Bank / Credit Union
Laurel Road hires financial therapist for 'metal wealth' initiatives
February 8, 2022
Laurel Road, the digital banking platform of KeyBack, has selected Aja Evans, a license mental health counselor based in New York City, as a financial therapist. In this role, Evans will offer existing and prospective members help to build "mental wealth," according to a press release.
Mental wealth refers to the way that finances can impact mental health and overall wellness. Laurel Road selected Evans since it found in a Mental Wealth Survey that 72% of Americans under 40 say managing finances is a strain on their mental health.
"Time and time again, we've heard about the stressors our members are faced with when it comes to managing debt and personal finances. At Laurel Road, our mission is to be a partner, rather than just a bank, as this allows us to deliver financial peace of mind at every stage of one's financial journey," Alyssa Schaefer, general manager and chief experience officer at Laurel Road, said in the release. "Working with a financial therapist like Aja allows us to leverage her deep expertise in the field of psychology and financial planning, which will ultimately help us better understand what our members need to achieve mental wealth, giving them a more positive and hopeful outlook through a mindful approach to their financial situation and helping to inform our future product development."
Evans will provide Q&As, live streaming events and other content on Laurel Road's website and social channels.
"As a licensed therapist, I've seen first-hand the benefit greater financial education, resources and planning have on someone's mental wellbeing," Evans said in the release. "For me, it's incredibly rewarding to support people in their journey to having more financial literacy and to building a better relationship with money. I'm thrilled to partner with Laurel Road as they share these values, recognize the explicit link between financial wellness and mental wellbeing and are taking action on it."
