| Speakers |
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| Perry Christie Keynote Speaker Prime Minister - The Bahamas Perry Gladstone Christie became prime minister of the Bahamas in May of 2002 after a long career in his Caribbean island-nation's main legislative body, the National Assembly. Christie heads the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) of the Bahamas, which dominated the political landscape even before the country won independence from Britain in 1973. His rise to leadership of the Bahamas reflects the socially committed character of the relatively affluent island nation, which has a majority black population but whose economy is heavily de pendent on tourism. "The mark of a country, and the measure of a society," Christie declared in his inaugural address, according to Miami Herald journalist Jacqueline Charles, "is the extent to which it is committed to helping the most unfortunate." | |
| Stephen Moore Keynote Speaker Chief Economist - Heritage Foundation Stephen Moore is an American economic writer and policy analyst, who founded and served as president of the Club for Growth (a non-profit organization advocating cutting taxes) from 1999 to 2004. He is a former member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board. In 2014, the Heritage Foundation, a US conservative think tank, announced that Moore would become its chief economist. Moore is known for advocating free-market policies and supply-side economics. | |
| Grover Norquist Keynote Speaker President - Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a taxpayer advocacy group he founded in 1985 at President Reagan’s request. ATR works to limit the size and cost of government and opposes higher taxes at the federal, state, and local levels. It supports tax reform that moves towards taxing consumed income one time at one rate. Norquist chairs the Washington, DC - based “Wednesday Meeting,” a weekly gathering of more than 150 elected officials, political activists, and movement leaders. The meeting started in 1993 and takes place in ATR's conference room. There are now 60 similar "center-right" meetings in 48 states. Norquist holds a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, both from Harvard University. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Samah, and his daughters, Grace and Giselle. | |
| Ziad Abdelnour Co-Sponsor of the Global Financial Summit CEO, Blackhawk Partners, Inc./Financial Policy Council Ziad K. Abdelnour is a Wall Street investor and financier, author, philanthropist, activist, lobbyist, oil & gas trader and president & CEO of Blackhawk Partners, Inc., a New York-based private-equity “family office” that focuses on management-led buyouts, strategic minority equity investments, equity private placements, consolidations, buildups, and growth capital financing in the US and emerging markets. He is also Founder and Chairman of the Financial Policy Council. Since 1985, Abdelnour has been involved in over 125 transactions worth over $10 billion in the investment banking, high-yield bond and distressed debt markets. He also serves on the Advisory board of DPG Investments. He is the author of Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics and is a regular speaker on private equity, commodities trading and Middle East geo-political analysis at industry conferences and TV outlets nationwide. On a more personal level, Abdelnour is president of the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon (USCFL), member of the Board of Governors of the Middle East Forum and former president of the Arab Bankers Association of North America. | |
| Josh Bennett Attorney Josh N. Bennett, Esq., P.A Josh Bennett has over 28 years experience in practicing tax law with extensive, in-depth involvement in all aspects of international tax, estate, and gift tax planning for U.S. citizens, resident aliens as well as non-resident aliens (NRAs). Josh is currently a member of the following bar admissions and organizations: Panelist and Director — Asia Offshore International Tax Association, Florida, New Jersey and District of Columbia Bars. He’s also a lecturer of The Florida Bar, The Florida Chapter of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a member of S.T.E.P. He’s worked in New York City, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale over the course of his expansive career. Josh graduated from University of Miami School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center.
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| Jeff Berwick Founder The Dollar Vigilante Founder of The Dollar Vigilante, Jeff Berwick is an anarcho-capitalist who believes mankind’s two biggest enemies are the state and the central banks. He has lived as a Perpetual Traveler/Prior Taxpayer (PT) since the early 2000s, lived in or travelled to over 100 countries and speaks often on investment, finance, economics and geopolitics in more than 1,000 interviews on TV, radio and the internet including CNBC, Fox Business, Bloomberg and RT. | |
| John Browne Euro Pacific Capital, Inc. John Browne is Senior Economic Consultant for Euro Pacific Capital, Inc. Mr. Browne is a distinguished former member of Britain's Parliament who served on the Treasury Select Committee, as Chairman of the Conservative Small Business Committee, and as a close associate of then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Among his many notable assignments, John served as a principal advisor to Mrs. Thatcher's government on issues related to the Soviet Union, and was the first to convince Thatcher of the growing stature of then Agriculture Minister Mikhail Gorbachev. As a partial result of Browne's advocacy, Thatcher famously pronounced that Gorbachev was a man the West "could do business with." A graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Britain's version of West Point and retired British army major, John served as a pilot, parachutist, and communications specialist in the elite Grenadiers of the Royal Guard. John has a significant background in finance and business. After graduating from the Harvard Business School, John joined the New York firm of Morgan Stanley & Co as an investment banker. He has also worked with such firms as Barclays Bank and Citigroup. | |
| Ariel Cohen Principal International Market Analysis Ariel Cohen, L.L.B., Ph.D., is a recognized authority on emerging markets and natural resources political risk; energy policy; and geo-economics, as well as a leading expert on Russia/Eurasia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Dr. Cohen is the Principal of International Market Analysis, a boutique advisory firm. He is the Founder and Director of the Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics at the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a Washington, DC, think tank. Dr. Ariel Cohen also serves as a nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, within the Global Energy Center and the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center. Until 2015, he was a Senior Research Fellow in Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Energy Policy at the Heritage Foundation. Dr. Cohen has published over 900 articles in professional and popular media, six books and monographs, and 30 book chapters. He regularly appears on CNN, NBC, CBS, FOX, C-SPAN, BBC-TV, Al Jazeera English, and all Russian and Ukrainian national TV networks. | |
| Alexander Green Chief Investment Strategist Oxford Club Alexander Green is the Chief Investment Strategist of The Oxford Club and Investment U and Editor of The Momentum Alert, The Insider Alert and The True Value Alert. The independent Hulbert Financial Digest has ranked his Oxford Communiqué on its Honor Roll of top-performing investment letters in the nation for the last 13 years. Alex is also the author of four national bestsellers: The Gone Fishin' Portfolio; Beyond Wealth: The Road Map to a Rich Life; The Secret of Shelter Island: Money and What Matters; and, most recently, An Embarrassment of Riches. | |
| Mario Heider Senior Relationship Manager Bank Winter & Co. Mario Heider has spent the last 16 years working in international banking in Austria. He is currently a Senior Relationship Manager of Bank Winter & Co. AG, where he has lead responsibility for the development of new intermediary relationships and the maintenance of the Bank’s existing network of intermediaries including tax and asset protection lawyers, IRA custodians, licensed third party asset managers and publishing groups.
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| Todd Hellam Senior Monetary Specialist Investment Rarities D. Todd Hellam is a Senior Monetary Specialist with Investment Rarities, Inc. in Minneapolis, MN. Todd came to I.R.I. in 2009. His responsibilities include helping clients acquire precious metals. Investment Rarities, Inc. delivers physical metals to their clients so they have these hard assets under their immediate control. Mr. Hellam has assisted hundreds of clients in investing millions of dollars in gold and silver. Mr. Hellam came from two decades in the art world prior to Investment Rarities, and was the owner of Artisan Galleries; Burnsville, MN for eleven years. Some of the reasons for art and precious metals investments are similar. Three children and two grandchildren are the prime motivating force for Todd's concerns about the financial course we're taking in this country. | |
| Harvey Howell Consulting Geologist High Gravity Resources Harvey Howell, born in 1956, is a third-generation wildcatter, native San Antonian. He grew up following his grandfather and father across South Texas oil fields learning the drilling and operating business. After college, he served as vice president of the family firm, Howell Drilling, Inc. Responsibilities from 1978-1984 included management of drilling operations and an exploration/development program for lower Wilcox sandstone and Edwards limestone reservoirs at Hallettsville, in Lavaca County, Texas. Formal education included four-years of Geology with one year of Petroleum Land Management at the University of Texas at Austin. Professional associations have included the South Texas, Houston, and West Texas Geological Societies, and SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology). In 1984, Harvey became an independent oil & gas explorer and operator. He has discovered numerous fields along the Texas Gulf Coast and Eastern Shelf of the Permian Basin, including Dare I (Hope) field in Concho County. Primarily a stratigrapher, he has published on the Eocene Wilcox formation of South Texas and the Pennsylvanian Cisco formation of West Texas. In addition to Harvey’s own exploration activity, he has participated in numerous cutting edge technology projects through his Daubert-Howell Energy partnership with stepfather, C. Robert Daubert, himself a second-generation geologist. Recent success has utilized 3-D seismic for deep production in Louisiana, AVO “bright spot” analysis for shallow gas in East Texas, and horizontal drilling for San Andres oil along the Texas/New Mexico border. Harvey is actively involved in the First Presbyterian Church. | |
| Caleb Huey Mr. Huey brings over 9 years of experience in marketing to the financial community. His focus on marketing under the JOBS Act has been picked up in multiple news outlets including the Wall Street Journal. Under Mr. Huey’s direction, his team received the Internet Advertising Competitions “Best Investor Relations” Award. His focus on capital formation for early stage companies has given him a unique mixture of valuable knowledge and skills to help entrepreneurs, and access to undiscovered early stage investment opportunities for investors. His focus has set him apart and gained the attention of Private Equity Managers, Venture Capitalists, Hedge Funds, and Family Offices worldwide. His latest joint venture includes a pipeline of privately held companies seeking to raise $50,000,000 each, prior to seeking public status. | |
| Craig Huey Publisher The Huey Report Craig Huey is a nationally recognized political commentator and marketing consultant who regularly appears on national news outlets such as Fox News. Over the years Craig has earned an international reputation as a business and marketing consultant to a variety of clients, embracing all facets of our economy. He is known for his skill in leading nationwide business seminars, as well as creating business initiatives for his clients resulting in multimillion-dollar successes. Huey’s company is Creative Direct Marketing Group http://www.cdmginc.com, a full service advertising agency. He has helped turn small companies into multi-million dollar companies and large companies into much larger. His clients include TheStreet.com, True Religion Jeans, Forecasts & Strategies, Lear, Pacific Justice Institute and VectorVest. Craig is also president of CraigHuey.com, ElectionForum.org and JudgeVoterGuide.com. He is the publisher of Direct Marketing Update, Reality Alert newsletter and the Huey Report.
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| Keith Jacobsen Partner International Coin Alliance Keith has spent 25 years in the industry and he has helped thousands of customers add value to their collections and portfolio. | |
| Martin Judge Founder & CEO The Judge Group Mr. Martin E. Judge, Jr. is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of The Judge Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries. He founded the company in 1970 and is regarded as a pioneer in the Human Capital Management and Staffing Industry. In 2003, Mr. Judge successfully took The Judge Group private in an effort to reinvest capital into the growth of the company. He serves on the board of governors for The Maxwell Football Club of Pennsylvania. Mr. Judge received his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Villanova University. | |
| Sandy Lipkins Sales Director Simply Natural Investments Mr. Lipkins started his career on Wall Street and spent 20 years in finance. His expertise is matching capital with appropriate investment vehicles. His career started as a broker serving high net worth clients and small institutions. From there he developed the relationships to work in venture capital, eventually raising $32 million privately and securing $180 million from intuitions to fund three telecommunications start-ups. In 1998 he began trading with Tradescape Securities which is now E*Trade. Observing a poorly run trading floor and unhappy traders, Mr. Lipkins decided to launch his own trading firm located in New York, Florida and San Francisco called Horizon Capital. Horizon grew to eventually employing well over 100 traders and managing over $300 million. In 2003 he founded Gulf Industries and became Director of KMCI the Middle East Division of Gulf Industries. From 2003 to 2007 Gulf Industries and KMCI financed Real Estate Projects in the Middle East and Asia. Sandy spent 2 years living in the UAE financing deals with local funds. He was also responsible for introducing 600 Korean companies to the Middle East for alternative distribution. Besides offshore companies Gulf Industries was also able to fund around 50 small cap companies in the USA. In 2007 Mr. Lipkins formed a Merchant Bank and financed companies from $20,000 to $200 million which Sandy believed was a niche that was over looked in the US. In 2013 Mr Lipkins joined Simply Natural as this was the perfect fit for his own portfolio but also his clients portfolios as well. Moving into agriculture and offshore was the best way he believed to diversify. Adding agriculture, one of the hottest sectors with no real way to be involved outside of the stock market Simply Natural seemed to be an ideal way to avoid market volatility and take part in the growing agricultural sector. | |
| Daniel Mitchell Senior Fellow Cato Institute Daniel J. Mitchell is a Senior Fellow who specializes in fiscal policy, tax reform, international tax competition, and the economic burden of government spending. He also serves on the editorial board of the Cayman Financial Review. Prior to joining Cato, Mitchell was a senior fellow with the Heritage Foundation, and an economist for Senator Bob Packwood and the Senate Finance Committee. Dan’s work has been published in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Villanova Law Review, Public Choice, Emory Law Journal, Forbes, USA Today, Offshore Investment, Playboy, and Investor’s Business Daily. He has appeared on all the major TV networks, and has given speeches in almost 40 states and more than 30 countries. Dan earned a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. | |
| Daniel Nance Senior Account Manager SwissMetal SMH Daniel Nance, Senior Account Manager at Schweizerische Metallhandel (SMH) in Panama City, Panama, directs an experienced sales team for rare and strategic metals. Providing personalized access to scarce, high demand, rare and strategic industrial as well as precious metals for individuals and institutions worldwide. He has directed a variety of sales programs throughout the Far East, Australia, southern Europe, and Latin America. SMH's program combats inflation by offering physical ownership of a new asset class of metals combined with private, overseas, duty free, insured, secure storage. They provide VIP treatment for all clients. Daniel has presented for Sovereign Society, Agora, Oxford Club, and other events. | |
| Lou Petrossi Founder Wealth Research Institute Renowned investment guru Louis Petrossi has more than three decades of experience as a leader in the financial service industry. Having served throughout his career as a registered investment advisor and wealth manager as well as a certified financial, estate and tax planner, broker, and dealer principal, Louis Petrossi has provided valuable investment research and consultation to investors in more than 80 countries worldwide. He is the founder of the Wealth Research Institute, a financial service firm that introduces clients to a global network of prestigious finance and investment professionals from major world financial centers. Serving individuals, families, and institutions requiring high-level wealth management, Petrossi's firm provides innovative, customized fiscal guidance and organization, with a service catalog that includes venture capital, hedge funds, private annuities, and Swiss annuities. Founded on Louis Petrossi's own pioneering investment philosophies, the Wealth Research Institute offers products from the Eight Pillars of Wealth, which include the Nobel Prize winning 70-20-10 Asset Allocation Model, Global Equities and Stock Picks, Passive Income, Pre-IPO and Private Equities, Global Real Estate and Joint Ventures, Wealth Preservation Structures, Health & Wellness - Alternative Healing Technologies and Products, and Personal Growth in a Dynamic Ever-Changing World. Louis Petrossi holds an MBA from the University of Hartford. Along with his entrepreneurial industry, Petrossi is the author of several acclaimed books that promote his wealth and investment philosophies and techniques, including The Richest Man in China, The Best Ways to Build Wealth, and How Ordinary People Become Millionaires. | |
| M. A. Plummer Chairman & Owner Texas E&P M, A. Plummer holds degrees in biology, biochemistry and chemical engineering. He spent 13 years with Sun Oil Company, holding multiple engineering positions in the Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas area and the Gulf of Mexico. In 1994, he founded Texas E&P, an independent oil and natural gas company with operations in the Southwestern United States. Mark is a registered professional engineer with the state of Texas. | |
| Mark Skousen Presidential Fellow Chapman University Dr. Mark Skousen is a professional economist, financial advisor, university professor and author of more than 25 books on economics, personal finance, and investing. His works include Economic Logic, A Viennese Waltz Down Wall Street, The Making of Modern Economics, and The Compleated Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin. He writes an award-winning financial newsletter, Forecasts & Strategies, produces the annual FreedomFest conference, is the Chair of Management of Grantham University, is a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University, and has been a regular contributor on Kudlow & Company, CNBC-TV and Nightly Business Report on PBS. He was recently named one of the top 20 most influential living economists. | |
| Martin Truax Managing Director Investments of Raymond James & Associates Martin Truax is a Managing Director / Investments of Raymond James & Associates, Inc. He is author of the books, “Building Personal Wealth” (1987), co-author of “The Evergreen Portfolio (2010), and writes a client newsletter, “The Big Picture” at Raymond James today. With over 40 years investment experience, his primary role continues to be working with private individual investors in their investment planning and overall portfolio implementation with an emphasis on risk reduction through diversified/hedged management. Martin and his wife were co-founders of The Georgia Autism Foundation (CADEF) as well as the 25 plus years ATLANTA INVESTMENT CONFERENCE, which has helped raise millions for the cause of autism, including an autism center at Emory University. | |
| David Warren President and CEO Bridgeford Trust Company David Warren is the President and CEO of Bridgeford Trust Company, as well as a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors. He is an attorney with over 15 years of professional experience practicing law and working in the financial services industry serving the trust and wealth management needs of high and ultra high net worth families across the nation.
Mr. Warren was recruited out of a large and prestigious Mid-Atlantic law firm to join the Wealth Management/Trust Department of a large regional bank as a Vice President/Senior Trust Administrator. In this position, he worked extensively with ultra high net worth families and individuals on a variety of trusts and fiduciary issues. Mr. Warren subsequently transitioned his career to Bank of New York Mellon and later PNC Wealth Management, where he worked exclusively and extensively with high and ultra high net worth families on various wealth management issues including asset protection, tax planning, and legacy planning.
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| Peter Zipper President & CEO Caye International Bank Since 2006 Mr. Zipper is President of Caye International Bank in Belize. He has over 30 years of International Banking Experience. He graduated from the Geographic Institute of Vienna, Austria, with a degree in Geography and Cartography. Immediately after he attended the Austrian National Military Academy, as a result he served in active duty with the United Nations Peace Keeping Troops during conflict in Cyprus. He retired from the military with honors as an Officer – Infantry. After graduating from Staron Flight Academy in Vancouver, Canada, he worked actively during the 1970’s as a commercial pilot throughout Northern Canada, Nigeria and Costa Rica. He subsequently retired from aviation and later received his International Finance Education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada and he began his long career in Finance around the globe. During his career he lived and worked in the Americas, Europe and Asia where he held leading positions with Multinational Financial Institutions. He is a sought after speaker and commentator covering international Geopolitical and Financial Issues. Over the years he has lectured at thousands of events and radio and television shows in both English and German. | |
| Daniel Zurbreugg Managing Director & Partner Swiss Infinity Global Investments Daniel Zurbruegg is the founder and managing partner of Swiss Infinity Global Investment, a company that is helping Americans to invest internationally and to protect their assets. The services offered by Swiss Infinity go far beyond what one normally expects from an investment management firm, its turnkey solutions allow Americans to access the best investment opportunities worldwide and at the same time diversify investments in order to reduce the U.S. and U.S. Dollar investment exposure. Despite his relatively young age, Daniel has a lot of experience in banking and investment management. Born and raised in Switzerland, Daniel grew up on a farm in the beautiful Swiss mountains and started his banking career at the age of 15 working for a local bank, so a truly Swiss business career.. Daniel managed investments for several family offices and large corporations, such as Philip Morris, before going into private client investment management. After building up a private bank in Zurich, Daniel moved on to start his own company that later led to the start of Swiss Infinity Global Investments, a company that serves American clients who want to invest internationally. Daniel is not only passionate about investments but is also an avid runner and cyclist and has a great love for sports. However, the most important thing in his life is his family, his wife and three wonderful kids.
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