Get an A+ in High School Money Management.
Get a quick snapshot of financial tips and tricks to help get started on the right financial foot forward.
Read Article
Personal Services
Student
Student Resources
It’s time to get schooled in money management.
Learning how to manage money is an important part of growing up. Explore our student accounts and financial resources to help students kickstart their financial journey.
Student Accounts
Check out our easy, rewarding checking and savings accounts that build confidence in young savers, all without monthly fees.
Smart Money Checking
Best for
Making small balances earn big returns and heavy monthly use.
Features
This is a reverse tier account, which means you’ll earn bigger returns on smaller balances, and smaller returns on bigger balances.
Earn up to 6.00% APY* on your first $2000 each month. That’s up to $120 a year. Then your next chunk of cash will make you 3.00% APY* and so on. See all APY rate tiers.
No minimum balance requirement
No monthly maintenance fee
Earn Debit card rewards: 1 point for every $3 spent when you sign for purchases
Early paycheck
Courtesy Pay up to $500
Even if you don't meet all the monthly requirements (they're listed below) to get up to 6.00% APY, you're guaranteed to earn .01% interest.
What’s the catch?
Make at least 16 debit/credit transactions every month to get the best APY
Set up a minimum of one $500 recurring direct deposit or ACH payments per month to get the best APY
Enroll in e-statements
Money Market Select
Learn how money can make money: get higher rates on your savings, all while still keeping your funds easily accessible.
Features
Annual Percentage Yield (APY) 0.05% - 4.00%. See Rate sheet to learn more
Access to funds anytime
Flexibility to transfer funds between multiple shares at the same institution
Unlike savings shares, money market shares offer check-writing privileges, much like a regular checking
No monthly maintenance fees
$0 minimum deposit monthly requirement
$0 minimum balance monthly requirement
What's the Catch?
This account rewards student’s hard work! The more you save, the higher APY* you’ll receive. See rate sheet for details.
Just 10 swipes per statement on your Westerra consumer debit or credit card
Let’s get into the details
Debit Card
If your student is 16 or older with a government-issued ID, they can receive a debit card without a required parent or guardian. Those under 16 will need a parent/guardian approval. No ID? No problem. Minors of any age can request a debit card with a parent/guardian present.
Documentation
For a minor opening an account in a branch, we require:
Their parent/guardian to be over the age of 18 to be present with a valid Colorado ID, or out of state ID with proof of Colorado residency.
The 18+ individual must have the minor’s physical social security card with them at account opening.
$5.00 minimum deposit for savings and a $25 minimum deposit if opening a checking account.
From Student to Adult
This account grows up with you: In order for the parent or guardian to be removed from the account at age 18, the joint owner will need to visit their local branch and sign a joint owner release form.
Your child’s financial future starts today.
Ready? Let’s get growing! Opening a student account is easy — just swing by your local Westerra branch location to start the process. To open an account online, students must be a minimum of 18 years of age to open alone or a minimum 14 years of age with a joint for an automated review.
Young Adult
A chapter of growth, change, and exciting milestones. College, cars, apartments, “real jobs”, it’s ALL happening — and fast.
Share Secured Visa
The Share Secured Visa is a credit card backed by your savings, offering a variable interest rate and a limit based on the funds in your share (savings) account. With a maximum limit of $2,500, this card is ideal for building or rebuilding credit, helping you start or reset your financial journey while keeping you on track.
Prepping students for prosperity.
Every student could use a little extra money to pave their way. (You know to get the fancy ramen.) We work with trusted community partners to offer scholarships to today's students to set them up for a lifetime of prosperity.
Hit The Road
Whether you’re looking to buy your first or your fifth car, one thing is for certain: cars are expensive. Thankfully, we at Westerra offer a wide range of auto loan options and resources, so you don’t have to spin your wheels trying to finance your new ride.
Our auto loans offer competitive rates with flexible terms on new and used cars–talk about putting you in the driver’s seat. Our pros are here to help find solutions to get you into an affordable monthly payment and up to 140% financing (to cover all the tax and insurance bells and whistles). We can even refinance an existing auto loan from someone else! Wherever your car needs take you, we’re riding with you the whole way… metaphorically speaking.
Finances made fun
(Seriously!)
We’re excited to share our partnership with Zogo, the app that gamifies financial literacy and rewards players with gift cards. Get started on their bite-sized lessons and interactive quizzes today to start earning Pineapple Points, redeemable for Westerra rewards.
Parents
Think back to the very beginning of your financial journey. Anything you would have changed? As parents, our job is to prepare the next generations better so they’re set up for even more success. Teaching your child about money now will lay the foundation for a lifetime of financial prosperity. So, let’s get planning!
Raising savvy savers
Today, you might be saving for your child’s daycare needs, holiday gifts, or back-to-school shopping. But soon, those savings goals will look a little different: Travel sports. College. Security deposit on an apartment. That first car (and first fender-bender repair costs.)
Whatever direction your child takes in life, you can set them up for success now by saving for their future. Even just a little stashed away consistently earning interest can mean huge rewards over time. That’s why we recommend parents to save for the future with a Money Market Select account. Just 10 swipes a month can get them earning up to 4% APY.
By teachers, for teachers
90 years ago, 8 teachers came together with a goal: to create a credit union that would support their fellow educators. Today, that mission continues. We’re a not-for-profit, member-owned community committed to seeing our community of Coloradans succeed.
Financial Literacy in the classroom
We believe that kids deserve to learn about finances. If you want to build financial literacy in the classroom, we’d love to come in for a lesson. Drop us a note at engagement@westerracu.com to schedule a presentation for your students.
Apply for a Westerra school grant.
Every school year, we fund $50,000 to Colorado educators through our School Grant Program. Any Westerra member who is an educator of grades K-12 can apply for a $50,000 grant to help their schools—and students—shine.
Resources
Tips and tricks on opening an account for a minor
Save the Day. Help your child set up an account
Read Article
Raising financially literate kids: It pays off.
Whether you’ve got a 4 year old or an 18 year old at home, it’s never too early (or too late!) to start talking about money management.
Read Article
Online Account Opening For online account openings it is a minimum 18 years of age to open an account alone, a minimum of 14 years of age to open an account online with a joint for an automated review, and then 13 years of age and under will need to be opened in person at a branch for manual review.
A student account is a checking or savings account opened by a person under the age of 18 that requires an adult co-owner. Other than the adult co-ownership requirement, there are no differences in the terms of such an account. Student accounts under 18 years of age are subject to our general membership fees. Courtesy Pay is not offered to primary accounts under 18, but forms of overdraft protection are available.
For the parent or guardian to be removed from account at age 18, both parties will need to visit their local branch and sign a joint owner release form.
Westerra Debit Card: Age 16 or older with a government issued ID, may receive a debit card (no parent/guardian present required).Minor of any age and does not have a government issued ID, parent/guardian must be present and request the debit card. Minor under 16 that does have a government issued ID will still require parent/guardian approval.
Share Secured Visa’s are subject to the terms of the Visa Select Card with the exception that maximum card limit ranges from $500-$2,500. The limit must be 100% pledged by funds in a share account. Westerra Credit Union will pull a credit report when a shared secured Visa is requested. Must be 18+ years of age to apply for credit card. 25-day grace period on purchases to avoid interest charges** For complete terms, see the full Credit Card Disclosure
+Your APR is the Prime Rate plus a margin of 14.40% APR* for the Credit Builder VISA™ based on your credit qualification. APRs will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Published APR is effective as of 6/1/2023.
Foreign Transaction Fees are 2.00% of the U.S. dollar amount of the foreign transaction for foreign currency conversions, 0.80% of the U.S. dollar amount of the foreign transaction for International Service Fee (ISA). Cash Advance Fee 2%.
*APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Introductory balance transfer rate is valid for 12 billing cycles from account origination on balances transferred to a Visa Signature® or Visa® Select card from other financial institutions.
*APY= Annual percentage yield, ATM and cash advance transactions do not count toward the debit card transaction requirement. Points not earned for cash back, ATMs or PIN based transactions.
*Certain terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. In order for coverage to apply you must use your covered Visa card to secure transactions. Please refer to your Guide to Benefits for further details.
Visa and the Visa logo are registered trademarks of Visa International Services Association. Apple Pay and the Apple Pay logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Pay and the Google Pay logo are a trademarks of Google Inc.
Samsung Pay and the Samsung Pay logo are registered trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Smart Money Checking *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of 5/1/2024. The interest rate and APY may change without notice after the account is opened. Fees may reduce earnings on the account. $5 prime share deposit required for membership. A $25 opening deposit is required for a Smart Money Checking account. 6.00% APY applies to average daily balances up to and including $2,000. For average daily balances greater than $2,000, the APY may range from 0.05% to 3.00%. If requirements** are not met, all balances will earn .01% APY. In order to get the higher rates, you must meet certain requirements each month. If you don’t meet the requirements, an APY of 0.01% APY applies to all balances. Limit one Smart Money Checking Share per account. Membership eligibility required. Federally Insured by NCUA.
**The requirements needed to receive the dividend rate are (i) minimum average daily balance that corresponds to the desired rate, (ii) 16 combined debit/credit card purchase transactions that post and clear in the statement months as (i), on the same membership account, (iii) a minimum of one (1) direct-deposit or Automatic Clearing House (ACH) of at least $500 per month, (iv) enrollment in online statements. ATM and cash advance transactions do not count toward the debit card transaction requirement. Requirements are waived the first statement cycle the new share is opened and will earn the dividend rate that corresponds to each minimum balance tier. IRA, Roth IRA, and Business accounts are not eligible for this product. Rates subject to change without notice. See Membership and Account Agreement for Nature of Dividends under our resource tab.
Money Market - The dividend rate paid is based on the minimum average daily balance to the corresponding tier in any statement month that the specific account requirements are met. If the requirements are not met, the dividend rate of .05% APY is applied for the statement month. The requirements needed to receive the dividend rate are (i) minimum average daily balance that corresponds to the desired rate, (ii) 10 combined debit/credit card purchase transactions that post and clear in the statement months (i), on the same membership account. ATM and cash advance transactions do not count toward the debit card transaction requirement. Requirements are waived the first statement cycle the new share is opened and will earn the higher dividend rate. IRA, Roth IRA, and Business accounts are not eligible for this product. Rates subject to change without notice. Membership eligibility required.
