PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Stress and money. Those two words are oftentimes synonymous. This is why a community bank is working to address that anxiety with a new program.
F&M Trust has entered the meditation business. The bank is now offering "Money Meditations," a program created through a new partnership with Stephanie Romero, a Pittsburgh based educator and meditation practitioner.
The goal of these "Money Meditations," is "to create three unique mindfulness and meditation practices to help people engage with financial topics in a way that can lower anxiety about money."
"We like to educate our customers and educate consumers about money related matters," Matt Weaver, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at F&M Trust said. "Money Meditations can hopefully alleviate some of that stress and help people learn a little bit more about their money and provide some financial advice."
According to Romero, stress often leads to an increased heart-rate, sweaty palms and even an increase in blood pressure. She says it's important to learn how to deal with the stress that surrounds money and to calm down before making any big financial decisions.
"Our thoughts are not always true and real," Romero said. "They feel real. Especially those self-defeating thoughts. They’re not helpful.”
According to Weaver, these meditations are really catching on.
"I think this is resonating and we also recognize that this type of resource is very timely in a situation during the pandemic where people are stressed and this could maybe provide some relief," he said.
You can learn more about Money Meditations on F&M Trust's website.