Merrimack Valley Credit Union and Methuen High School Hold Annual Credit for Life Fair

Methuen, Mass. – Feb. 22, 2024 – On Friday, Feb. 16, Merrimack Valley Credit Union (MVCU) and Methuen High School (MHS) teamed up for the fifth year to present the Credit for Life Fair to hundreds of graduating seniors.

Credit for Life is a two-hour financial simulation held in Klimas Field House at MHS. Prior to the fair, students selected a profession that best fits their post-graduation plans and received an estimated salary. During the fair, students visited 15 different booths that represented financial decisions they would encounter as adults, such as attending community, state or private college; choosing between purchasing a car or a monthly public transit pass; and deciding whether to rent or own a home.

Students also learned about how their lifestyle choices, including eating out, purchasing a gym membership or owning a pet, would affect their budget. They faced a “reality check” by spinning “The Wheel of Misfortune” that includes 12 items that could either have a negative impact on a student’s budget or provide the windfall they need to keep their monthly budget in the positive.

The students finished the fair at the credit counseling booth, where volunteers analyzed the students’ spending and salary to help them understand the importance of financial planning and how their decisions ultimately impacted their budget.

The partnership between MVCU and MHS began with the inaugural fair in 2018. The event is staffed by more than 50 volunteers from local professional and community organizations, the Methuen School district and MVCU. The volunteers have face-to-face conversations with the students about the impact their choices have on their budget and offer decades of practical experience to the students.

“The MHS Credit for Life Fair is one of my favorite events that MVCU is involved in during the year,” says MVCU Marketing Manager Andrea Manseau, lead coordinator of the Credit for Life Fair. “The fair makes financial education a hands-on, immersive event that introduces students to the decisions they’ll make as adults. They get to talk to volunteers who offer not only their professional expertise, but personal experiences, as well. We continue to partner with MHS because of their dedication to this event and the value they see in providing students with this experience, and we look forward to presenting the fair to next year’s senior class.”

To learn more about MVCU’s community initiatives, visit www.mvcu.com/news.

About Merrimack Valley Credit Union

Founded in 1955, Merrimack Valley Credit Union (MVCU) is a state-chartered community and employer-based credit union with more than $2.3 billion in assets. The corporate office is located in Lawrence, Massachusetts. MVCU currently serves more than 115,000 members, primarily in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. MVCU also serves more than 1,100 employer groups, including two major Massachusetts employers, Raytheon Technologies and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and operates 19 retail branches located in Amesbury, Bridgewater, Brookline, Danvers, Dorchester, Fairhaven, Haverhill, Hanover, Lawrence, Marlborough, Methuen, North Andover, Plymouth, Quincy, Tewksbury, Waltham and Worcester, Mass., plus Plaistow and Seabrook, N.H. MVCU offers a wide range of savings and loan products, commercial services and digital banking to meet the financial needs of a growing member base.