The CUInsight Network · 2026-06-26 · 12 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
34 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Credit unions face unprecedented competition from fintechs and digital platforms while struggling to attract younger, more diverse members. TruStage's sixth edition of "What Matters Now" research provides critical insights into how financial institutions can evolve. Opal Tomaszewska, Director of Multicultural Business Strategy at TruStage, explains that sustainable growth requires moving beyond traditional approaches to deeply understand diverse consumers' unique financial aspirations and constraints. The research reveals three particularly striking findings: the American Dream is no longer monolithic - it now emphasizes financial stability over homeownership for many, and varies significantly by race and ethnicity; neurodivergent Americans carry disproportionately higher financial worry despite similar incomes; and the "hustle economy" sentiment has grown from 39% to 46% of Americans, with even stronger agreement among Black consumers, women, and millennials. TruStage's methodology combines quantitative and qualitative data to answer not just what products consumers want, but why - enabling credit unions to build lasting relationships. For credit union executives seeking member growth, this episode explains how to translate research into action through investment in convenient payment platforms, culturally relevant messaging, DEI representation, and leveraging the credit union difference that resonates with underserved communities.
The research reveals that the American Dream is no longer monolithic and varies by generation and ethnicity; neurodivergent consumers experience disproportionately higher financial worry despite similar incomes; and 46% of Americans (up from 39% in 2022) believe salary is insufficient and they must hustle for additional income, with this sentiment stronger among Black consumers, women, and BIPOC groups.
A growing number of younger and diverse consumers are adding payment services like Apple Pay and Google Pay and considering these platforms as their primary financial institution, while those still using traditional credit unions are also increasingly adopting these payment platforms alongside their primary account.
Despite having similar or higher incomes and employment rates than neurotypical consumers, neurodivergent Americans report higher worry across all major financial concerns including bills, retirement, cost of living, and caregiving, making them a distinct segment requiring targeted strategies.
TruStage bakes action items directly into research presentations alongside findings, such as investing in convenient payment platforms, evolving service delivery for diverse communities, exploring social media and influencer channels, and leveraging the credit union difference through authentic storytelling about community involvement and cultural alignment.
DEI is increasingly important to consumers in selecting a financial institution; they prioritize institutions that speak their language, demonstrate cultural understanding, show staff representation in branches and online, and demonstrate that they understand consumers' lifestyles and cultural intersections with finances.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode contains a handful of concrete data points from proprietary research - neurodivergent financial worry, hustle economy growth - but is padded with generic credit union talking points about meeting members where they are and building trust. Useful data is diluted by filler commentary and a 12-minute runtime leaves little room for depth.
nearly half of Americans, that's 46% and it's up from 39% in 2022, agree with a statement that these days salary isn't enough. You have to hustle to make money in different way
neurodivergent consumers are younger. So more people who identify as neurodivergent are Gen Z or millennial consumers
The neurodivergence lens applied to financial worry is a genuinely underexplored angle, but the rest of the episode recycles industry-standard advice about DEI, digital platforms, and younger consumers that circulates constantly in credit union and fintech media. No contrarian or first-principles thinking is offered.
growth will not come from doing more of the same, but from really deeply understanding and connecting with younger consumers
credit unions still lead in satisfaction and trust. But fintech and money movement platforms are gaining ground, especially with younger and diverse consumers
Opal holds a director-level role at TruStage with evident expertise in multicultural financial research, but this is a sponsored episode where the guest works for the show's sponsor - limiting independent credibility. There is no evidence of hands-on credit union operational experience at scale.
I'm Opal Tomaszewska, Direct Director of Multicultural Business Strategy at Trustage
each year we try to get more inclusive, to gather the best data possible
A few specific percentages from a proprietary, multi-edition longitudinal study add genuine evidential value, but the research is TruStage's own unpublished work with no independent citation, and most prescriptive advice remains abstract without named credit union case studies or dollar outcomes.
46% and it's up from 39% in 2022, agree with a statement that these days salary isn't enough
neurodivergent Americans carry the heaviest load of worry
The host asks broad, leading questions with zero follow-up or challenge, interrupts with personal anecdotes about TikTok and neurodivergence that add no analytical value, and closes with effusive sponsor praise. This is a promotional content placement, not an interview designed to surface new knowledge.
That's such awesome information.
as a neurodivergent consumer, I think that's so interesting and honestly amazing that you are including that representation in there as well
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
“Growth will not come from doing more of the same, but from deeply understanding and connecting with younger consumers.” - Opal Tomashevska Thank you for tuning in to The CUInsight Network , with your host, Robbie Young , Vice President of Strategic Growth at CUInsight. In The CUInsight Network, we take a deeper dive with the thought leaders who support the credit union community. We discuss issues and challenges facing credit unions and identify best practices to learn and grow together. My guest on today’s show is Opal Tomashevska , Director of Multicultural Business Strategy at TruStage . She joins me for this episode to discuss TruStage’s 2026 “What Matters Now” study and its interesting findings, highlighting that sustainable growth in 2026 begins with recognizing that today’s consumers cannot be treated with a one-size-fits-all approach. Throughout our conversation, we talk about how younger consumers are reshaping expectations, why financial stability has become a bigger priority than traditional milestones for many Americans, and what credit unions could be missing when it comes to building meaningful relationships with diverse communities.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: Foreign. I'm Robbie Young, Vice President of strategic growth at CUInsight and I'm excited for the third episode in our four part series of the CU Insight Network podcast, brought to you by Trust. In today's discussion on the sustainable credit union growth, I am thrilled to be talking with Opal Tomaszewska, Direct Director of Multicultural Business Strategy at Trustage. Welcome to the show, Opal. I'm so excited to have you.
Speaker B: Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited as well.
Speaker A: Awesome. So many credit unions are struggling with sustainable growth, especially attracting younger, more diverse members. Based on your work at Trustage, what should credit unions be doing differently to stay relevant?
Speaker B: Yeah, we absolutely hear that all the time. So what we say is growth will not come from doing more of the same, but from really deeply understanding and connecting with younger consumers. And younger consumers are more racially diverse. So connecting with this population and understanding the financial realities that those consumers face, think about everything from worries to aspirations, dreams. That's going to look very different than it has, um, from past generations. And we also think about the current times with consumers who are navigating right now, higher cost, delayed milestones like home ownership and a lot of uncertainty while also having more financial choices than ever before. Everything from banks to fintechs, digital platforms, many of these things being right at their fingertips. So lots of different choices for different populations that we're able to serve. And the credit unions who are really going to win are able to meet those members where they are and they're the ones who design around their unique needs and build relevance with things like trust and emotional connection using real authenticity and understanding that they're having to do this in an incredibly and increasingly crowded marketplace. So that's where our work focuses, looking through this multicultural lens at consumers. And this is how credit unions can really build long lasting relationships. And that's where that growth is going to come from.
Speaker A: That's such awesome information. The sixth edition of what Matters now research continues to expand in scope and inclusivity. What are some of the most surprising or overlooked insights about today's consumers that credit unions need to better understand?
Speaker B: Yeah, so, uh, each year we try to get more inclusive, to gather the best data possible. And each of our editions, as you mentioned, it's the 6th edition, builds upon what we learned in the last edition and then what we've been hearing, talking to credit union partners and learning about our consumers in between. So we combine our quantitative data with our qualitative data so we can share with credit unions not only kind of the what, what products, services, channels people want and need, but also the why behind that and really bring that human element into our research and understand what those products and channel preferences might really provide solutions that can create a better financial future for the consumers that we serve. So when you ask about the interesting findings, there's so many, but I'll try to just share a few here. So one is really around this theme of the American Dream. So it's no longer just one dream. It's not just the, uh, picket fence, the 2.5 kids. It's increasingly about financial stability now versus this future growth. And there's differences. For example, homeownership still tops the list for younger Americans, but it's less important for other generations. We also see the American Dream differ across race and ethnicity. Another interesting finding finding that we found was around neurodivergence. So neurodivergent Americans carry the heaviest load of worry. So for the last three editions of what Matters now, we've had this, uh, thing that we affectionately call the Worry Web, where we look at how worried people are about paying bills, retirement, the current cost of living, being able to take care of a parent or other loved one. And we see that across all of those, financial worry is higher for neurodivergent consumers, despite having similar incomes and even higher employment than their neurotic, typical counterparts. When we look through this lens of culture and generation, we also see that neurodivergent consumers are younger. So more people who identify as neurodivergent are Gen Z or millennial consumers. And this group is very diverse. So there's a lot of intersectionality within that. And we also find that neurodivergent consumers are more entrepreneurial and more likely to own a business. So there's a lot of fun things that we've been able to kind of really discover. But those are a few things that we found when adding neurodivergence into the mix for this research. And then the third kind of last thing I'll share here that was really interesting to us is this concept of the hustle economy. And we started asking this question in 2018 and continued to see growth here. So the hustle economy is no longer optional. So we found that nearly half of Americans, that's 46% and it's up from 39% in 2022, agree with a statement that these days salary isn't enough. You have to hustle to make money in different way. And then when we look at that specific question again through this multicultural lens, we See that this sentiment is even stronger among black consumers, women, millennials, and other bipoc consumers. So I know I packed a lot in there, but there's a ton of great things. But those were some of the things that we think are pretty interesting and we haven't seen elsewhere.
Speaker A: That's awesome. And as a neurodivergent consumer, I think that's so interesting and honestly amazing that you are including that representation in there as well. Because it's certainly something that now from my lens, it's something I look at a lot to wonder, does this data include that information? Because it does add a totally different aspect to things.
Speaker B: Yes, yes, and same. I echo that and I love to hear what people see themselves within the research because that's our goal as well.
Speaker A: So true. So we know that research is so valuable, but execution is where the impact happens. How can credit unions take insights from your report and translate them into practical, everyday strategies that drive growth?
Speaker B: So insights to action is kind of our motto and one of our, uh, goals every year. So when we share this information with credit unions, we actually bake our action items right into the presentation. So we're out there sharing, you'll see kind of action items right on the slides and we'll talk about them. And we base those on audiences. So we're not just giving the facts and the stats, but we present actions that credit unions can take. Uh, so when we share something like, let's say credit unions, credit unions still lead in satisfaction and trust. But fintech and money movement platforms are gaining ground, especially with younger and diverse consumers. We'll also share that credit unions need to invest in convenient and accessible options like payment platforms. When we talk about overall satisfaction holding steady, but that underserved communities report meaningful lower satisfaction with primary financial institutions, we will have a call to action that credit unions must also evolve how they serve increasingly diverse, diverse communities to meet them where they're at and that they can't assume that what they've always done will continue to work for younger generations. If we share something like more consumers want to do, want to work with one institution. And we did see that rise from 2022 to 26, where in 2022 only 28% wanted to keep all of their finances with one institution. And in 2026 that rose to 40%. We also share that social media and AI have a growing role in financial products and services and how they're researched. We'll give practical solutions to credit unions, um, on how they should be looking at exploring comprehensive options to Meet more needs and reach members in new ways like social media and influencers, where we've seen a rise since 2022 in what people trust to really research financial services and products. So we pair the stats that we share with action items right away and have that baked in. And that's something we learned along the way and started to incorporate as we listened and talked to our audience.
Speaker A: That's so important. I've seen a lot lately, especially when it comes to social media like TikTok and things where the younger generations are truly taking their information from there. And, and as that neurodivergent in person I mentioned, I also really like uh, TikTok and the way they deliver information. So leaning into understanding how those things work is so important and, and I'm, I'm sure adds so much value to what you all are doing as well.
Speaker B: Absolutely.
Speaker A: So when you look at the future of membership, which emerging consumer behaviors or expectations do you think credit unions are still underestimating?
Speaker B: I think one of the biggest things, and as we saw prominent in this edition as well, is that credit unions may be underestimating members willingness to go elsewhere. So while I mentioned just a few minutes ago that most want just one primary financial institution, a growing number are both adding payment services, think Apple Pay, Google Pay, and considering these payment platforms as their primary financial institution. Now, in addition to them thinking of it as their primary financial institution, those who are still thinking of the traditional credit unions and banks as their primary financial institution, they are starting to add and get more comfortable with those things like Apple Pay and the Google Pay that I mentioned. Another thing I think is that people are underestimating how important DEI really is to consumers and how much that M matters to them in choosing a primary financial institution. They are really uh, concerned about primary financial institutions speaking the language that they're comfortable with, having a cultural understanding, having that representation amongst staff when they go into branches or when they're looking on the website, being able to see themselves in promotion and products and services in that marketing. That's something we saw even more important in 2026 than it was in 2022. And having primary financial institutions that really understand their lifestyles, their needs, their cultural intersection with finances, and ensuring that they are truly being seen and welcomed by uh, their credit unions and financial institutions. And the last thing I'll say is that I think sometimes we underestimate that credit union difference and how really leveraging that alongside with some of these insights on um, products and services and preference can really be a winning combination so much of what credit unions are built on align with what we see that multicultural consumers and younger consumers and women really want and resonate with. Um, but we just need to talk about it more. So we are often supporting causes that communities really care about, but are we letting our members know that we're doing those things? Are we letting our members know our story and really sharing that? Because with so much choice out there for consumers, that's what really is going to make that connection and have that differentiation. So I really hope that we are not underestimating that creatinine difference, because I think that can make all the difference when it comes to really growing our membership with consumers.
Speaker A: Well, Opal, thank you so much for joining me today. I continue to be in awe of all the great work that Trustage does, especially when it comes to things like dei. I've really enjoyed this conversation, and I know our audience appreciated all your insights as well. We'll be sure to link to everything we talked about in the show notes today, but to learn more, please feel free to visit truestage. Com and I'm looking forward to the next time we get to talk. And I will see you in about a week. And thank you to all of our listeners. And we'll see you next time.
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