Welcome To The Future!
Electronic Funds Transfers
When people talk about “plastic” being a convenient way to pay for something, they’re talking about credit cards and debit cards. But the truth is, it’s really the computer network behind these cards that provides the convenience.

Today’s computer technology allows institutions like your credit union to make Electronic Funds Transfers, or EFTs. An EFT is just what it sounds like – money is transferred to or from your account by computer. For example, if you make a purchase with a debit card, the purchase amount is deducted from your checking account. Pay with a credit card and the purchase amount is “charged” against your credit card account. And then there are ATM cards, which let you transfer funds between accounts, make cash withdrawals, and more. In each case, the information about the transactions is sent and received by computers, and the money is transferred accordingly.

This same technology has led to a number of other cool services. There is online banking, which many people use to make transactions on their accounts from their home computer. And then there’s Direct Deposit, which is like an electronic check – money is deposited into your account without a paper check ever being written. You can be sure this technology will lead to even more exciting inventions in the future. Stay tuned!

Animal Adjectives
If you want to say something is like a cat, or it has the qualities of a cat, you can say it’s “cat-like.” Or you can use the adjective that means “cat-like.” That word appears below, along with the adjectives that refer to a number of other animals. See if you can match them all up. You may find it’s harder than you think! (The answers are printed below.)

Answers: 1. B, 2. G, 3. H, 4. C, 5. D, 6. J, 7. A, 8. E, 9. I, 10. F.

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