Financial “Secret Sauce” Recipes

Throughout most of my 40-year+ financial career, the most common questions I field are those that ask for special tidbits of information, investment ideas, or borrowing recommendations that will help obtain financial success and independence. The most memorable and often repeated requests for advice revolve around a central theme: desiring enough financial success to tell your employer to “take this job and shove it,” knowing that all of your financial obligations will be covered for an intermediate- to-long-term foreseeable future. It is well-known and apparent that this “independence vein” runs deep through most Americans and all that desire to be financially free.

The good news is that for many that live in Western civilizations, achievement of this financial dream is actually possible (without the luck that accompanies the purchase of a winning lottery ticket)! Making sound decisions with money and debt, applying disciplined financial know-how, and knowing “upfront” which decisions are likely to add to, or detract from, your objectives are all critically important. Inquiring minds frequently ask for examples or a list of the financial “secret ingredients” needed to get ahead. As a result, we’ve decided to make investments in your success by making it possible for you to obtain our “secret sauce” ingredients through four specific channels.

First, members have access to InTouch Innovate!, a state-of-the-art personalized digital credit counselor to help you manage and budget your finances and debts effectively (especially in this current interest rate environment). Next, Goalsetter is one of the most advanced financial education platforms available in the market today. Its curriculum uses engaging digital content, mapped to national standards, that upon completion will provide participants with more than the prerequisite financial knowledge needed for many of the country’s top colleges and universities. Retirement Simplified delivers personalized education and financial tools to help you make decisions that will calculate how long your money will last (in retirement), extend your savings, and provide you with options that can help with employer decisions. Lastly, starting in Q4 2024, ITCU’s website and social media channels will launch a new video education series sharing fundamental “secret sauce” money management ideas designed to benefit all members. The series host, “Chef Louie,” will convey a number of semi-secret concepts aimed to help you keep more of your hard-earned dollars while sharing proven financial recipe secrets conceived by those who also longed for financial freedom. Be on the lookout for future Chef Louie announcements, and click here to catch the first installment!

Kent Lugrand
President/CEO