains the connection between four interconnected factors: career, education, skills, and trends.
- Intro to Insurance outlines what exactly insurance is and how it works. This is useful information for those considering insurance for the first time as well as more established consumers.
- It's Your Money is a basic money management seminar touching on needs vs. wants, effective budgeting, different types of savings and loan accounts, the basics of a credit report, and tips to prevent identity theft. This class is typically good for teenagers and adults who are just starting to be financially independent.
- Learn More About Medicare touches on Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans, and can help answer your questions, assess your needs, and find a plan that’s best for you and your budget. Our licensed sales representatives know the ins and outs of Medicare. Provided by Wealth Management at Hudson Valley Credit Union staff.
- Let’s Talk Taxes introduces basic taxation concepts through the lens of paycheck deductions and reviews things like gross pay, net pay, and standard paycheck withholdings.
- Living on Your Own helps young adults move out on their own by showing the various costs involved, especially affording rent.
- Organizing Your Finances tackles the physical and digital organization of all of life’s paperwork and digs into what you should keep or toss, and how to do both safely and securely.
- Paying for Pets makes a connection between budgeting skills and pet care.
- Preventing Elder Financial Abuse discusses the warning signs of elder financial abuse, including scams to avoid, how to report suspected abuse, and how to help those who may be victimized.
- Preventing Identity Theft goes into the various means thieves use to gather and use personal information, and includes tips for protecting yourself and your information.
- Social Security is a seminar that will help you understand and maximize your Social Security benefits. Learn key facts about Social Security and how to navigate the decisions surrounding the program, including how benefits are calculated, what full retirement age is, and how to choose the right time to file. Provided by Wealth Management at Hudson Valley Credit Union staff.
- The 5 Things You Need to Know is an introductory course for teens that covers five core areas of personal finance: types of accounts, budgeting, compounding, credit reports, and emergency savings.
- The 7 Co-Operative Principles tells how credit unions are unique.
- Trends in the Stock Market explains the differences between bull and bear markets. It also discusses how both upward and downward trends represent opportunities to make money.
- Understanding Inflation introduces readers to the causes and effects of rising prices over time.
- Writing a Business Plan shows how to translate a business idea into something actionable.