The Judges Have Been Deliberating!

This afternoon the four SMHS Savings Challenge judges deliberated over the applications we received. Our judges include:

1. Keith Kelso, Member Services Counselor, Financial Wellness Coach

2. Mary Gray, AVP Human Resources

3. Teresa Collins, AVP Member Service Support

4. Muna Whitlock, Marketing Director

They looked over 11 applications from students in grades 9-12.

They have chosen the 5 finalists for the Savings Challenge and those winners will be announced later this week.

Meet the Applicants- Iris

Iris is a senior at San Marcos High School who has the goal of going to school. However, she will be paying for school by herself. She currently works, but with the help of the Challenge, she will receive the tools to begin to responsibly manage her money. She will also be able to use this knowledge in the future.

To accomplish her goals, she is willing to work more and save more. By being able to go to college, she will receive the education she needs to pursue a job in nursing. The Challenge will help her save to afford textbooks and other materials necessary to succeed in college.

Meet the Applicants- Katherine

Katherine is a senior at San Marcos High School with the goal of saving for her four year old daughter. She doesn't receive support from the father or father's family or her own family. She has moved twice with her daughter and wants to provide for her daughter as much as possible.

She is living with two people who moved to Texas after Hurricane Katrina. They are not blood relatives, but have helped her and her daughter so much over the past four years. Part of her savings goal is to give back to this family and show her appreciation for their help. She also wants to study hard, graduate and go to college.

The challenge will help her give back to those who have helped her and also help her make the right steps into the future.

Meet the Applicants- Solana

Solana is a junior at San Marcos High School and has the goal of paying her parents back for some repairs that were needed to fix her car.

On the first day of school, she had a problem that ended up costing her $2000 to repair damage to her car. She didn't have the money to cover the costs, so she borrowed the money from her parents, and now has to pay it back. She wants to pay her parents back because they paid for the car, gas and insurance, but she doesn't feel they should pay for her mistakes.

She knows she will have to make some changes to accomplish this goal. She referees soccer and babysits and will put away more money towards paying her parents back. And instead of buying lunch at school, she will start to bring her lunch from home. Finally, she will cut back on spending on non-essential items.

By accomplishing this goal, it will teach her self-discipline and responsibility. It wills also give her a sense of pride and self-respect and motivate her to continue to save for other goals like a graduation trip and college.

By being a Challenge Finalist, she will develop important knowledge and skills to help her effectively manage her finances and establish a routine to regularly save to be ready for the unexpected.

Meet the Applicants- Samuel

Samuel is a freshman at San Marcos High School. His goal is to save for a laptop to use for school now and in the future. Now that he is in high school, he has really started to think about college more and more everyday and knows how important it is to learn to save.

He wants to get in the groove of stopping some of the stuff he does such as going to the movies so often and spending money on careless items such as clothing and shoes. He estimates he spends over $300 a year on shoes. He wants to stop spending money on so many things that are not necessities.

He feels that saving for a laptop will not only help him for school, but in general learning to save will help him in the long run in managing money. And with the leftover money he saves, he will have a great start on his college funds for his great and bright future.

Meet the Applicants- Joseph

Joseph is a senior at San Marcos High School with a simple, but not easy, goal of helping his parents, who have been saving since he was born, pay for his college education.

Joseph wants to be involved in law enforcement by earning a degree in criminal justice at Texas State. He did some research on the Texas State website and found it would cost approximately $17,100 per year for an in-state student living at home.

Although his parents have been saving since he was born, the current economy has affected their savings. Joseph decided he should save to help pay for his education. To help save, he has been working part-time for almost a year, but until recently, he hasn't given much though to saving money.

To achieve his goal, he is willing to trim how much he spends on entertainment. This includes going to a matinee instead of a full-price movie, eating out less, and renting movies instead of always going to the theater. He's also willing to cut back on how much he spends on gas for his car by thinking about his errands and trips and combining them.

Participating in the Challenge will provide him with the financial guidance and advice to help him save more and help him throughout life.

Meet the Applicants- Lynda

Lynda is currently a sophomore at San Marcos High School with a goal of saving for college to get the best education possible. She also wants to save for various items including money for a car, insurance, and the gas to get her around the campus or town.

She is willing make changes to help her achieve these goals, including finding part-time jobs, and taking on more chores around the house to increase her allowance. By working towards her goal in the Savings Challenge, she will be more prepared for college financially and reduce the need for loans.

The Challenge will not only help her in the short run with financial coaching, but it will help her in the long run with good financial knowledge.

Meet the Applicants- John

John is a senior at San Marcos High School with a goal of buying a vehicle that is both affordable and fuel efficient.

His goal is to be able to afford a car completely on his own, including expenses such as gas money, insurance, maintenance and repair, and most importantly, the vehicle itself. By owning his own car, he wouldn't have to rely on his parents or friends to drive him around when he needs to be somewhere. He won't miss out on opportunities when he doesn't have a ride.

He believes that once he achieves this goal, he will be able to succeed in his education and career, as he will no longer be dependent on others to take him places.

Meet the Applicants- Charlie

Charlie is a freshman at San Marcos High School and has big dreams for his future. He feels that learning to save money will help him succeed in achieving these dreams.

His goal for this Challenge is to save money for a car. He realizes that something this big will not be easy, but feels that if he keeps his mind to it, tries his hardest, and never gives up, he will achieve this goal and any others he has. However, saving money isn't easy for him, not because he spends a lot, but because he doesn't earn a lot of money and has an addiction to chocolate! He knows he would need to cut back on needless spending in order to achieve his goal.

By saving enough money for a car and reaching his goal, he will show himself that he CAN reach any goal he has set for himself. He wants to be an "A+ person".

Thoughts or comments? Leave them here!

Check back for more applicants, to meet the finalists, and follow the Challenge.

Meet the Applicants- Alex

Alex is a sophomore at San Marcos High School. He wants to be a contestant in the Savings Challenge because it will help him buy a new car with his own money. He knows that to win the Challenge, he would have to stop buying new fishing equipment, new shoes, new games, and stop going to the movies.

He feels that if he learns how to save money for a car, it would also teach him to take care of it because he bought it with his own money.

Thoughts or comments? Leave them here!

Check back for more applicants, the finalists, and to follow the challenge!

Meet the Applicants- Katelyn

Katelyn is a senior at San Marcos High School. Her goal is to attend Baylor University and participate in their Bachelor of Arts in Medical Humanities program. After getting her Bachelor's, Katelyn will take her MCATs and go to medical school. She plans to specialize in psychology and neurology and work with children with mental handicaps.

She is saving so she can afford college and enable herself to go into the medical field. To reach her goals, she works all summer and school year and puts most of her money into a savings account for college. She is willing to work hard to increase her college savings.

Katelyn believes that meeting with a savings coach will help her make smarter financial decisions and most importantly, it "will change my life".

Comments or questions for Katelyn? Post them here. Check back for more applicants and to learn who the final contestants are!

Introducing the San Marcos HS Branch!

We are very fortunate to have an in-school branch at San Marcos High School. The High School branch functions very similarly to a regular branch. High School Interns act as tellers and promote the branch in the school. The branch is fairly new, as is the high school. Below are some pictures of the branch. More to be added later.

Announcing the 2009-2010 Challenge!

We are happy to announce the 2009-2010 San Marcos High School Savings Challenge!

We are currently handing out and accepting applications for the start of the Challenge in September.

In the SMHS Savings Challenge, students compete to achieve their savings goals over the course of the school year. A+ financial coaches guide these students and help them learn life-long money management skills.

Once applications have been accepted, 5 contestants will be chosen to participate. Contestants must be San Marcos High School students and A+ FCU members. These contestants will be judged based on various criteria. These include their percentage increase in savings, successful completion of financial education courses, and more.

Winners will be announced at the SMHS Senior Awards Assembly. The grand prize winner will receive a $1000 A+ Visa gift card. Second place will receive a $500 A+ Visa gift card. Third, fourth and fifth place winners will receive a $250 A+ Visa gift card.

For more information or to request an application, stop in the San Marcos HS branch or email our Community Education Specialist.

Our 2008-2009 Savings Challenge was extremely successful. Learn more about the winners and contestants here.