A group of leagues, chapters and individual credit unions in the Washington, D.C. area joined forces Jan. 11 to create credit union awareness and encourage financial fitness at the NBC4 Health & Fitness Expo.

The MD|DC Credit Union Association, the Virginia Credit Union League, the Credit Union Foundation of MD and DC, the National Credit Union Foundation, SavvyMoney and CUNA were among the organizations that coordinated credit union participation in the event, which was held in Washington Convention Center.

The credit unions partnered with SavvyMoney to bring consumer financial expert Jean Chatzky to the expo, as well as offer free financial checkups for attendees.  Credit union staff worked with consumers to complete the online financial assessments that gave real-time evaluations of their financial health. On Saturday, Chatzky hosted a seminar on financial fitness where she talked about deciding between needs and wants, how to save for your future and explained how your financial health affects your physical health.

“When you are in great shape financially you are less worried, stress free and feel much better,” Chatzky said.  

Hundreds of attendees completed the financial checkup and had one-on-one time with Chatzky during her autograph signing of her book, Money Rules: The Simple Path to Lifelong Security, at the Dollars & Sense Credit Union Pavilion.

“Credit unions always put members' needs first and; therefore align themselves with opportunities to promote financial security to all consumers,” said MD|DC Credit Union Association President/CEO John Bratsakis. This joint effort shows the credit union shared vision of promoting financial security to all consumers and displays the power of collaboration. Being on-site to help so many people get their finances in check was a positive way to get consumers on the right track to healthy, financial freedom.”

The SavvyMoney Checkup is a financial assessment that has been designed especially for credit union members, which evaluates debt and expenses relative to one's income and offers suggestions to help improve their situation. Expo attendees had the opportunity to take the short assessment on-site to determine their financial health.