I hate change.

I can sit here on my soapbox and tell credit unions what theyneed to change to gain younger members, but the truth is I hate anytype of change. I had a pink heart border in my bedroom until I was20 years old because my mom painted it for me when I was little. Myparents have lived in the same house since I was two and I've toldthem many times if they ever sell it, I will disown them.

I have a hard time letting go of the old and embracing the newand so do many credit unions and credit union executives.

Credit unions are at a crossroads right now. More consumers areaware of credit unions thanks to media attention and more peopleare flocking from banks to credit unions. The issue at hand is howcan credit unions leverage this for the future?

I've heard the argument that credit unions are successful asthey are. Credit unions have been around for 100 years and weredeveloped out of a recession. This is the time that credit unionsthrive, so why change anything?

Take note of what is going on in the publishing industry. About10 years ago the Internet became a household commodity that changedthe way people access and receive information. Soon after thisdevelopment the writing was on the wall that this was a problem forthe publishing industry. Fast forward to today and there are stillvery few magazines, newspapers and publishing companies that havefigured out how to create a successful business model arounddigital news. Many publishing companies are just trying to figureit out now, not because they are thinking for the future butbecause the market is forcing them. The end result: The failure ofmany magazines and newspapers and an industry in trouble.

Yes, it is true. Credit unions were developed because of badeconomic times. But don't forget the people that were there whencredit unions started and understand history of the cause are alsoaround 100 years old.

I'm not saying that credit unions can't serve older members, butthe reality is that older members don't have the potential forproducts and service that younger members do. Don't tell oldermembers, 'I'm sorry we can't help you. You're going to die soon.'But it's pretty simple. Those older members will outgrow the needfor products. If you don't replace those members with youngermembers that need products, then your credit union is going to havea very big problem.

Back when I was eight or nine, my family owned an Apple IIGScomputer. It had a floppy disk drive where I put in my Oregon Trailand Word Muncher games when I wanted to use it. A few years later,the Apple computer was replaced with a Windows PC. I didn't hearof, use or have any connection to an Apple product or the companyfrom that point until I was in college.

During that time the powers that be at Apple could have beensitting there saying, 'Let's stick to what we know. We can'tcompete with the giant Microsoft has become.' Instead Apple took alook at its business model, examined the changes going on in theworld and decided it wasn't going to let my generation changeApple; Apple was going to change my generation.

Starting with the iPod, Apple changed the way my generationobtains and listens to music, the way my generation uses cellphones and now with the iPad, the way we even use computers. Nowthe majority of my generation from people five years older than meto 10 years younger than me own at least one Apple product.

I can go on and on about the likes and dislikes of mygeneration, and how the way we grew up has shaped us to bedifferent from older generations. I can tell you ways that mygeneration can change credit unions, but this time I'm going to dothings a little different. I'm going to ask you. You tell me. Howis your credit union going to change my generation?