Austin Pryor

Austin C. Pryor, Jr. (April 3, 1945) is an American financial writer, speaker, and radio personality whose work focuses on investment counseling from an evangelical Christian point of view.

=Background=

Pryor is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, 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 42 years; they have three grown children: Tre, Andrew, and Matthew; and they have eight grandchildren. Pryor and his wife reside in Louisville, Kentucky. He has been a member of Southeast Christian Church 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.Fact|date=July 2008

In 1990, Pryor launched Sound Mind Investing, a monthly financial newsletter targeted to “today’s Christian family.” The publication has garnered over 40,000 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 about 15,000 members since it launched in 2000.Fact|date=July 2008

The Sound Mind Investing [http://www.soundmindinvesting.com/visitor/model/s_history.htm 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 [http://www.smifund.com/ 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.

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 [http://www.crosswalk.com/finances/planning/ Crosswalk] [ [http://www.crosswalk.com/search/%22austin%20pryor%22/ "Austin Pryor on Crosswalk.com"] ] , [http://www.cbn.com/finance/personalfinance/topicarchive.aspx#Investing Christian Broadcasting Network] [ [http://www.cbn.com/finance/SMIarchive.aspx "Austin Pryor on Christian Broadcasting Network"] ] , and [http://www.crown.org/library/default.aspx?catId=69 Crown Financial Ministries] [ [http://www.crown.org/LIBRARY/default.aspx?catId=69 "Austin Pryor on Crown Financial Ministries"] ] websites.

Pryor has been a frequent guest on Crown Financial Ministry's [http://www.crown.org/Media/MoneyMatters.aspx 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 [http://www.pao.org/ Pro Athletes Outreach] , a Christian training ministry to pro athletes of all sports, and [http://www.christianembassy.com/ The Christian Embassy] , an outreach ministry to government and diplomatic officials and their families in Washington, D.C.

References

=Publications=
* "The Sound Mind Investing Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Managing Your Money from a Biblical Perspective" ISBN 0970595611