Self-Help Shares

^{Staff at our Bronzeville, IL, branch celebrating Juneteenth}

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on June 19th that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. At Self-Help, we are proud to honor Juneteenth, as our mission of creating ownership and financial opportunity for all is deeply intertwined with the legacy of Juneteenth and what it means to truly be free.  

In this blog post, we will discuss the historical significance of Juneteenth, why it still matters today, how you can celebrate, and how we at Self-Help honor this day. 

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, which honors the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of AANHPI communities across the U.S.  

In a previous blog post, we addressed some of the harmful assumptions and stereotypes that AANHPI communities often experience due to the myth of the model minority. This myth often assumes that Asian Americans are financially successful, resulting in a lack of resources and support for AANHPI communities who may need it. In reality, the AANHPI community is massively diverse and has the largest wage gap of any major racial group in the U.S.  with Asian Americans in the top 10th percentile earning over ten times as much as those in the bottom 10th percentile. One of the financial challenges that AANHPI communities face is the financial exploitation and fraud experienced by elders.  

According to The National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA), financial mistreatment is one of the most frequently reported types of harm experienced by elder Asian Americans with 18% of respondents reporting this type of mistreatment. Additionally, AARP reported that AANHPI individuals were overly confident in their ability to spot a scam with 73% of AANHPI people over 50 saying they felt confident they could identify fraud, but only 29% of them passing AARP’s fraudulent offer knowledge quiz.  

In this blog post, we will explore what elder financial exploitation can look like, the unique challenges faced by AANHPI elders, red flags to be aware of, and tips for preventing elder fraud and financial exploitation. 

April is Earth Month and the 22nd is Earth Day, and we are celebrating by sharing sustainable home improvements that can add value to your home while saving you money. 

While many people do home renovations to correct structural issues, improve the layout, or make the design more appealing, it can be even more worthwhile to think about changes that you can make to increase your home’s value while making your home more comfortable and saving you money long-term. 

Energy-efficient home upgrades are more than a trend – they're smart investments that benefit your wallet, boost your home’s value, and contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment. In this blog post, we will explore eight different home upgrades at different price points that each improve your home’s value and save you money. As a bonus, some will even make life easier.  

Lower Valley Credit Union was founded in 1958 in the basement of St. Josephs Catholic Church in Lower Yakima Valley of Washington state to support underserved farm, labor, and seasonal employees. They started operations by collecting deposits out of a shoebox, and record-keeping responsibilities rotated among the founding members.  

In this video, “Go Out and Do More,” you’ll learn about the legacy of LVCU and hear from Cus Arteaga, LVCU Board Member; Suzy Fonseca, Regional President of Self-Help FCU; Erika Aranda, Regional Manager of Self-Help FCU; Brezzi Campos, Member of Self-Help FCU; and Linda & Ed Bordwell, Members of Self-Help FCU. They share about the dedication LVCU and Self-Help have shown to their community as well as the impact and importance of the credit union for its members. 

Every year, each Self-Help branch offers a $1,000 community scholarship to a recipient who has committed to improving their lives and their communities by furthering their education. In honor of our 2025 applications being open (apply by March 31!), we are highlighting some of last year’s incredible winners. 

According to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the global economy in 2025 “is a world marked by significant uncertainty” due to changes in US trade policy, the challenging geopolitical backdrop, and rising government bond yields.  

It’s important that we do what we can to prepare ahead of time for any potential changes that can affect our financial security during these times of turmoil, particularly if you are part of a group that may be facing increased uncertainty. 

In this blog post, we will provide suggestions and advice for anyone looking to prepare for a loss of income, protect themselves from rising scams, and guard access to their accounts in the event that they suddenly need to leave the country.