A Sound Mind in Tough Times

Let me take a brief pause from photo updates on the family to share with you a very worthwhile resource. As a fairly recent college-graduate-turned-young-professional back in the late 1980's who finally had a little money to manage(!), I began to read newsletters and books, attend seminars, and meet with financial folks to begin learning how to be a good steward of what God was entrusting to me. After lots of bumps & bruises and a mix of success & failure, I encountered the one publication that I think I'll be a life-long subscriber to. Sound Mind Investing is a monthly newsletter for those seeking godly, competent counsel and insight on investment and other financial matters. Austin Pryor, the founder of SMI, had been running a very successful private investment firm for several years before he felt led to start the newsletter. How successful was he? Well, he was consistently rated among the top 5% of investment advisors nationwide. And he was advocating an investment model built primarily around no-load mutual funds, which all of my other reading seemed to indicate was the best all-around approach to investing. In addition to providing a very clear model with specific mutual fund recommendations, the newsletter provides great articles to help you better understand economic principles, practical help in getting out of debt, and a whole lot more. And if you subscribe to the online version, you also get access to the editor's blog with daily insights and news, as well as reader forums and the full archive of SMI newsletters. Whether you are a recent graduate or seeking to manage your retirement well, I cannot give SMI a high-enough recommendation. SMI offers a free 30-day trial so you've got nothing to lose from checking it out (they also have feeds on Twitter & Facebook).

Let me be up front and share that I do get a free month of SMI for each person who becomes a paid subscriber through the above links. However, I am sharing this because I think everyone will find this an incredible resource. Check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed. SMI offers the kind of wise counsel that most people crave now more than ever.