Last fall, an older couple stopped by a financial wellness fair outside a Navy Federal Credit Union branch in Oceanside, CA. As the man stepped inside the branch, his wife lingered at the tables outside. She shared that her husband was a longtime member, but she had never had an account of her own. In fact, she added, she had never managed her own finances before.
“I think I’m too old for that now, aren’t I?” she said.
“Absolutely not,” responded Navy Federal’s Estefania Villanueva. “There’s no age limit on improving your financial health or on having ownership and control over your own money.”
Then Estefania shared her experience with her own mother, who reached financial stability late in life. Estefania’s mother encouraged her older sisters to do the same, and none of them — all in their 70s — have ever regretted the change. Inspired, the woman walked inside the branch and opened a Navy Federal account in her own name. Afterward, she and her husband returned to thank Estefania for her guidance. The small interaction is one more proof point that financial empowerment can begin at any stage of life.
“It makes me excited to see other people be willing and open to making a change in their older years,” Estefania said. “It makes me believe that anything is possible at any time of life.”
