Dennis Peatrowsky is the founder of Virtue Wealth Counsel and Peatrowsky Law, LLC — two Catholic-integrated firms based in Omaha, Nebraska. We sat down with Dennis to hear how his faith shaped his career, how tragedy deepened his mission, and what it’s looked like to consecrate a business to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Tell us about yourself and your business.
I was raised on a farm in West Point, Nebraska, and enlisted for six years in the U.S. Marine Corps at 17. My MOS was in legal services, and I obtained my undergraduate degree by attending night school. After serving in Desert Storm, I was accepted into Creighton Law School. After my first year of law school, I met the love of my life, Juli. Juli was a convert to the Catholic faith, and I was her sponsor in April 1992. We were married the day after my birthday in 1996 and were blessed with three children: Sydney (28), DJ (26), and Spencer (22).
I transitioned from a compliance officer and managed over $100M in investments for a regional investment adviser earlier in my career. After my position was terminated following a buyout, I formed Virtue Wealth Counsel in 2018.
Virtue Wealth Counsel actively screens to keep our client portfolios in line with Catholic teaching and has past performance competitive with the largest global allocation managers. I contracted with another Catholic attorney and wealth advisor, Mark Henry, who speaks nationally on stewardship planning. In 2021, I formed Peatrowsky Law, LLC to focus on revocable living trusts, probate, charitable trusts, and business formation. Our Catholic clients benefit from Catholic language in their estate plan, as well as a Catholic Medical Declaration and Sacramental Wishes statement. Currently, a recent law school graduate and very pro-life Catholic mother of three took the bar exam and may be joining my law firm.
In 2022, my family caught COVID and we thought we would be able to recover. My wife’s condition deteriorated and she went to the emergency room on January 19th. She died on February 10th. Life has changed dramatically since the love of my life died so suddenly. Fortunately, my son DJ has become licensed with Virtue Wealth Counsel and has obtained his Chartered Financial Consultant designation and a master’s degree in financial planning from Creighton. Sydney is studying to become licensed. We have become closer as a family since Juli’s passing and continue to grow both firms with Jesus as the center of each company.
When did you decide to integrate your Catholic faith into your business?
During my employment at various investment and law firms, I attempted to integrate my Catholic faith by managing a Catholic investment portfolio and being open with my co-workers about my faith. When I formed Virtue Wealth Counsel, I chose a name that I thought would inform the public — as well as myself and each member of the firm — of our primary mission: to be virtuous. When I formed my law firm, my initial focus was to integrate Catholic medical decisions and a discussion on charitable giving, to do my part in increasing moral decisions during the most important parts of my clients’ lives. Joining His Way At Work, and consecrating both businesses to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, were significant steps forward to integrate the Catholic faith into our business each day.
What first attracted you to HWAW?
DJ and I attended a Catholic Business Group – Omaha seminar by Dr. David Geenens in October 2023. We immediately thought that His Way At Work provided a model example of how we would like our business to be run as we continue to grow our practice. We knew that having Jesus as the center of a small firm would be crucial as we continue to grow — possibly for more than one generation.
How has HWAW benefited you and your business?
As we have grown — whether through new clients or additional employees — our focused mission on Christ has attracted those seeking a business that is in line with their faith. Since both of our businesses provide services in line with our faith, we have built relationships in the local community and with clients around the country who experience our faith in our actions. We have placed the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our office as we meet with clients, and on our communications with the public. If we have helped one person think of Jesus at a time where they would not have, the benefits cannot be measured.
What impact has the consecration made on your business?
I have a practice of attending daily Mass and placing time on my calendar to pray during the day for our clients. Before consecrating our businesses, my focus was on my wife and family. They are now intersected.
We cannot fully measure the impact, as only Our Lord knows what is known and unknown. We have assisted clients in need of estate planning merely hours away from their death, clients undergoing treatments for cancer and other illnesses, and widows or widowers in need of assistance. In some small ways, we can assist those in need during difficult moments. We hope to provide young adults entering the workforce the opportunity to engage in a promising career that allows them to practice their faith openly.
From what we can measure, Virtue Wealth Counsel has increased assets under management by 70% since April 2024, and our investment performance ranks among the top 10% in our category globally. Peatrowsky Law’s revenue has increased by about 27% from 2024 to 2025. Not only have we become motivated through the Sacred Heart of Jesus to perform our best at work, but we have also encountered a significant number of referrals and comments in favor of our willingness to share our faith both publicly and in client meetings.
What else would you like to share about the intersection of your faith and your business?
Comparing my experience in the secular working world, there were hurdles in practicing my faith and intersecting it into my work. In my case, the owners were either Protestant or non-practicing, so to them, the risk of a client or another employee being offended was enough to keep my faith life at home. Today, the intersection of our faith and business is so interconnected that each day is uplifting and full of new opportunities to bring Our Lord to the world. In my heart, this is what I have wanted to do with my life since I was a child.
What’s one piece of advice or word of encouragement you’d give to your fellow HWAW members?
Each day, give thanks for God’s blessings to have a business consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus — and then work to evangelize both your faith and your business so that His Kingdom can grow both eternally and financially.
Dennis Peatrowsky is the founder of Virtue Wealth Counsel and Peatrowsky Law, LLC in Omaha, Nebraska. To learn more about his work, visit this link.