Austin Pryor
Encyclopedia
Austin C. Pryor, Jr. is an American
financial writer
, speaker, and radio
personality whose work focuses on investment counseling from an evangelical Christian point of view.
, and graduated from the University of Kentucky
where he received a B.S. degree in Banking and Finance in 1967.
Pryor has been married to his wife, Susie, for 44 years; they have three grown children: Tre, Andrew, and Matthew; and they have nine grandchildren. Pryor and his wife reside in Louisville, Kentucky. He has been a member of Southeast Christian Church
since 1990.
In 1990, Pryor launched Sound Mind Investing, a monthly financial newsletter targeted to “today’s Christian family.” The publication has garnered over 48,000 subscribers since its inception in 1990, growing to become America's best-selling financial newsletter written from a biblical perspective. The publication’s subscription website has welcomed over 18,000 members since it launched in 2000.http://www.soundmindinvesting.com/visitor/misc/s_visitorscenter.htm
The Sound Mind Investing model portfolio has outperformed the market (as measured by the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000
) for the past nine years in a row (1999–2007). The Sound Mind Investing Funds, mutual funds based on the newsletter's unusually successful investing technique, manage over $280 million.
Pryor’s book The Sound Mind Investing Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Managing Your Money from a Biblical Perspective was a finalist for the ECPA Christian Book Award in Christian publishing, and enjoys the endorsements of numerous respected Christian teachers, including Larry Burkett
, Ron Blue, Dr. Bill Bright
, Dr. Charles Stanley, Adrian Rogers
, and D. James Kennedy. With over 100,000 in circulation, the book is now in its 5th Edition.
Pryor’s written articles have appeared in Moody Magazine
and the publications of such Christian organizations as Focus on the Family
and the Christian Business Men’s Committee. His work currently appears on the Crosswalk, Christian Broadcasting Network, and Crown Financial Ministries websites.
Pryor has been a frequent guest on Crown Financial Ministry's Money Matters program since 1990.
Pryor has been the featured speaker at various mayor and governor prayer breakfasts, including for former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton
in 1983. He has also spoken at various functions of the Christian Business Men’s Committee, Christian Women’s Clubs, and 700 Club. He was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Pro Athletes Outreach, a Christian training ministry to pro athletes of all sports, and The Christian Embassy, an outreach ministry to government and diplomatic officials and their families in Washington, D.C.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
financial writer
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, speaker, and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
personality whose work focuses on investment counseling from an evangelical Christian point of view.
Background
Pryor is a native of Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, and graduated from the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
where he received a B.S. degree in Banking and Finance in 1967.
Pryor has been married to his wife, Susie, for 44 years; they have three grown children: Tre, Andrew, and Matthew; and they have nine grandchildren. Pryor and his wife reside in Louisville, Kentucky. He has been a member of Southeast Christian Church
Southeast Christian Church
Southeast Christian Church is located in Louisville, Kentucky and is an evangelical, Christian church. This Church is associated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ. Its Senior Minister, Dave Stone, assumed leadership of the church in 2006....
since 1990.
Works
Pryor founded his own investment management firm, Forum Investment Counselors, in 1978 where he saw his average client account more than triple in value during its first five years of operations. For the 1978-1982 period, his clients’ average annual return was 25.5%, placing his firm in the top 5% of the A.G. Becker rankings of investment managers.http://www.soundmindinvesting.com/misc/s_aboutsmi.htmIn 1990, Pryor launched Sound Mind Investing, a monthly financial newsletter targeted to “today’s Christian family.” The publication has garnered over 48,000 subscribers since its inception in 1990, growing to become America's best-selling financial newsletter written from a biblical perspective. The publication’s subscription website has welcomed over 18,000 members since it launched in 2000.http://www.soundmindinvesting.com/visitor/misc/s_visitorscenter.htm
The Sound Mind Investing model portfolio has outperformed the market (as measured by the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000
Wilshire 5000
The Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index, or more simply the Wilshire 5000, is a market-capitalization-weighted index of the market value of all stocks actively traded in the United States. Currently, the index contains over 4,100 components...
) for the past nine years in a row (1999–2007). The Sound Mind Investing Funds, mutual funds based on the newsletter's unusually successful investing technique, manage over $280 million.
Pryor’s book The Sound Mind Investing Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Managing Your Money from a Biblical Perspective was a finalist for the ECPA Christian Book Award in Christian publishing, and enjoys the endorsements of numerous respected Christian teachers, including Larry Burkett
Larry Burkett
Larry Burkett was an American author and radio personality whose work focused on financial counseling from an evangelical Christian point of view. Burkett was born the fifth of eight children. After completing high school in Winter Garden, Florida, he entered the U.S...
, Ron Blue, Dr. Bill Bright
Bill Bright
William R. "Bill" Bright was an American evangelist. The founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, he wrote The Four Spiritual Laws in 1952 and produced the Jesus Film in 1979.-Early life:...
, Dr. Charles Stanley, Adrian Rogers
Adrian Rogers
Adrian Pierce Rogers served three terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention , a Southern Baptist pastor, and a conservative author....
, and D. James Kennedy. With over 100,000 in circulation, the book is now in its 5th Edition.
Pryor’s written articles have appeared in Moody Magazine
Moody Publishers
Moody Publishers is a Christian publishing company that is focused on proclaiming the gospel message through its products. This vision is clearly stated within the company's mission statement...
and the publications of such Christian organizations as Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
and the Christian Business Men’s Committee. His work currently appears on the Crosswalk, Christian Broadcasting Network, and Crown Financial Ministries websites.
Pryor has been a frequent guest on Crown Financial Ministry's Money Matters program since 1990.
Pryor has been the featured speaker at various mayor and governor prayer breakfasts, including for former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in 1983. He has also spoken at various functions of the Christian Business Men’s Committee, Christian Women’s Clubs, and 700 Club. He was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Pro Athletes Outreach, a Christian training ministry to pro athletes of all sports, and The Christian Embassy, an outreach ministry to government and diplomatic officials and their families in Washington, D.C.
Publications
- The Sound Mind Investing Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Managing Your Money from a Biblical Perspective ISBN 0615226248