UKIAH, CA., 5/9/26 — On April 20, the Ukiah branch of the not-for-profit Redwood Credit Union relocated to the Pear Tree Center. The modernized space boasts more safe deposit boxes, two drive-up and two walk-up ATMs, better lighting and a more spacious look.
It also offers upgraded consulting spaces—an important feature for its five certified financial coaches.
The community-minded credit union began offering free financial coaching to both members and non-members at the beginning of 2025. The coaches are certified through the Financial Counseling Certification Program; the 22 branches of the Northern California credit union have 110 financial coaches, trained in-house and certified through the program.
Explained Jose Alvarez, the credit union’s regional vice president, “Members come in and need help. They might say, `My credit score is under 500, and I don’t know how to get it back on track.’ We’re extremely committed to offering that help.”
And while the credit union has a financial coaching page, Alvarez said he realizes that most people aren’t scanning the credit union’s site for answers. Some people come in to ask about home or auto loans or other needs.
Alvarez said, “Someone says, ‘I’m thinking of buying a house in two years, but I don’t know where to start.’ That person gets referred to a financial coach if they want it.”
Community outreach is another avenue to let people know of the service. The credit union hosts financial wellness seminars at high schools. At one session, Alvarez said, a young man said he wanted to go to college but wasn’t sure how he could afford it.
“Our financial coach scheduled a meeting with him and his parents,” Alvarez said. “When they came in, our coach was able to provide costs of average tuition, housing and more. They also talked about trade school, which the student was interested in.”
The coach helped him apply for a credit card so he could start building a credit history that could be used in the future to apply for student loans. Soon enough, the student had identified a trade school but realized he needed a car. The coach helped him get an accelerated credit score rating so he could qualify for an auto loan.
“This was a year and a half ago,” Alvarez said. “Now he’s finishing school and thinking about purchasing a property. All this came about because of the meeting at the school seminar.”
Getting a grip on the future
The credit union does more for students: it offers a seminar for juniors and seniors called Bite of Reality. Alvarez described the process: “They get a piece of paper that says something like, `You’re a nurse and this is your monthly income.’ And then they move around tables with signs such as Housing, Insurance, Food, etc. As they visit the tables, their monthly income decreases. It’s a taste of reality that they’re going to see right after they graduate.”
Alvarez mentioned noticing a student sitting by himself in a corner at one event. “He was almost in tears. He said, `I know this isn’t real life, but I’ve already run out of money, and I don’t know what to do.’”
This is exactly the circumstance that Redwood Credit Union and its coaches address. Through a four-tier system—save, borrow, spend and plan—those who take advantage of the coaching sessions create a roadmap with their coach to address credit card debt, mortgage payments, and more. Some only come for a couple sessions, while others take advantage of quarterly checkups to track progress toward goals that the coach and the client set together.
Clients also discover avenues they knew nothing about. “People don’t know about student loans or how to get them, about help with down payments, about budgets or strategies for saving,” Alvarez said.
“We believe that our financial coaching program should be fair, and everyone should benefit,” Alvarez said. “We offer it to members and non-members because we think it’s the right thing to do.”
The Ukiah branch can be reached at (707) 545-4000 or redwoodcu.org.