Housing 34.

4%
Transportation 16.0%
Food 12.7%
Personal insurance
and pensions 11.2%
Healthcare 6.6%
Entertainment 5.2%
Apparel and services 3.5%
Cash contributions2 3.4%
All other 7.0%
All Other
Cash Contributions
Apparel and Services
Entertainment
Healthcare
Personal Insurance and Pension
Food
Transportation
Housing
All Other 7.0
Cash Contributions 3.4
Apparel and Services 3.5
Entertainment 5.2
Healthcare 6.6
Personal Insurance and Pension 11.2
Food 12.7
Transportation 16.0
Housing 34.4
34.4%
16.0%
12.7%
11.2%
6.6%
5.2%
3.5%
3.4%
7.0%
Housing
Food
Personal Insurance
and Pension
Cash
Contributions
2
Entertainment
Healthcare
Transportation
All Other
Apparel and Services
contents
Where does your money go?
Meet Alliants summer intern,
Nikki
Alliant scores an ace for the
National MS Society
1
2
www.alliantcreditunion.org a newsletter for Alliant Credit Union members
DIVIDEND
September Savings Dividend
DECLARED AUGUST 16, 2012
The September 2012 Savings
and IRA dividend, declared
08/16/2012, provides a Compounded
Annual Percentage Yield of
0.80%
APY

Dividends are paid on the
last day of the month to
accountholders who have
maintained an average daily
balance of $100 or more.
Savings dividend is subject to
change monthly.
September Checking Dividend
DECLARED AUGUST 16, 2012
The September 2012 High
Rate Checking dividend,
declared 08/16/2012, provides a
Compounded Annual Percentage
Yield of
0.75%
APY

Checking dividends are paid on
the last day of each month to
accountholders who meet the
requirements of the account.
Checking dividend is subject to
change monthly.
August 2012
Where does your money go?
Do you use a comprehensive, detailed plan to track how
you spend your money? Most Americans dont. Instead,
they use what bankrate.com calls a smudget an
informal way to monitor spending based on loose guide-
lines, common sense or intuition. Smudgets are valuable
because, to some extent, they enable people to live within
their means, avoid debt and put money aside for short-
and long-term goals.
Meanwhile, 40% of Americans make no attempt to
budget at all, according to bankrate.com. That said,
how does the average American household spend
its money?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks American
spending habits through its Consumer Expenditures
Survey. The most recent survey captures 2010 spending
habits. For this study, consumer units are dened as
families, single persons living alone or sharing
a household with others but who are nancially
independent, or two or more persons living together
who share expenses.
Of course, the average consumer unit wont t you
to a T.
Its difcult to make broad assumptions in some of
these categories because, among other factors, spending
varies widely by income levels, costs vary by region (for
instance, a pack of cigarettes costs $11.80 in New York
vs. $4.74 in West Virginia
1
) and its unlikely that any two
families spend exactly alike. Plus, these gures do not
include money used for expenses such as taxes or paying
down debt or in building savings. Nevertheless, the
study can serve as a comparative rule of thumb for you to
use in evaluating how you use your own money.
members circle
The average consumer unit spent a total of $48,109 in 2010. Heres what we spent our dollars on.
If youd like to get a better handle on how you use your money, log your expenditures into Alliants Personal Financial
Management (PFM) tool, which you can access from your summary page in Alliant Online Banking.
And, if youd like professional guidance in setting a budget and managing your money, youre in luck. Alliant partners
with GreenPath

Debt Solutions to provide our members with access to nancial counselors for free. To use this service,
simply call 877-337-3399 or visit GreenPath at www.alliantcreditunion.org/services/nancialcounseling/.
1 theawlcom 2.The cash contribution category used by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics includes payments to charities, religious and political organizations, students living away from home,
alimony and child support. Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, bankrate.com, npr.org, cnn.com and nancialplanabout.com
I CAME WITH A LOT OF MISCONCEPTIONS THAT I THINK MANY PEOPLE STILL HAVE, SUCH AS
That only people frou a qualifying coupany can join
That you have to pay a fee to join if you're not frou a qualifying coupany
That credit unions are in business to uake a proht for stockholders instead of being in business to
help their members
That credit unions don't offer all the products and services that banks do
I was glad to lose these misconceptions and to also learn that Alliant is huge on giving back to its
members and various, worthy charities.
Because Ive had internships before, I was used to working long hours and attending
meetings so the transition from college into the working world was not hard for me.
AT ALLIANT, I WORKED ON ALL SORTS OF PROJECTS, SUCH AS
Filing paperwork for hF
Froducing copy for social uedia posts
Conducting research for the Members Circle newsletter
esigning a Nyer for Alliant's annual charity volleyball tournauent and a certihcate for
Alliants employee recognition program
helping to design a prouotional postcard. (I also scoured the Internet to nd suitable photographs to
use for it)
ofce closings
Alliant will be closed in observance
of the following holidays:
Columbus Day
Monday, October 8, 2012
Veterans Day
Monday, November 12, 2012
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Convenient 24/7/365 account access
0nline banking at
www.alliantcreditunion.org
Mobile banking app for Android

iPad

and iPhone

Meuber Contact Center

at 800-328-1935
Self Service Telephone
at 800-482-5328
0ver 80,000 surcharge-free
ATMs nationwide
Android is a trademark of Google, Inc. iPhone and
iPad are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc.
dial direct: Alliant is there when you need us
PO Box 66945, 11545 W. Touhy Avenue
Chicago, IL 60666-0945
www.alliantcreditunion.org
NEW265-R08/12
For Alliant Branch locations, Alliant
Online Banking, and product and service
information, visit our website:
www.alliantcreditunion.org
This newsletter is for ueubers' personal use only. Feproducing
and/or selling the contents of this newsletter without prior written
permission from Alliant Credit Union is prohibited. Copyright Alliant.
Articles are prepared as an educational service for Alliant members.
They should not be relied on as a substitute for individual nancial
or legal research. Articles in this newsletter are not intended to be
used (and may not be relied on) for penalty avoidance.
Alliant Retirement and
Investment Services
Financial Advisors are available to
serve members in all states.
Call 800-328-1935, option 9.
NEW! Deposits/Payments
PO Box 2387
Des Plaines, IL 60017-2387
NEW! Credit Card Payments
PO Box 1666
Des Plaines, IL 60017-1666
All Other Correspondence and
IRA and HSA deposits
PO Box 66945, Chicago, IL 60666-0945
Mortgage Hotline
800-328-1935
Press option 5, then option 1
MonFri, 8am5pm CT
Auto/Home Insurance
888-380-9287
MonFri, 6am10pm CT
Sat, 6am 8pm CT
GreenPath

Debt Solutions
877-337-3399
MonThur, 7am9pm CT
Fri, 7am6pm CT
Sat, 8am5pm CT
Alliant Headquarters
11545 W. Touhy Avenue
Chicago, IL 60666
Member Contact Center
800-328-1935
24/7 personal assistance
TDD/TTY 773-462-2300
Self Service Telephone (SST)
800-482-5328
24/7 automated account access
VISA

Debit Card
800-328-1935
VISA

Credit Cards
24/7 Member Service/
Account Info/Lost or Stolen:
866-444-8529
VISA

Gift Card
Purchase: 800-328-1935
Support Center: 866-466-2362
Federally insured by
NCUA.
2 You can never learn too much!
Alliant scores an ace for the
National MS Society
On July 19, 2012, Alliant elded 10
teams for its 7th Annual Employee
Volleyball tournament for charity. The
games took place at Alliants Chicago
headquarters. One team was com-
prised of branch managers from across
the country. The tournament raised
$10,600 for the National Muscular
Sclerosis Society $5,600 in employee
donations and a $5,000 grant from the
Alliant Credit Union Foundation.
Senior Systems Engineer Allan Nielson
scores a point with a mighty spike.
Nikki Goncalves recently graduated from Bradley
University, in Peoria, IL, with a B.A. in communications.
Nikki grew up as a foster child. Through Alliants special
relationship with the Foster Care to Success organization,
she was invited to be our summer intern. Here is her account
of the experience.
Before interning with Alliant, I had no idea how a credit union
functioned and I didnt know what the work environment
would be like. The only thing I knew for sure is that credit
unions are different from banks.
Alliant intern Nikki Goncalves and the poster she
designed for our charity volleyball tournament.
Meet Alliants summer intern, Nikki
I loved the advice and support I received from employees of several different departments and the
feedback I got from Alliants design team.
As my internship drew to an end, I was asked what advice I have for young people graduating from
college. Its this: Try everything. Dont shy away from exploring subjects and companies youre unfamiliar
with. Such experiences will always benet you in the long run. And you can never learn too much!
My next stop is South Korea where Ill take classes and work another internship. I dont have a job
lined up yet, but Im open to whatever comes my way. And Im sure the experience I gained at Alliant
will prove benecial as I conduct my job search and begin my career.
Facilities Manager Kevin Daly prepares to hit the ball over,
through or around the blocking hands of Wholesale Consumer
Product Representative Jimmy Williams. Mortgage Loan Ofcer
Rob Jones (background) gets ready for the follow-up.
60%
80% of 60%