While most people assume that life outside the office is irrelevant to how successful a person is at work, this is far from the truth. Across all industries, individuals’ personal habits, beliefs, and interests greatly influence their work performance. Some of these factors may be something as mundane as a love for structure or tied to religious beliefs. For Randell “Randy” Cain, Jr., CFA, an equity portfolio manager with an MBA from Harvard Business School and pastor with a Doctor of Ministry from Duke Divinity School, separating his life into two is counterproductive. He has discovered that merging the two enhances his value in personal and professional ventures.
Since he was young, Randy has been surrounded by the devout. He considers himself uniquely blessed to have explored religion when he was ready rather than have adopted it due to external pressures. Since he was baptized at the age of 23, Randy has continuously built his relationship with God. As he developed as a person, his love for finance and asset management also grew. Instead of turning away from capitalistic pursuits, Randy has remained determined to marry both religion and finance in a mutually beneficial way.
After finishing a degree in engineering, Randy was called to finance. By chance, his relatives introduced him to investing. They explained how money can be leveraged to grow wealth. This concept fascinated him, and he later decided to enter finance and become a portfolio manager and analyst for several prominent companies.
Throughout his 31 years in the field, Randy has witnessed both the good and bad sides of asset management from an investment perspective as well as a business operations perspective. In both realms, he has identified true worth and sought to execute business practices to generate positive investment returns and build productive cultures. These experiences inspired Randy to build a legacy in the space through Kerusso Capital Management, a minority and women-owned institutional investment firm that specializes in value-based portfolio management. Based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Kerusso stands out for its unconventional approach to investing.
The firm’s large-cap value strategy has a 22-year track record of success and alpha generation that is consistent with Randy’s strong relationship with God. While the connection between religion and investing may sound odd, he asserts that cultivating benchmark-beating returns hinges on understanding the nuances of value and worth. By operating authentically both as an individual and within Kerusso Capital Management, Randy believes that value-creating opportunities are more easily identified. Based on this philosophy, bringing faith into finance enables Randy to redeem elements of capitalism through Christian principles.
“Capitalism is often seen as an unethical economic system that perpetuates inequalities,” says Randy. “However, all systems can be abused based on the participants involved. Based on this thinking, religion becomes a powerful tool for discovering how one can bring positive impacts to the world through the sometimes flawed vehicle of capitalism. I believe that with the right contributions and investments, capitalism allows people to pursue their God-given talents and uplift communities.”
Since founding Kerusso Capital Management in 2021, Randy has begun a new era of his career. The firm has transformed into a high-performing investment firm with over $140 million under management, highlighting its focus for upcoming years. Randy is looking to expand Kerusso’s team and provide value in secular and sacred spaces along the way.
Published By: Aize Perez
