Check out the winter newsletter! Get the latest news and commentary from your credit union.

(Psst! Sign up for our email list to get the newsletter in your inbox.)

Your votes have been counted, and we are pleased to announce the top 10 winners of the 2013 Common Cents Awards.

They are:

ArtRage
Westside Learning Center
Interfaith Works
Syracuse Peace Council
Northside UP

*source: http://www.nerdwallet.com/contests/banking/gen-y-credit-union

Cooperative Federal is committed to youth financial empowerment. The following "commencement address" was submitted as part of the Nerd Wallet Gen Y Credit Union Contest, and we won second place! The $1,000 award will be used to hold a Savings Challenge this fall, through our Youth CU Program at Henninger, Fowler, and Nottingham Highs.

To the Class of 2013:

My favorite college professor once said that there are two paths to wealth. You can increase your income until you get everything you want, or you can lower your aspirations until you only want what you already have. For most of us, the answer comes from finding a balance between those two extremes.

Nico Leyva writes for Nerdwallet, a consumer finance website that promotes financial literacy and looks for the best ways to save you money.

The importance of being green is often mentioned in regards to saving the world. You can do your part to decrease landfill, reduce carbon emissions, and clean up oceans and wildlife areas. But being green is also very important on an individual level. Being a green consumer can improve your personal financial standing, and by buying from local businesses, you can contribute to your community and help it grow. Your community isn’t just a city or a town; it’s a collection of all the economic and personal interests of everyone who lives there. By making conscious financial choices, you can help save the world and keep your unique community flourishing. Here are three ways to be a green consumer.

Cooperative Federal is more than a financial institution. Each day, our staff not only operates three bustling neighborhood branches and a youth credit union program; it teaches classes at community centers, offers free counseling at partner sites, and makes loans that stabilize our neighborhoods and strengthen the local economy.

Take a look at all that we accomplished last year in our 2012 Annual Report - including six inspiring Member Success Stories.

It was a lovely evening of of food, friends, and conversation. Thanks to our wonderful members for coming out and making it such a success!

Miss something? See slides from the annual meeting presentation here.

You can also view our Annual Report booklet, and our multi-year Impact Reports, here.

Sign up here!

We use email to share our Commonwealth Newsletter, information about upcoming financial education and business workshops, invitations to membership meetings, and other useful news and information.

We usually send 1 to 4 messages per month, and we NEVER share our email list with third parties.