This month I want to look at some Catholic financial sites.
Religious Funds at religious-funds.com has the mission of shedding light on a rather small and unique sector of the financial world — mutual funds. The fund families appearing on their site encourage “socially responsible investing.”
Catholic Home Loan at catholichomeloans.com guarantees the lowest interest rates, and part of its profit goes to the charity of your choice. It deals with refinancing, purchases, cash-out and home equity.
For advice on family finances, Catholic Answers sells The Catholic Answers Guide to Family Finances, by Register Family Matters columnist Phil Lenahan, at catholic.com/seminars/lenahan.asp. Lenahan, director of media and finance for Catholic Answers, spent years with an international accounting firm and was a financial executive in a Fortune 300 company. So I think he is well qualified to help with family finances.
Some might want to look at the “Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines” from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as a moral guide for their own investments. Released last November, it's now available at usccb.org/finance/srig.htm.
Finances can be a major source of family and marital stress. The Center for Peace in the Family at peaceinthefamily.org offers an experienced Catholic counselor to help you sort out these problems. You can also take a marriage inventory, explore various resources or make a prayer request.