This past year has seen some incredible new developments in the Move Your Money: Bank Local and Invest Local movement—including new community investment funds, new cooperative designs, and new public policies.  Let’s elevate these innovations during Move Your Money Month this April. Direct more of your dollars to the banks and businesses based where you live, and join a growing movement prioritizing people, planet, and profit.

Local economist Michael Shuman tracks these developments in his weekly newsletter, The Main Street Journal.  Join Michael for a free virtual event called Incredible New Developments in the Move Your Money Movement on Thursday, April 11, from 1 – 2 pm.  Discover how you can be part of the movement!

RSVP today

Move Your Money: Bank Local

When you bank locally at a community bank or credit union in our region, more of your dollars recirculate throughout our local economy -- building more local jobs and prosperity.

Traditional banks, publicly traded and owned by stockholders, exist to provide a return on investment to their far-away owners. On the other hand, community banks are privately owned and not publicly traded.  Credit unions are cooperatives, meaning the members own their banks.

“At local banks and credit unions, loan approvals and other key decisions are made locally by people who live in the community, have face-to-face relationships with their customers, and understand local needs,” said Stacy Mitchell from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.  “Because of this personal knowledge, local financial institutions are often able to approve small business and other loans that big banks would reject.”

Move your money closer to home and your heart by choosing a bank more aligned with your values. Who do you bank with now?  Search for them here and find out what your bank does with your money.  Discover how many dollars your bank invests in your community.

Want to Move Your Money closer to home? Find a new bank here.

Move Your Money: Invest Local

In addition to moving your money to a community bank or credit union, we encourage you to invest in locally owned businesses. Why? The Monadnock Region Indie Impact Study found that businesses rooted in our region recirculate up to four times more money in our local economy compared to national chain stores. If we invested more capital in locally owned businesses, we’d see a return on investment that included more community health and wealth.

We’ll share local investing opportunities on our website throughout Move Your Money Month. 

Stay Tuned

Thanks for banking, investing, and choosing locally owned and independent businesses each and every day!