Whether you’re new to managing your money or you’ve been balancing accounts for some time, navigating the world of personal finance successfully means educating yourself before making important decisions.

If you’re looking for simple, no-nonsense personal finance information, check out Banzai, an educational resource designed to support you in becoming financially literate and empowered.

What is Banzai?

Banzai is a free, interactive tool that guides you through various financial topics and scenarios and digs deeper into how you can manage your money in smart and savvy ways.

What does Banzai offer?

Articles

Banzai has a comprehensive library of topics:

•       Saving: Ever heard of the 50/30/20 rule? It’s a great way to streamline your savings.
•       Budgeting: “Handling High Inflation” and “Preparing for a Recession” seem especially timely.
•       Borrowing and Credit: Learn “Best Practices for Using a Credit Card,” “14 Ways to Cut Household Expenses” and best practices for “Cybersecurity.”

Coaches

If interactive is more your style, you’ll enjoy the Banzai Coach feature. Remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books? Banzai Coaches are similar, asking questions and providing guidance tailored to your individual situation. A good starting point is the Financial Wellness Assessment.

Calculators

Another interactive tool is the Calculators feature. There are 36 different calculator options based on common money scenarios. Our top four:

1.   Savings Calculator: See how your savings will grow by toggling between different starting amounts, monthly contributions, interest rates and years to save.
2.   Credit Card Payoff Calculator: This tool keeps it real – calculating how long it will take to pay off a credit card balance based on varying interest rates and monthly payments.
3.   Rent Affordability Calculator: Ready to rent? See how much you can realistically afford by inputting your gross monthly income and average expenses.
4.   Student Loan Payoff Calculator: IYKYK, and this handy calculator will show you how much time and money you’ll save if you add various amounts to your monthly payment.

Courses

If you want a deep dive into budgeting, credit and real-life scenarios, Banzai Courses are a bit more involved. These are targeted to specific age groups: juniors (for K-5), teens (6th-12th) and young adults.

No matter where you are on your money journey, Banzai will help you explore where you could be.

Note: The Financial Corner is a direct response to student requests for more information on navigating money matters. The tips are provided by Beth Peterson, brand manager of the UW Credit Union.

UW Credit Union is committed to providing financial education, helping our members and communities build their financial savviness to make empowered decisions. We offer free learning seminars, confidential credit consultations and, through our partnership with Banzai, an impressive catalog of financial education resources.

Here for every you.

Note: The Financial Corner is a direct response to student requests for more information on navigating money matters. The tips are provided by Candice Wagener, senior content writer of the UW Credit Union.