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> I was never able to try USAA despite hearing great things because no one I know was in the military. You don't have to know someone who is in the military; y

by peckrob 12y ago

> I was never able to try USAA despite hearing great things because no one I know was in the military. You don't have to know someone who is in the military; you either have to be in the military or be directly related to someone who is a USAA member[0]. So if your grandfather served in the military and joined USAA, your father could become a member based on his relationship with your grandfather, and you could become a member because your father is a member. This is how I was able to join. My grandfather was in the Navy and was a USAA member. My dad joined way back before I was born, and I joined when I was in high school. At first, I just used their car insurance products. After college when my bank (Regions Bank) decided to start charging me all kinds of stupid fees, I switched my checking over to USAA. As time has gone on, I've moved almost all my financial products over to them. Several checking accounts, several savings accounts, a credit card, investments, etc. They are, without a doubt, the best "bank" I've ever worked with. There's only a few things left that I'm not with them on: my homeowner's insurance, which I'm about to move over to them after a nasty experience with Liberty Mutual, and my daughter's 529 college saving plan, because you only get the tax benefits in this state if you use the state's 529 program. I also have a Simple account, mostly because I wanted to check them out, but I almost never use it. [0] https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/pub_eligibility_task_entry https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/pub_eligibility_task_entry

dctoedt 12y ago
A bit off-topic, but arguably relevant: USAA has just about the best customer-service operation I've seen. I'm a 40-year member, and my dad was a member for 50-plus years. When he died, almost all of his financial accounts were at USAA; their survivor-assistance group was, in a word, marvelous. USAA originated as an insurance association of active-duty military officers, who had a tough time getting insurance elsewhere. IIRC, to this day it's run largely by retired officers (and now, retired senior NCOs as well) who had major responsibilities during their active-duty careers. I get the impressions that much of its culture of service comes from that.

by peckrob 12y ago

dctoedt 12y ago

A bit off-topic, but arguably relevant: USAA has just about the best customer-service operation I've seen. I'm a 40-year member, and my dad was a member for 50-plus years. When he died, almost all of his financial accounts were at USAA; their survivor-assistance group was, in a word, marvelous. USAA originated as an insurance association of active-duty military officers, who had a tough time getting insurance elsewhere. IIRC, to this day it's run largely by retired officers (and now, retired senior NCOs as well) who had major responsibilities during their active-duty careers. I get the impressions that much of its culture of service comes from that.