Manage Your Money God's Way

We aren’t born being content and it seems that our culture tries to make us more and more discontent as we grow older. How many commercials are disguised as TV shows and movies targeting the youngsters in our life to get the stuff they are selling? And keeping up with the neighbors can be a lifetime pursuit for some adults.   Learning the secret of contentment can free you from all the pressure to spend money in an effort to acquire more and more stuff. Being content is a conscious learned habit!   The  Compass Catholic Blog  has more on learning the virtue of contentment.

Sister Ignatia Henneberry, with the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, had student loan debt when she started discerning religious life. She had faith that her debt would not be a barrier. Due to the generosity of others, including her grandmother and the Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations, Sister Ignatia was right.  Sister Ignatia recently took over the role of Vocations Director with the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration. She's new to her role but she's not naive as to how student loans debt will affect the ability of other young women to say "yes" to their vocation. We were so blessed to have Sister Ignatia share her story as we wrap up this series on student loan debt.  We challenge you to share at least one of these episodes on the effect of student loan on vocations with a friend or on social media.   To sign up for a Faith & Money Matters Bible Study, please visit  https://compasscatholic.org .   Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations:  

Getting out of can be challenging, especially if you don’t know where to start or what to do first. Get started by using our tips for eight steps to get out of debt. It can be a long-term goal and it is not easy, but the effort and time is well worth the blessing that comes from being debt free.   The  Compass Catholic blog  has more ideas about taking the first step in freeing yourself from the bondage of debt.

Father Brent Bowen finished his undergraduate studies and promptly started his master's degree. It was at that time that he realized his calling to become a priest. At that point, he had six figure student loan debt. His story shows how he combination of grit, faith, and generosity could overcome the seemingly impossible. We want to thank Father Brent for sharing his story and the message that God cannot be outdone in generosity! Information about the debt snowball method: https://compasscatholic.org/making-snowball/   Debt Snowball Calculator: https://compasscatholic.org/calculators/   Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations: https://fundforvocations.org   The Laboure Society:  https://rescuevocations.org

Differences of opinion in a marriage are healthy if you can find a compromise that works for both of you. Being on the same page is important in all areas, especially as you plan for retirement. Maybe one of you wants to move closer to the grandkids and the other wants to move to a deserted tropical island. Where you’ll live and what you plan to do is a conversation that needs to start long before that last day at work. The  Compass Catholic blog  has more ideas about planning for a happy, productive retirement.

In this week’s episode, Diana and Caitlyn speak with John Flanagan from the Laboure Society. John is the executive director of the Laboure Society which is a nonprofit organization that aims to help aspirants tackle their student debt load so they can discern their potential calling. John talks about the method Laboure has implemented that is Canon Law and IRS compliant. The Laboure method was also designed to grow a community of stewardship and ownership of our calling as laity to support vocations.   Links from this week’s episode: The Laboure Society https://rescuevocations.org To Donate to the Laboure Society https://rescuevocations.org/give/   Equifax article about the FICO Resilience Index https://www.equifax.com/business/fico-resilience-index/   Compass Catholic Ministries https://compasscatholic.org

The internet will give you millions of ideas about how to cut your monthly bills.  Some of them may be good, others may not be. The only way to determine if these ideas will benefit you is to do the math and compare what you are currently spending versus what you’ll spend by making changes. The  Compass Catholic blog  has more ideas about cutting monthly bills.

In the last episode of Money Stories, Anne Folan spoke about the toll student loan debt is taking on vocations. In this episode, Anne is back to discuss what the Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations is doing to help this problem. The Fund for Vocations process is intricately designed with a purpose. Not only is the Fund for Vocations IRS compliant, it has to be Canon law compliant as well. To recap from last week's episode, 45 million Americans owe student loan debt, collectively owing more than $1.5 trillion dollars. Two out of every three college graduates will graduate with a student debt load averaging over $30,000. For individuals discerning a call to religious life, student loan debt can create a tremendous obstacle they didn't consider when pursuing their college degrees because religious communities usually don't allow a person with unresolved debts to enter To make a donation to the Fund for Vocations, please visit  https://fundforvocations.org/donate-today/ To learn

We are midway through a tumultuous financial year and it’s time to revisit your current financial situation and define what’s going to change or remain the same in 2020. This year, more than ever it’s imperative to stay on top of your financial situation. The  Compass Money Map  is a great place to start and the  Compass blog  has more about a financial health checkup.

In this week's episode of Money Stories, Anne Folan discusses the toll student loan debt is taking on vocations. Anne is a member of the board of directors of the Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations, a nonprofit Catholic organization that makes grants for student loan debt relief for young men and women with vocations to religious life.  45 million Americans owe student loan debt, collectively owing more than $1.5 trillion dollars. Two out of every three college graduates will graduate with a student debt load averaging over $30,000. For individuals discerning a call to religious life, student loan debt can create a tremendous obstacle they didn't consider when pursuing their college degrees because religious communities usually don't allow a person with unresolved debts to enter formation.  Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations:   https://fundforvocations.org Compass Catholic Ministries:  www.CompassCatholic.org Matthew 6:24-“No one can serve two masters. He will either hate o