RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – CO-OP Financial Services has announced that its THINK 18 Conference will hold its first general session on May 8 with an introduction by host Jean Chatzky showing why all companies, and especially credit unions, are in a “Race to Excellence.”
THINK 18 starts May 7 at the Sheraton Grand at White Horse Pass in in Chandler, Ariz.
“Anyone who has access to online banking and a smart mobile phone device has seen an acceleration in the pace of the information they receive about their financial life,” said Chatzky, a best-selling author on personal finance, in a statement. “The standard these days is having the ability to snap a picture of a check and deposit it without going anywhere. People expect to access their accounts easily, clearly and simply from wherever they are.”
Chatzky will serve as master of ceremonies throughout THINK 18, which runs in its entirety May 7-10.
“I’m looking forward to being there for the whole conference this time, and getting the chance to interact with attendees,” said Chatzky. “I’d like to know what trends credit union leaders are seeing among their members, and what concerns about money their members are bringing to them. Events like THINK are an opportunity for me to do some crowdsourced reporting.”
“I’m An Advocate for Consumers”
Chatzky first came to the attention of the THINK conference’s organizers as not only a personal finance journalist, but also as an advocate for credit unions. I’m an advocate for consumers,” said Chatzky. “If you’re pro consumer, in my opinion, then you’re pro credit union.”
CO-OP noted that in addition to hosting THINK 18, Chatzky is being featured in the upcoming issue of CO-OP’s THINK Review magazine, which will be provided to all THINK conference attendees and to subscribers in May. The publication breaks down the “Race to Excellence” and how credit unions can apply it to serving their members. Subscriptions are free and can be obtained at www.co-opthink.org/think-review.
‘Money Largely Invisible’
In the interview featured in the magazine, Chatzky observes that the digital experience plays differently across generations: “For the Millennials, money is largely invisible. I have two children…(and) I am constantly having a back and forth with them about the need to carry cash. When I’m in an airport, I want to have cash on me in case…the payment systems are down, or my taxi doesn’t accept cards. My children don’t see it. They Venmo and use their debit cards for everything. Their financial life runs differently than mine. Then again, I’m doing these things too – in part led by them. Digital tools make it easier to interact with them financially.”
Among the themes of the THINK 18 conference is member security, and Chatzky believes more member education on security measures – such as checking account balances and monitoring credit reports – is still needed. “People are very concerned about security, but I don’t know if it’s impacting their behavior. If online shopping statistics from the past holiday season are any indicator, consumers seem undeterred.”
Now in its 11th year, CO-OP said THINK is a year-round platform for credit union collaboration, innovation and evolution. For info: http://co-opthink.org Credit union employees can register immediately for $1,599 at www.co-opthink.org/events.