What are principles that influence how you use money? One principle we use is to look for the best deal. Whether it’s weekly grocery shopping or making a larger purchase — like furniture or electronics — we shop around to get the most bang for our buck.

How do you make decisions about financial matters? If we are making a purchase that is more than $100, we talk about it and decide if it is something we absolutely need at that time. We talk regularly about our finances and what we can do to save and get ahead.

How has communication helped you work through financial considerations as a couple? When we communicate about our spending and purchases, there aren’t any surprises. We are always on the same page about large purchases.

How have UCCU’s programs helped you with disciplined savings and modest spending? The programs have not just helped us, but our children as well. When our children receive money, UCCU is the first place we go. We try to teach them at a young age to be disciplined with their money and put some away before making other purchases.

What financial tips or suggestions would you give other families? Start a BeMoney Smart Youth Savers program for your children. We have three young boys, and they deposit money regularly into their accounts. Whether it’s $1 or $10, it is fun to see their accounts grow.

How do you overcome financial challenges? When situations arise such as a water heater that needs to be replaced or an unexpected car repair, we use a fund that we have set aside for those emergencies.

What is your favorite aspect of banking with UCCU? We like the variety of programs they offer and the benefits they give their members. One program rewards our children for every A they receive on their report card at the end of each school year. We have taken advantage of this program for the past several years. It has given our children another goal to work toward and has been a highlight for them each school year when they make good grades.

How do you typically use your UCCU accounts? We have an auto loan and several savings accounts with UCCU, which we access on a daily basis.

Do you use UCCU online banking services? We use the online banking services that UCCU offers on a daily basis to monitor and track our spending and pay our bills. The best part of online banking at UCCU is that we have never had security issues.

How do you use the Top Member Card and how has it affected your spending/saving? We keep the Top Member Card easily accessible in our car console. There are so many discounts available on the card that we check it regularly to see what we can save on next. Our biggest savings came when we purchased an annual family pass at our local recreation center. We saved over $50 by just showing the card.

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What has been your interaction with UCCU? Historically, I’ve banked there, and more recently I’ve worked with and gotten to know the employees of UCCU while working with them on their community calendar.
What was it that made you want to get involved with the calendar?
After meeting with them, I realized that my style of imagery wasn’t exactly what they were looking for. I am always looking for opportunities for my students to get their work seen, and the calendar seemed like a fun opportunity. I proposed using student work instead, they liked the idea and we ran with it. We had a very short deadline, but we were able to collect a lot of good student work that you now can see in the calendar.

What are some of your favorite places to take photographs in Utah Valley? Utah Lake is by far my favorite. Utah Lake is absolutely beautiful but is usually looked at through the lens of an existing negative stereotype. I hope people are more forgiving of people than they typically are in regards to perceptions of that lake. The lake is constantly changing, and almost every time I go out I am awed by something I see.

What tips do you have for amateur photographers who want to improve their shots of Utah Valley? Pay more attention to the outside part of the frame, not just the circle in the middle. Everything included informs the final picture. Look at the entire space and make sure you are showing what you think you are showing. Then study light. Look for and use the light that reveals your subject, not a light that simply illuminates your subject.

How has UVU changed the way we live and work in Utah Valley? UVU is becoming an integral part of the community. Following the school’s mission to Engage, the school will become more actively involved in the social, recreational, educational and artistic fabric of the valley.

How HAS UCCU helped the local community? UCCU has played a great role in the development and support of so many aspects of the valley — whether it has been in supporting local programs such as they did with the UVU photography students, sports or in helping individuals with their life goals.

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What are principles that influence how you use money? Save as much as possible and spend as little as possible. Pay bills on time and stay out of debt. We like to use a credit card, but we pay in full each month.

How do you teach your children about money? By example. Also, we give them a modest allowance and opportunities to work to earn money, so they learn the value of it.

What do you know now about money that you wish you would have known when you were 18? If you always save some of your money, you will always have money. My husband says he already had good money habits at 18, primarily due to his working at Safeway grocery store in Heber City. They encouraged him to save and to invest.

How does your family make decisions about financial matters? Parental discussion and budgeting.

In your opinion, what sets UCCU apart from other institutions? Back in the college days, the tellers knew me by name. That was really nice. The credit union earned my loyalty then and has not lost it. Also, UCCU has always been willing to waive fees and be reasonable. That makes me feel valued, which increases my loyalty.

What is your favorite aspect of banking with UCCU? Why? UCCU is easy to use. I don’t have to fill out a form to cash checks or deposit money. I just tell the checker my account number, or write it on the back of the check, and UCCU does the rest. Then I get a receipt as my hard copy. This is an excellent system, saving time and paper. This system also makes me feel valued, perhaps because UCCU isn’t wasting my time. When I lived back East I would often mention this wonderful system to the banks I used and encourage them to use it, but they thought I was crazy. I would think wistfully of the ease of banking at UCCU every time I had to fill out those mindless forms at other banks.

What are your favorite features of UCCU’s online banking? First, we can transfer money from Wells Fargo to UCCU for free. Second, we enjoy being able to move money between accounts and deposit money to the kids accounts.

UCCU is a community credit union. What are the benefits to you? A few years ago, we got a used car loan at UCCU because the credit union was offering a good rate. When we were approved for the loan, we found that UCCU had lowered the rate due to our good credit rating. It demonstrated that UCCU is honest and really works to help members, not just the institution.

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What principles influence how you use money?
Self-reliance and family support. In order to help our family, we have to be self-reliant. When we are debt free, we are in a good position to help others, especially our own children and extended family.

How do you teach your children and grandchildren about money?
We teach our children through example and by telling them of our experiences. When our kids were young adults on their own and found that they needed our financial help, we gave them loans and asked them to create a budget showing how they would repay it.
What do you know now about money that you wish you would have known when you were 18?
We have always been thrifty and happy with store brands vs. name brands. With today’s advertising premise that you absolutely have to have the latest gizmo or gadget, it’s important to distinguish between true needs and wants. Using a budget helped us make that distinction, which we didn’t think about at age 18.

How does your family make decisions about financial matters?
We have tried to maintain a balance between independence and cooperation — but always with common goals. When we were first married we would develop a budget and then divide the primary responsibility between the two of us. Then each of us would manage that aspect of our family’s budget in our own checking account. That approach gave us the ability to work together without having to consult with each other about each expenditure. It worked well, and we have continued that practice throughout our marriage.

What sets UCCU apart?
It feels like home. Perhaps it is because we have been with UCCU for so many years, but we feel comfortable when we go in or to the drive-thru. There always seems to be people there who really want to help. As members, we feel like we are a part of the company rather than just customers.
Another aspect is that UCCU seems to be the one introducing new ideas. Their BeMoneySmart program for youth was the first one we had ever seen, and we are impressed at the efforts the credit union puts forth to help us teach our children about responsible money management.

Given this recession, have you felt safe and secure with UCCU?
We feel absolutely confident that UCCU is solid. We have also appreciated the perspective, confidence, education and positive attitudes conveyed from CEO Jeff Sermon in the monthly newsletter from UCCU — especially as we have all been going through the recession.

What is your favorite aspect of banking with UCCU?
There is no doubt the online banking is our favorite. The website is excellent and so user friendly. It is safe without the security slowing the process down.. Due to the many different accounts we have as a family, transferring among accounts and automated transfers truly simplify our lives.

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How did your parents’ financial habits affect the way you approach money?
My parents went through the Great Depression, and my father was great about trying to teach us about money. He would sit with his children around him at night and read from The Wall Street Journal. He offered us $5 if we would deposit $20 in our savings accounts. I quickly realized that was a 25 percent interest rate, so I took advantage of it and became a determined saver from then on.

What things have you done to teach your children about money?
Three of our children are married and we want them to learn to save money, too, so this past year we had all five of our children read “The Richest Man in Babylon,” (by George S. Clason) written in 1926 that teaches current financial information in a fun, short book.
We told our children that we wanted them to save and that my father had taught me to save by offering 25 percent on the money we saved, so we gave them one year to save and then had another financial meeting and paid them 25 percent on their money. We were thrilled with how hard they worked to save.
We watch financial videos with our children, trying to teach strong financial principles. We want to make saving and investing part of our family culture so that our children will have secure financial futures and will not fall into the traps of living for today.

How did your conservative habits help in business?
We are in the building industry and saw the financial devastation of many in the industry in the 1980s. We knew that the building industry would see similar times again, so when the times were good we made a concerted effort to pay off buildings and to pay cash for any business expansion. This has made these financial times easier to weather.
We are also involved in development and decided to only be involved in one project at a time so we were never at too great of a risk. This has also been a blessing in this financial downturn.

How has communication helped you work through financial considerations?
Reading and learning and counseling together — then teaching our children to do the same — has helped us be able to communicate about financial matters and make decisions together as a couple. As we have become older and more established financially it has become easier. But early in our marriage, we took turns paying the bills and being in charge of the finances.

How have the programs at UCCU helped your family save money?
All our children have been members since they were young when we set them up with youth saver accounts. Our boys have saved their money for their missions, and our married daughter saved for her marriage in her account.

What is your favorite aspect of banking with UCCU?
Banking online. I love to see all three of our accounts at once and to transfer money from accounts. I have been using a direct savings deposit for years and have loved that, too. It is a great way to encourage constant savings from our regular paychecks.

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What are principles that influence how you use money?
We try to strike a balance between saving, paying off debt and doing fun things now.

How do you make decisions about financial matters?
We each have a reasonable amount of freedom to spend on things like gas, groceries and entertainment. Of course we do talk about those things generally, but we don’t have to ask each other for permission. For larger purchases or big expenses we will usually talk several times before going through with it (or sometimes even backing out).

How long have each of you been members of UCCU?
Jim had his first account opened by his mother when he was 4 years old (1983). She opened his account with the hopes to teach him money management skills in the future. After getting engaged, Jim was so happy with UCCU that Cindy decided to bank there as well (2005).

How do you typically use your UCCU accounts?
We have one account for frequent purchases (gas, groceries, entertainment, etc.), another account that we use to pay monthly bills and several savings accounts for vacations and other uses.

Do you use UCCU online banking services?
We really like UCCU’s new text message banking. We have started to use it every day to check our balances. It can even send a text when we receive a deposit, or when our balance falls below a predetermined amount. Cindy also frequently uses the UCCU website to transfer money between accounts.

How have your financial needs changed since you had your baby? Cindy recently went part-time, therefore cutting her income in half. With all of the baby supplies, we have had to be more careful with our money.

What are some of the financial challenges that come with being new parents?
We have to be more careful with our spending habits since all of the baby supplies add up quickly.

What financial tips or suggestions would you give to newlyweds preparing to start their family?
Try to decide in advance how you will manage your money and set up your bank accounts accordingly. The most important thing is to have open communication and understand your partner’s spending habits.

How has communication helped you work through financial considerations in the early stages of your marriage? Communication helped us understand things from the other person’s point of view. When there wasn’t enough money, talking helps us determine our priorities.

What did you do when “baby” was born?
We opened a BeMoneySmart Youth Saver account and UCCU even deposited the first $15!

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Why did you join UCCU?
Diane went to work for BYU.

How would you describe your current stage of life?
We sold our big home in Springville after most of the kids were gone, and we love living in our twinhome in Orem. It’s close to work. Plus, we picked a place with a big great room with vaulted ceilings, which gives us plenty of space to host family gatherings. Plus, we don’t have to do any yard work if we don’t want to.

Given this recession, have you felt safe and secure with UCCU?
Yes. We know the credit union is in good hands.
In your opinion, what sets UCCU apart from other institutions?
The incredible employees. We have great relationships with those who work at UCCU. We’ve even partnered with them on golf tournaments at UVU.

How do you teach your children and grandchildren about money?
We taught our children the importance of working hard and then putting money away.

What do you know now about money that you wish you would have known when you were 18?
We wish we would have known more about how to invest money.

How does your family make decisions about financial matters?
We talk to each other about what we’d like to do with our money.

What is your favorite aspect of banking with UCCU?
We enjoy that there is an on-campus presence at UVU. It’s convenient, especially since both of us work on campus. We don’t have to leave the building we work in.

How do you typically use your UCCU accounts?
We generally keep the accounts pretty basic. We use them to save funds, and we also have our mortgage through UCCU.

How do you like to spend some of the money you save?
We like to go on cruises. We’ve been on a lot of them, and we’re excited to go on an upcoming cruise to the Hawaiian Islands.

UCCU is a community credit union. What are the benefits to you?
We get better savings rates and lower loan rates than we could if we weren’t using UCCU.

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What made you and the other “founding families” decide to get involved in this type of work?
After going on humanitarian trips with other charitable organizations, we came home with a love for the people we served and a strong desire to improve the experience. Along with building homes, we wanted to include educational and micro-industrial opportunities for those we were serving. But most importantly, we wanted to create a foundation where 100 percent of the monies donated go toward humanitarian aid.

When does the organization build homes?
Builders Without Borders of Utah is structured so that, once trained, an individual or group can begin their own charter. We now have several charters going to different parts of the world at different times of the year.

How do you select which families receive help?
We don’t select the families. We rely on organizations that are already in place at each locale, such as ecclesiastical leaders and community leaders. We believe local leaders are in a better position to know where the greatest needs are.
How do you select volunteers to help?
So far, it’s just been word of mouth. Once someone goes with us, they are eager to have their friends and family share in the same amazing experience. During a weeklong trip, we’ll have between 75 and 90 volunteers who come from all walks of life — not just building contractors. Along with eight or nine building projects going on during the week, we also hold educational workshops, firesides, medical clinics, service projects and recreational activities with the people we are serving. There is contact information on our website — builderswithoutbordersofutah.org. If you’d like to join us, we’ll find a charter that is doing a trip when it is most convenient for you!

What financial commitment is there for volunteers?
Each trip is different, but the average cost per volunteer is around $200 to $400 of their own money. This amount covers the cost of their trip, a small charter fee, and a trip T-shirt. The money Builders Without Borders of Utah raises is kept completely separate from the trip costs and is used strictly for the humanitarian aid. That is what makes us so unique. There are no paid administrators in our organization, so 100 percent of all funds donated goes directly toward the humanitarian aid we provide. We could not do this without the thoughtful donations we receive from caring people and businesses.

Why is the micro-industry such an important part of your efforts?
Much of our micro-industry is geared toward providing a home-based business for working and/or single mothers. We offer training and the equipment necessary for these women to bring in additional income for their families. Many times, our intervention means the difference between their families eating and not eating.

How has UCCU been involved in your organization and how does the institution help the work?
UCCU has been the only banking institution we’ve needed. We try to boost the local economy wherever we are serving. Consequently, we’ll have large amounts of supplies purchased over a week’s time intermittently throughout the year. UCCU knows us and understands what we’re doing, so we’ve never had a problem purchasing supplies out of the country. Builders Without Borders of Utah has also been the beneficiary of a financial donation from UCCU.

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  What are the benefits of belonging to the Future Business Leaders of America? Being part of Future Business Leaders of America gives a sense of success. You are contributing to something bigger than yourself, giving service to the community and bettering yourself for your own personal financial decisions. You make friends and are also given opportunities to make a difference in all age levels in the community. Also, it looks good on a job application and college resume!

  How long has your organization been associated with UCCU? Three years. As partners, we have been building up the BeMoneySmart program with three age group components: an elementary school presentation, high school lunch-time seminars and the community night.
  What skills did you develop during your time in the club? To make this project a success, we had to have the help from every member in our chapter. In total we had 24 members give service. Everyone who was involved spent hours planning, organizing and implementing the Timpanogos FBLA partnership with business project. I personally feel that I improved my leadership skills. In order to succeed, I had to learn how to create business partnerships, to delegate, to maintain an organized schedule, and how to be a better teacher for our student presentations.

  How has UCCU helped your team? Without the partnership from UCCU, our nationally ranked projects could not exist. Each partner has to complete certain components to keep the program running. UCCU helped with the development of the PowerPoint presentation we use, with financial aspects of the project and with training and support to our chapter members.

  Tell me about your experience at nationals. The FBLA national competition was a life-changing experience! Besides having the opportunity to fly across the country to Nashville, Tenn., we were able to compete against 7,500 other FBLA members from all across the country. We met students from New York to Puerto Rico. We heard what other clubs across the country are doing in their communities, and it gave us ideas to bring back home and make our program even better.

  How did you get the idea to teach money management skills to elementary students? We set annual chapter and national goals. We wanted to give our service in an area that we felt would have the most impact for our community. We immediately implemented the elementary component. After our first year, we received enormous amounts of positive feedback from our students’ teachers. We knew we started in the right place and have been building up the program by taking in more students and teaching more age levels ever since.

  What feedback have you received from the elementary children? The students are quite excited when we are able to come into the classroom. We feel that we make a connection with the kids because we are different than the everyday teachers in the classroom, and it is always a wonderful experience.

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Why is learning financial literacy important to you as you move to adulthood?
  If it weren’t for financial literacy, I would probably already be in debt. Financial literacy has taught me to avoid the potholes in the financial road of life. It is important to have a general knowledge of what your money is doing when you’re not hiding it under your bed or spending it.

How does your family make decisions about financial matters?
  My parents discuss options of how to invest their money the best way possible. It is a joint decision. They often ask us to pay for half of an activity we want to do, so we appreciate it more. Saving for the future and spending wisely has always been a big deal.

How do your parents teach you about money?
  They teach me all the time. Every time I receive a paycheck or have a little cash on me, they always tell me to put it in the credit union. They remind me to be careful with my money or it won’t be there when I need it.

What are principles that influence how you use money?
  I would say that patience and hard work play into how I use money. I have to work hard to earn the money. I also have to work hard to not spend it. Patience helps me save up for items I want to buy. And patience helps me continually save my money.

What have you learned about money from having an account at UCCU?
  I have learned that money isn’t easy to get. It’s important to save up for events in life that you don’t expect. You aren’t going to purposely break something, but it happens.

How long have you been a member of UCCU?
  I have been a member my entire life. It was an easy choice to make. My parents have had accounts there for more than 30 years, my siblings are members, so I became a member as well.

What is your favorite aspect of banking with UCCU?
  My favorite part of UCCU is the tradition and values they have. As a kid, I would receive a balloon or a sticker every time my parents and I went to the credit union. They are super friendly and a part of the community.

How do you typically use your UCCU accounts?
  I use a savings account for long-term savings, such as my mission account. I also have a checking account, which I’ve used periodically with my debit card.

What features of online banking do you like most?
  I check the balance of my accounts and transfer money between accounts. I like how convenient and easy it is to use. I can access it pretty much anywhere.

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