Get Financially Fit
by Bailey Basham, Messenger Staff Writer
What made it to your list of New Year’s resolutions this year? In January 2019, Inc., a magazine aimed at helping small businesses grow, reported saving more and spending less money were among the top five most popular resolutions.
Inc. also reported that achieving financial health is among the most commonly failed resolutions.
The mission team at the Morton Memorial United Methodist Church (MMUMC) is hoping to help with that by offering a free one-day workshop on financial health on Sunday, Jan. 26, from 1–2:30 p.m. A light lunch will be served for all workshop attendees before the event.
Established in 2018 after a VISTA project, BetterFi is a nonprofit economic justice enterprise that works to alleviate poverty by providing more affordable routes out of dependence on predatory loans. Founder Spike Hosch will lead the workshop and offer advice on financial planning, budget making, and saving.
Karen Noffsinger said the mission team at MMUMC has been talking about offering a series of outreach programs for the last year, and as part of the expansion, the team will be offering the first of the series on Sunday, Jan. 26.
“People often report that most of their personal stress come from money worries, and we can all relate to this, no matter where we are in life. I believe education is power, and if people are able to gain some basic money management tools, that can reduce a lot of stress,” she said.
Noffsinger said spots are still available, and the event is free to attend. Childcare is available for those who need it.
“A lot of folks are burdened by a lot of debt and have no clue how to pay things off and gain freedom from the burden of worrying about money,” Noffsinger said. “We live in a world that encourages spending money, but doesn’t teach us the skills to handle money. There are management tools out there if people want to learn, and we want to help with that if we can.”