Customer Reviews

The Sound Mind Investing Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Managing Your Money from a Biblical Perspective

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

At age 26, I arrived at a critical point in my marriage: I had to make a plan. The plan would include things like buying a house, investing for the long run, savings in a monthly budget, and inclusion of stock market strategies that have proven successful. It was this last on the list that left me searching for months. Everyone has their opinion, but their opinions are almost like dreams. They THINK it will work, but they still wait for the payoff. Point #1: in this book is a mutual fund investment strategy that keeps you ahead of the market, with reasonable, not out-of-this-world results--the kind of results needed in a strong long-term plan. Not one of those things that promises a million in a year (unless of course you have more than $10,000,000 to invest!).

Point #2: Austin's delivery of a what-you-need-to-know approach left me educated, enthusiastic, and unafraid to enter the stock market. I became knowledgable of bonds, something I had no clue about. I began to grip the incredible power of time and compounding interest. As a young person, being kept in the dark about this sort of thing knocks hundreds of thousands of dollars off the end of my retirement-savings years.

My wife is completely uninclined to watch the market, though I find crunching numbers fascinating. What to do to help her see through the numbers? Point #3: Sound Mind Investing describes stories which include numbers, but illustrate the meanings behind the numbers, and motivate you to take action.

Why five stars? So many stock-related books leave you with an unfinished feeling. Not this one. It's complete. Five stars. So many books end up trying to sell you something. Not this one (except for their excellent website at an EXTREMELY low monthly subscription cost). Five stars. And some books are so disorganized.

This one reads like a map. Find where you are, go from there. And most importantly, find yourself GETTING TO YOUR GOALS!!!

Most definitely five stars.

The Sound Mind Investing Handbook provides basic explanations about well-known investments such as IRAs, 401Ks, Mutual and Money Market Funds,and stocks. Then it builds on the basics to help the reader determine the best investments for his/her income level, age, goals, and so on. This type of information is available in lots of books, but the beauty of this book for Christians is that the authors teach you how to make these important decisions based on the principals the Bible gives us for managing all that which God blesses us with. The reader learns how to be a good steward, to provide for family, education, emergency, retirement as well as generously giving back to the Lord to help further the kingdom. This is a solid book that is a great start for anyone who wants to shore-up their understanding of the basics, then move beyond that without compromising good stewardship.

Austin has created an easy to read handbook on handling finances in a God honoring fashion. Each recommendation is fully supported by an abundance of scripture. As your read it, you will grow in your understanding of what God thinks about money.

The methods taught are simple, practical , easy to understand and easy to implement. He outlines and details four levels of financial growth and then guides you in step-by-step fashion through each of the levels.

I have never read a book on financial growth that I just couldn't wait to get back to until I got all of the way through it, until NOW! The finest resource on financial planning I have ever read.

This is a fantastic book, it's great for the beginner who is clueless about investing, saving, etc. But, it's also great for the more experienced investor as well. It gives you steps for your financial goals and future, from Step 1, getting out of debt, all the way up to the step of your retirement, and all the steps in between teach you how to get to the point where you actually have a retirement fund. The biblical perspective is what really ties it all together. He speaks in such easy to understand terms, and you will learn so much, it has been a God send for me.

"The Sound Mind Investing Handbook" was one of my best purchases. It is chock full of information on all things financial and, most importantly, not only is it replete with facts and definitions but it offers financial counsel from a biblical perspective. If you only purchase one book as your go-to financial resource, this is the one to get.

This is a great book for looking at and finally understanding the "big picture" of investing. The author provides enough background to understand stocks, bonds, and mutual funds without overwhelming the reader. More important, it has a step-by-step method to design the best portfolio mix for the individual "wanna-be" investor.

The author looks at the importance of investing from a Christian perspective, and for me, it removed most of the stress and anxiety of investing.

I've read many, many books on investing, and this was the first to give me a real understanding of the whole process. More importantly, the author stresses how to control the risk that actually is controllable, and to not worry about the risks that are NOT controllable. It really does result in a "Sound Mind" philosophy for investing.

I have given this book to many of my friends, and have recommended it to many more.

This book gives you the essentials that you need to know and then shows you step by step how to prepare your own financial stategy based on your tolerance for risk, years until retirement and your goals. It is written with timeless principles from God's word and also with expert knowledge of mutual fund investing. The book has many web resources listed and is up to date with numerous data tables, charts and scenarios that help you decide how to save for retirement, college, and give more to the Lord's work.

Well, I'm not actually finished with this book yet, I've gone to chapter 10, which is all I was ready for. Getting debt free is the focus of the first part of the book, and now I've charted the course and it is already in sight! As the author states, "there is no better investment than a debt paid." I'm anxious to get to that level, and then work on the other aspects of investing. Until then, I may order one of the recommended books in SMIH to gain better control of my finances as I press toward my goal in being a better steward of all God has blessed me with.

This is a practical guide to what investment is all about. what are bonds, money market, mutual funds, etc. and the practical steps to get out of debt, save and invest.

Also recommend you to read "Money, Possessions and Eternity" by Randy Alcorn. This is a very indepth look into what scripture say money is all about, and how we should best use it.

Also recommend "The Eternity Portfolio" by Gotthardt.

austin pryor packs this book full of great information and resources. check out his web site.