The Future Isn't What It Used To Be

Children are the world's greatest dreamers, exploring the outermost reaches of imagination.  Remember back when we were all young, dreaming perhaps of being an astronaut, a fireman, a doctor or, dare I say, President of the United States.

And as we got older we turned to more tangible dreams of getting married, having children and getting that dream house in the tranquil suburbs with the vegetable garden and the white picket fence.

And later we dared to dream of the day when we could safely retire--maybe even early--and do all the things we never had time for until we ran out of road.

We now know that some of those dreams need a reality check.

Being President of the United States isn't all that it's cranked up to be.  Who would want the job of dealing with the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression or festering tensions in the Middle East.

And all those foreclosure signs on all those pretty houses with the white picket fences in tranquil neighborhoods all over this country has turned that dream into a nightmare.

And forget about that early retirement!  People have seen their retirement nest eggs get decimated and are now planning to work well beyond their expected retirement date--if they can keep their jobs.

Five million people unemployed and millions of homes in foreclosure.  The numbers are staggering, yet impersonal, until you start putting faces and names to the numbers.  It's family and friends, business acquaintances and former college roommates, and people you see in the supermarket.  Its all those former children who dared to dream and the present ones who wonder what a dream really is.

If financial institutions truly want to regain the trust that they lost in this financial crisis, it's time that they begin to treat people as more than account numbers in their databases.  Because, if the community erodes around you then the long-term prospects for any community bank will cease to exist.  Being the last man standing in this reality play is not the place to be.

Many banks have instituted outreach programs to better serve their communities.  Consider the following programs:

• Coordinating food and clothing drives to assist families going through hard times
• Opening the branches after hours to provide financial advice and counseling to customers and non-customers
• Allowing community volunteer groups to use bank meeting rooms for outreach programs
• Helping to create a vehicle that enables people to make donations that can go to purchasing home heating fuel or other necessities for families in need

This list can go on and on.  The point is that the government bailout program may work in the long term, but this battle will ultimately be won by assisting people on a one-one-one basis in the communities in which we live and work.

They say that time heals all wounds.  And perhaps there will be a time when we can finally begin to forget these tumultuous times in which we live.  But one thing is for certain--people will never forget those who have helped them in their time of need.  Trust is a definite offshoot of character.  And true character can only be demonstrated through actions, not words.

Let's all do something to make a difference.

Cheers,

Nick Vaglio, CFMP