Volunteering is the “Smart Investment”

When Beth Lynch heard about Smart Investments, a program sponsored by United for Womenin partnership with South Hills Interfaith Ministries, she knew she could help. United for Women is a United Way initiative that gives women the tools and resources to recover their financial footing after a life-changing loss or event. “Everyone needs to learn the financial basics, no matter how much money they have,” says Beth, a Certified Financial Planner at Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors LP. As a Smart Investments volunteer, Beth shows women how to develop a realistic budget, set savings goals, and clean up their credit reports once they’ve received a modest grant that averts their financial crisis. The details of the crisis don’t matter to Beth: “I never ask about the woman’s past. I’m there to empower her for the future. It’s really gratifying when it all clicks for someone I’m working with, and she tells me, ‘I can do that!’”

Beth’s active in the culture of community involvement at Schneider Downs. In addition to volunteering with Smart Investments, she works on seasonal fundraising events for two other United Way agency partners, Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh and the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. Beth’s identified a common theme among the populations these agencies serve. “People need help. They don’t want a handout. They may be at different starting points, but they all want to make something of themselves.” It doesn’t take a big investment of time to facilitate that kind of transformation. Beth’s volunteer work takes up only a few hours each month. “I wish it could be more,” she says, “but I’ve seen what a difference a few hours can make.”