Capital One #BankingReimagined Helping You Get More Comfortable With Your Finances

Thank you Capital One for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own and were not directed by Capital One.  

It's interesting to me the way that technology has changed practically every facet of our lives. I still remember the day my parents took me to the local branch of our bank in town to open my first bank account. I had just graduated high school and needed somewhere to deposit the checks my family members had given me. It was a brick and mortar store and with my account, I received a folder of information regarding my account, a paper registrar to record deposits, and a few deposit slips. The entire process took hours, and all I can say now is oh my, how times have changed when it comes to banking!  I rarely set foot inside an actual, physical bank, thanks to a variety of tools offered through online banking and the convenience of ever-present ATMs. It's rare these days that there is anything I can't handle from the convenience of my smartphone.

Fun Fact: 60% of consumers use online banking at least weekly. HOWEVER, 87% still crave a place to go with human interaction to complement that online experience.

I realize that I may be missing out on valuable financial advise and insight by not regularly checking in with actual humans at my various financial institutions. Sometimes you really just need to sit down and talk to someone face to face.

Technology has made so many things in our lives easier, but that face to face interaction? A smartphone can’t detect how you feel about money and help you reach your goals in a unique and personalized way. Which is why Capital One’s Cafes caught my attention. Capital One Cafes provide people with a more personalized approach to managing their finances...and in an incredibly awesome way! It’s all about creating a welcoming environment so that they can empower people to feel confident about their relationship with their money. There are already Capital One Cafes in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Richmond, San Francisco and St. Cloud., and there are plans to open in Seattle and South Florida later this year. Soon, people can pop into their local café in Miami or Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables or West Palm Beach to recharge their bank accounts, devices and lives while learning new ways to manage their finances, try out new digital and financial tools, or simply grab a great cup of coffee or baked goods from Pastry Is Art, Le Provance and Protano’s. They're all centrally located in the hub of the neighborhood so that they're easily accessible. Also, be on the lookout for cash deposit ATMs in many Target stores in the markets where there are Capital One Cafes!

To celebrate the openings of Capital One Cafés all over the country, Capital One is hitting the road with its Banking Reimagined Tour making stops across the United States to give people a firsthand look at Capital One Cafes and their innovative services and programs, designed to get us all thinking and talking about personal finance in totally new ways. There will even be coffee, which the specialists will order for you, and rumor has it...there may even be fresh baked goods from local bakeries. SNACKS, people.

This is such a cool concept! When the tour comes through your town, you'll get a first hand 20-minute, interactive session that will help uncover the financial behaviors that best match your own personal value system and help you begin to understand the role that your personal finances plays in every aspect of your life. When managed properly, our finances can enrich our lives - I think that's a given. When people ask me how I am able to travel as much as I do...it really comes down to having spent a lot of time figuring out my finances and planning for the things I want. This Banking Reimagined Tour and their Capital One Cafés is all about helping people do just that: building confidence with their relationship with money!

As part of Capital One’s effort to redesign the banking experience, they are making things simple, straightforward and just a more natural fit in general into people’s everyday lives. This comes to life in two ways: Innovative Products and Digital Tools and a Human Connection. Two concepts that are not usually found to be mutually exclusive….

While many of us in the digital age have mastered incorporating digital media and products into our everyday lives, there are still many people who shy away from digital products when it comes to banking. Then there are those that use them, but not to their full potential. One size does not fit all, as you're probably well aware by watching your great aunt use social media.

One component of the Capital One Cafes includes Demo Bars, so that people can play around with technology and get a little help figuring out how to incorporate it into their finances as well.

They serve as an interactive learning lab for customers to experience technology that can simplify their lives and help them succeed financially.

Some unique digital tools people can test include:

• How the Amazon Echo can answer their Capital One questions and help them manage their accounts using voice activated technology. They'll be in every Capital One Cafe and in the Demo Bars too.
• How CreditWise can provide them more than just a credit score – but actually enable them to easily see their credit profile, track it and learn how to strengthen it.

Plus, they’ve outfitted their Cafés with interactive screens, designed by the same company as the Smithsonian, each of which features interactive quizzes and content built around financial education.

But it’s not just enough to know how to access your money. Another way Capital One is redesigning the banking experience is by offering a new service, called Money Coaching, a complimentary [three-session] program designed to connect your values to your money, get your money under control, plan a path for your future financial goals, and the confidence to make it happen. There are also Money Workshops, a series of complimentary 1-2 hour long sessions at the Capital One Cafes on topics like “How to Talk Money With Your Honey”, “How to Make Your Golden Years Shine Bright”, “Wise Wedding Planning” and more! Money Coaching and Money Workshops will be rolling out throughout 2017 and available in Capital One Cafés.

The Capital One Banking Reimagined Tour will be at Bayside Marketplace in Miami this weekend, March  11^th and 12^th from 10am – 6pm! I’ll be learning more about the Capital One Banking Reimagined Tour and their upcoming Capital One Cafes this weekend and reporting back here with more details, as I am sending Alex to check it out for me so that I can give you a firsthand experience! If you’re in South Florida, come check it out too!

Don't forget to get social with Capital One Cafe!

Follow @CapitalOneCafe on Twitter and like the Capital One Cafe Tour Facebook page! You can keep up with the Banking Reimagined Tour by following along with #BankingReimagined hashtag.