don’t just keep the change, make the change.
meet the author
Christina Wood
Senior Content Specialist
SunWest Credit Union
Words are money, and I just keep taking these words to the bank.
Christina Wood lives in Peoria, Arizona with her 2 dogs and has worked for local Arizona credit unions since 2011, trying out different roles like they’re glass slippers. Though she may now be a wicked wordsmith, wielding words like weapons to cut through to the heart of a topic, she has worked directly with members for 10 years, teaching them about credit, consumer loans, budgeting, and all the other banking buzzwords to help them turn their financial fairytales into reality. But only the kinds with a happy ending.
author q+a
Why is it important to you to share your knowledge with others?
I pretty much learned the banking beast through working at credit unions and avoiding making the mistakes of others. It often felt like being thrown to the wolves. I didn’t know what weapons I had to slay the beast to become victorious, and when I did, I didn’t know how to use them. After a lot of practice and training, I realized how much further along I could have been if someone had shared their wisdom with me, and if I get to choose, I choose to not let others fight alone.
What do you think the main goal of money should be?
To enhance life. We create an idea of what we want for our lives, but if we hang it all on money, then we don’t ever understand the true value of either. Knowing what makes you happy in this singular life and then using money to aid you in getting there, that’s the value.
What would you say are the best + worst things about banking in modern times?
Technology. It’s such a double-edged sword, isn’t it? The amazing amounts of knowledge and access right at the touch of a screen, push of a button, barely the whisper of a thought. But it comes with high-risk from hackers, and I think it also makes us forget to slow down and just…live.
What is your proudest financial achievement?
Buying a home on my own at 24. Most days I have no idea how I managed that, because I have never had a level of income that made it easy.
If money was of no concern and you had a year to do whatever you wanted, what would that year look like for you?
I would travel the world, reading and eating my way through it.
