Youth Accounts
How to start
Open a Pathfinder Account
Getting to the top doesn’t happen by accident. It takes thoughtful planning, careful steps, and a desire to achieve your goals. Journey with Juniper to reach all the stages along the Pathfinder trail. To open an account, please visit your nearest branch.
By the time you reach the peak you can have:
- A healthy savings account
- A higher-earning deposit certificate
- A debit card connected to your own checking account
- Tools used to establish credit
Stage 1
Savings Beginner
Pathfinder Savings Account
- Pays dividends
- Safer than a piggy bank
- Minimum to open: $5
A growing savings account is like basecamp for every successful Pathfinder. It only takes $5 to open a Pathfinder Savings account. Your money is safer in a savings account than in a piggy bank. It will never be misplaced, but you’ll still have easy access to your money.
Your goal is to save $200 to move to Stage 2. Try starting small. Depositing $5 every month will help build the “financial muscles” you’ll need to make it to the peak.
Stage 2
Savings Expert
Pathfinder Certificate
- Renews every year
- Add money regularly
- Minimum to open: $100
It’s time to pick up the pace and get more out of your savings. Certificates typically earn a larger dividend than savings accounts – but you have to commit to leaving the money in the certificate for an entire year.
Your goal is to keep $100 in Savings and have a $400 Certificate. You can regularly add money to your certificate in $25 increments. With $100 still in savings, you’ll have reached the $500 mark. Amazing!
Stage 3
Responsible Spender
Pathfinder Checking Account
- Debit Card
- Online Banking and App
- No minimums, no monthly fees
The path forward gets a little more complicated and you’ll have to step with extra care. A debit card is connected directly to your checking account. Keep a close eye on your account balance, because if you use your debit card when there is not enough money you will have to pay a fee – and you want to avoid those!
Your goal is to learn all about checking accounts and have $1,000 in Savings. Keep growing your savings and certificate, but for easy access put the money you plan to spend in your Pathfinder Checking account.
Stage 4
CREDIT BUILDER
Pathfinder Credit Builder
- Build credit in a safe environment
- Easily manage payments
- Available for 16 and 17 year-olds
This is the final step to reach the peak. Building good credit history shows if you are responsible in managing your obligations. When you’re ready for your first “real” loan, you’ll already have proven credit history and may qualify for a better rate. This is technically a loan but you won’t have access to any extra money. The loaned funds are held to secure the loan and prevent accidental spending.
For payments, we recommend the “Set It & Forget It” option. This allows you to add some of your own money upfront to cover the first payment and interest, then set up automatic payments and you can then forget it. You won’t have to add any more of your own money and the loan will pay itself automatically.
At the top
When you turn 18
If you’ve taken all the steps along the Pathfinder trail, you should be ready to enter adulthood with a healthy savings account, a higher-earning certificate, a debit card connected to a checking account, and the tools to establish credit.
When you reach the age of 18, your accounts will automatically roll over into the closest equivalent account available for adults and your Pathfinder Certificate will roll over into an Additional Savings account when it matures. We want to make sure you have the right tools for the next stage in your journey. Call or visit a branch to set up a time to help plan for your financial future.
Wireless free Internet (WiFi), like what you find at coffee shops, the public library, and other public places, takes place over a public network. Even if you need a password to access the Internet, you’re still sharing that connection with others. And it’s very easy for someone with even basic hacking skills to spy on the data flowing to or from your computer in that setting. If you submit anything sensitive, like your login info, on such a connection, a hacker could steal it.
Bottom line, there’s a difference between a secure website and a secure connection. At Pacific Crest, we take the security of our web services very seriously. However, we can’t guarantee the security of the connection you use to access those. Please play it safe: never log into Pacific Crest online banking from public WiFi.
At Pacific Crest, every account-holder owns a share in the credit union. Because you’re not just a member, but an owner too, you’re entitled to a share of the profits.
Unlike a bank, which divides profits among just a few stockholders, Pacific Crest divides our profits across our entire membership. These are called dividends. The size of your dividend is determined by the type and size of account you hold at Pacific Crest.
Disclosures
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