A Personal Story Of How Financial Counseling Is Not Always Welcome

MADISON - Forced financial counseling is a fool's errand for any income or educational level. This was a lesson learned during my early days at CUNA, when it was a small trade association located at Filene House on Madison's East side. Vera, an employee of CUNA Credit Union, would visit Filene House twice a week to take deposits and provide withdrawals. Vera and her briefcase were the credit union to the employees, just like those found in the movement's early history.

Vera would discourage any withdrawals, lecturing members who wanted to withdraw their savings like a child caught snacking before dinner. One of my co-workers, who left CUNA many years ago and was known for his direct manner, tried to withdraw funds from his savings account.

Vera started to lecture him in her German-accented English like a schoolteacher admonishing an errant school boy. "It's my money, dammit, give it to me," he shouted, ending the lecture quickly and giving a junior employee a lesson of the dubious utility of unwanted financial counseling.