Larry Burkett

The Kennedy Space Center in the 1960s was one of the most exciting places anyone could hope to be. America was ahead of the Soviet Union in the race for space, and President John F. Kennedy's dream of landing a man on the moon was in the process of becoming a reality. Larry Burkett was among the people who played a role in the program at that time. After serving as an electronics technician in the Air Force's Strategic Air Command, Burkett, who had degrees in marketing and finance, headed an experimental facility that served the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned space programs.

After Larry and his wife, Judy, became Christians in the early 1970s, he began extensive studies of the Bible in which he found more than 700 direct and hundreds of indirect references to money. Just one year after becoming a Christian, he found himself living in Atlanta and working as a financial counselor with Campus Crusade for Christ. Concluding that most of the problems facing Larry's counselees were the result of mismanaging funds, the Burketts began Christian Financial Concepts (CFC) in 1976. Their first office was in the basement of their home in Tucker, Georgia. Today, more than 20 years later, CFC operates in two buildings in Gainesville, Georgia, and has a staff of 120 people.

In 1977, the first CFC newsletter was published. "Money Matters" now has a circulation of nearly 200,000. More than simply a collection of stories, the newsletter contains articles to help every family with their finances, including practical ideas for around the home, stewardship, personal testimonies, and biblical principles for managing money. Larry Burkett is also the author of over 50 books, including Debt-Free Living, Your Finances in Changing Times, and The Coming Economic Earthquake, and best-selling novels, including The Illuminati and Solar Flare. He has also written about his cancer surgery and treatment in Damaged but Not Broken, and money management for kids in What If I Owned Everything. Together with Ed Strauss, he was written the World's Easiest Pocket Guide series with books on everything from buying a first car, renting an apartment, getting a credit card, and more.

In his recent book Nothing to Fear: The Key to Cancer Survival, Burkett shares his own personal experiences and offers insight. Other newly released books are: All About Treasure: Discovering the History, Purpose, and Effect of Money, and All About Time: Discovering How the Calendar Affects You. Coming soon is a book co-authored with Ron Blue, The Burkett & Blue Definitive Guide for Building Wealth to Last.

However, of all the CFC outreaches, the public is most familiar with the CFC radio broadcasts. The five-minute "How to Manage Your Money" program airs daily on over 650 stations and is also broadcast daily over the Internet in Real Audio. The 30-minute live call-in program "Money Matters" is heard on over 300 stations. The CFC broadcast department receives approximately 70,000 calls annually about financially related questions and can answer an average of 100 calls per month on the air. In addition, CFC produces "A Money Minute," an entertaining and informative public service announcement, and "MoneyWatch," an exciting 30-minute weekend magazine-format program. The Burketts have four grown children and nine grandchildren. They live in Gainesville, Georgia, one of the most exciting places anyone could hope to be . . . if you're Larry Burkett and your job is to help people win the down-to-earth race of becoming debt-free by learning and applying biblical financial principles.

Updated June 2003.