ARLINGTON, Va.-After a column that appeared in the April issue of Military Officer magazine on "Financial Planning 101″ did not mention credit unions as way to save money, NAFCU President and CEO Fred Becker put pen to paper and let the author know about it. Becker's letter, which ran in the July issue of the magazine published by the Military Officers Association of America, pointed out Former Army Capt. Phil Dyer's omission. "In addition to fewer fees and lower credit card rates, I would note that according to www.bankrate.com, the average new car loan (48 months) at a credit union at year-end 2003 was 5.84%, as compared to 7.14% for banks," he wrote. Becker, a retired Navy judge advocate general, added, "There are currently 82 federally insured credit unions nationwide whose primary field of membership is military and many others that include the military as part of a broader membership field." Dyer's article suggested upping deductibles on car and homeowner's insurance to save money. He also recommended considering a non-interest bearing checking account at this time because the fees currently outweigh the interest unless you keep nearly $32,000 in the account. Also try to only use your banks own ATMs and negotiate for lower interest rates on your credit cards.