Page 15 - MidWeek - Dec 28, 2022

Hoping to change that is Hawaiian Financial’s Get Your House in Order cam- paign, a multi-media educa- tional tool designed to help residents “be well, be safe and be prepared” — like its tagline suggests — and be- come better equipped to nav- igate life’s inevitable ebbs and flows.
The Get Your House in Order guidebooks are designed to help people navigate the often confusing world of finances.
“During the pandemic, we noticed that our mem- bers were not prepared for unexpected life events such as sudden illnesses or death. For those who thought they were, they found out that they weren’t prepared at all,” says Moribe, who adds that job loss was another curve- ball seen in the last couple of years. “They quickly dis- covered that there were many facets in life matters that they did not think about, so we decided to launch the GYHO initiative to help them prepare for these life events.
Hawaiian Financial’s web- site (hificu.com/gyho) serves as the main hub for all GYHO resources, and it’s where people — not just members — can download free, fill- as-you-go booklets titled the Ho‘okele Guidebook.
eing a positive force in the community isn’t anything new for
to members as possible.” Going one step further, Ha- waiian Financial tacked on a few more words to credit unions’ general motto: “We are people helping people make their dreams come
lower cost and higher rates of return help our members to achieve their dreams, wheth- er it’s home ownership, fund- ing education, celebrating milestones or simply getting their first checking or savings account,” Moribe adds. “We are here to make their dreams come true.”
than $909,200,000 in assets and over 50,000 members, Hawaiian Financial evolves to match the community’s needs, and has done so for the last 86 years.
“Many of us on the board and staff were faced with these same unexpected life events and most of us found ourselves ill-prepared to handle the various legal and financial matters that need- ed to be resolved,” he adds. “We all felt this would be a great program to offer to the community at large to help them be better prepared than we were to navigate through those stressful times.”
By nature, credit unions as a whole have a foundational value of operating business as “people helping people,” and Hawaiian Financial is no different.
Along with a full page in MidWeek by senior vice pres- tal, ident of marketing Paulette Ito, the GYHO campaign also includes a show hosted by veteran journalist Yunji
The guidebooks, which will be released quarterly (the first two are available now), feature four phases: the past (gathering and com- piling personal information and important documents), the present (current finan- cial obligations and assets), the future (understanding life-planning documentation including retirement funding and beneficiary updates), and miscellaneous items, which covers assorted topics such as active and sedentary life- styles; love, marriage and divorce; and how they may affect your finances.
“What makes us unique from the traditional financial institution is that the credit union is owned by all of our members,” says Moribe. “No matter how much you have deposited with us or the size of the loans you have with us, you as a member have an equal share of own- ership in the credit union. This gives every member an equal vote in the election of the board of directors who guide the credit union. Our credit union also consis- tently tries to be the market leader in loan and deposit rates to give as much back
Glen Moribe, chairman of Hawaiian Financial Federal Credit Union, encourages residents to “get their house in order” in time for the new year. 2023 will mark Moribe’s 26th year with the organization.
“The guidebooks will assist you in ‘getting your house in order’ and to start the conversations with your loved ones,” says Moribe. “We know these conversa- tions tend to be very sensi- tive, especially when they’re talking about what to do in the case of sudden death or illness, but I think people need to be prepared to answer that question.
for-profit structure and abil- ity to offer a broad array of products and services at a
As one of the largest credit unions in the state with more
true.”
“We believe that our not-
From keiki opening their first checking account to kūpu- na preparing for retirement, Hawaiian Financial wants to be a credit union there for its members — for life.
DECEMBER 28, 2022 MIDWEEK 15
Helping Others To ‘Be Well ... Be Prepared’ In 2023
FROM PAGE 14
ber of them are barely getting by. So, when an unexpected life event happens — which, naturally, they always do — people’s lives enter turmoil, and they have to scramble to make ends meet.
de Nies, who learns tips and tricks from industry leaders and experts. Past guests in- clude Vanessa Beaton, owner of Sorted Photos, who shared information about document preservation and Troy Wada, principal wealth adviser at INPAC Wealth Solutions, who talked about financial planning. Upcoming topics include senior care, mental wellness, insurance, trust ac- counts, upsizing/downsizing a home, computer safety and funeral plans.
“We feel that financial well-being and financial health is extremely important regardless of how much mon- ey you have, (and) the GYHO guidebook will help to pro- vide a step-by-step guide, which will hopefully help to break down the process into manageable tasks. The thing I want to let people know is you don’t have to complete all of the steps at one time. There are consultants such as Blawyers, accountants and fi- nancial advisers that can help you through the process.”
Hawaiian Financial, which was established in 1936 as a credit union for Mutual Tele- phone Co. (now known as Hawaiian Telcom) employ- ees. Its 13 branches have held collection drives for Hawai‘i Foodbank, local students and troops overseas, given out scholarship funds and held free workshops to boot.
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