School Spotlight: Hillside Middle School Students Continue to Save

Hillside Middle School Student-Run
Credit Union first semester volunteers

Hillside Middle School in Northville provides students with the continued opportunity to save their money at school with Community Financial’s Student-Run Credit Union program. Many students have been saving their money since elementary school at Thornton Creek, Amerman, and Moraine within the Northville School District.

So, what are middle school students saving for these days? A phone, a down payment on a car, video games, college, and clothing are just a few examples. Although the list is wide-ranging, maintaining good money-saving habits during middle school is important for a student’s future financial success.

How to Create a Budget in 6 Easy Steps

If you’re always wondering how you’re going to pay the next bill, feel guilty when you indulge in overpriced treats and you just can’t find money to put into savings, you might need a budget.

A budget will help you gain financial awareness, which will help facilitate more responsible decisions. Here are 6 easy steps to create a budget:

Step 1: Gather your financial information
Collect all your financial documents and receipts for three consecutive months. This includes all account statements, bills, pay stubs, receipts and more.

Create Your Own Photo Shoot

Professional pictures can cost a pretty penny, but captured memories are priceless. Have your pictures and your money, too, by creating your own photo shoot.

Where should you look for props? 

• Your best bet for cheap props is your local dollar store 
• Try discount shops like Five Below 
• Most box stores have an aisle of clearance or 5-and-under items 
• Make something at home! Take empty boxes, paint, scissors and glue and create something new 

Beware of the Fake Check Scam Targeting College Students

Making the transition from high school to college isn’t easy. Unfortunately, scammers are making it even more challenging. In fact, there’s recently been an uptick in fake check scams targeting new college students. Don’t be the next victim! Here’s how you can recognize a fake check scam.

How does the scam play out? There are several variations of the fake check scam, but all of them ultimately lead to the victim cashing an extra-high fake check and returning the difference to the scammer.

Making Your Own Luck

We all can point to that one person in our lives for whom everything seems to come easily. He or she has a good income, great house, beautiful children and the checkout line they choose always moves the quickest. You probably really wonder about that person. Why are they so lucky? Why not me?

Well, why not you? Research has confirmed that we have more power over our own luck than we think.  We can make ourselves into the type of successful, powerful, happy people that everyone else will wonder about with these three easy tips:

All You Need to Know About Home Loans

If you’re in the market for a new home, you’ll likely need to take out a home loan or mortgage. Let’s take a closer look at this product and its application process.

What is a home loan?

A home loan enables you to buy a home without having to pull all the cash directly from your pocket at the time of purchase. You’ll need to make a down payment, which is typically between 3.5-20% of the home’s value, along with closing costs and some other fees. The home loan will finance the rest. You’ll then repay the loan, along with interest, generally over the course of 15 to 30 years.

School Spotlight: Wildwood Elementary Students are SMART!

Wildwood Elementary Student-Run
Credit Union fall volunteers.

Community Financial’s Westland branch opened to our members in 2018.  Since then, our school partnerships within the Wayne-Westland School District have started to develop.

Wildwood Elementary joined in partnership with Community Financial last year.  Here are some pictures of Wildwood’s Student-Run Credit Union.

January is National Blood Donor Month, 3 Reasons to Donate Today

With the holidays behind us and thoughts of gratitude and kindness fresh on the brain, let’s talk about donation! Specifically blood donation because January is National Blood Donor Month.

Why should you donate? Take a look at these blood supply statistics from the American Red Cross and the Community Blood Center:

Don’t Get Scammed at the Gym

If you’re looking to make good on your New Year’s resolution by joining a gym, make sure to keep your eyes out for these five subtle gym scams.


The Free Trial
Free gym trials can end up costing you a pretty penny. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns against sharing your credit card information with a gym that’s offering a free trial, since many will start automatically charging you a monthly fee unless you remember to cancel your “membership” within a certain time-frame.

The Fix: Read the fine print on free trial offers. If possible, only take advantage of a free trial offered without asking for any financial information.