While The Record’s commentary typically focuses on matters of faith and spirituality, it nearly always highlights how Catholic life intersects with the material world.
Never, perhaps, has that been more true than in the paper’s newest column, “Cents & Sensibility.” It may seem a bit out of The Record’s mission to educate readers about matters of financial literacy, but it falls in line with a priority of the Archdiocese of Louisville over the last few years to increase the financial literacy of church ministers — clergy and lay leaders alike.
A 2016 survey funded by the Lilly Foundation discovered that church workers desired greater expertise in this area.
“What we found out is, if you are having difficulty in your personal life, it affects your ministry. You’re hurting your ability to do ministry and that affects your congregation,” noted archdiocesan chancellor, Dr. Brian Reynolds.
A million dollar grant from the Lilly Foundation has led to a series of initiatives to better prepare church leaders in financial matters. And now this column aims to expand that reach to readers of The Record, which reaches all Catholic households in the archdiocese.
“It’s about stewardship of the resources we’ve been given by God — care for ourselves and care for those who depend on us,” Reynolds said, noting that good financial management in a family can help make a family healthier and more stable.
Beth Stegner Peabody, a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy and CEO of Stegner Investment Associates, Inc., will be writing the column. It will be published the second Thursday of each month on page four.
Peabody said she hopes the column helps empower people to take control of their finances.
She begins her first column by quoting Benjamin Franklin:
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.”
She goes on to explain, “The goal of this column is to involve readers and help them learn simple ways to gain financial security.”
During a recent interview about the new column, Peabody explained, “I want people to be involved and to learn. I can tell you what to do, but you don’t learn from that. I want them to be empowered. That’s really where my heart is.”
She’s certain, “If you feel better about your finances, you feel better about your life.”
Each column, Peabody promises, will have an assignment or an action to take.
“The first one is to make a budget,” she noted. “In January there’ll be another assignment.”
Peabody serves on the boards of the Community Foundation of Louisville, Sacred Heart Academy and the Anchal Project.
