With the U.S. government narrowly avoiding the
"fiscal cliff" earlier this year, and the economy still
teetering on a monetary precipice, the topics of personal and
global finance continue to pique our interest - and anxiety.
Here are five economic experts who can help.
Jeff Thredgold
The only economist in the world to have received the
international designation of CSP, or Certified Speaking
Professional, Jeff Thredgold has been "cutting through the
fluff" with his slightly irreverent humor while educating
audiences on the economy, financial markets, education, and
government for more than three decades. As president of
Thredgold Economic Associates, an economic consulting and
professional speaking company based in Salt Lake City,
Thredgold is also the author of numerous articles and books.
His most recent book, EconAmerica, details what he sees as the
four key factors that will drive the American economy through
the future. He is a frequent guest on CNBC and CNN, and
contributes monthly to Blue Chip Financial Forecasts and
quarterly to USA Today economic forecast surveys. Thredgold is
also the monthly economic columnist for Business Issues, one of
Asia's newest business publications. High Five Speakers Bureau,
(435) 750-0062, www.high5speakersbureau.com
Andrew Friedman
Andrew Friedman, a former senior partner with the Washington,
D.C.-based law firm of Covington & Burling, is a Wall
Street tax expert and pundit on political affairs. Friedman is
widely known for accurately predicting the outcomes of
Washington deliberations and presenting investment strategies
in simple layman's terms based on the changing landscape. He
has served as tax counsel to the National Football League, the
National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League,
and Major League Baseball. He also appears on CNBC's Squawk Box
as "Wall Street's Tax Expert." Friedman is included in Best
Lawyers in America, the oldest and most highly respected
peer-review guide to the legal profession, and Chambers'
America's Leading Lawyers for Business. High Five Speakers
Bureau, (435) 750-0062,
www.high5speakersbureau.com
Terry Savage
Terry Savage is a financial-knowledge powerhouse with years of
real-life experience under her belt. Having started her career
as a stockbroker, Savage became a founding member - and the
first female trader - of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and
a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's International
Monetary Market. She's a regular commentator on CNN, CNBC, PBS,
and NBC, and a nationally syndicated columnist on personal
finance for the Chicago Sun-Times. Author of the best-selling
book The Savage Truth on Money, as well as The Savage Number:
How Much Money Do You Need to Retire?, Savage is praised for
her ability to translate personal finance issues into plain
speak. Having won numerous awards for her writing and two Emmys
for her TV work, she is a talented keynoter who can speak
expertly on the topics of personal finance, retirement
planning, long-term care insurance, debt relief, interest
rates, and mutual funds. BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, (805)
965-1400, www.bigspeak.com
Todd Buchholz
Former White House senior economic adviser, hedge fund managing
director, and best-selling author Todd Buchholz is a political
and economic guru. A lively speaker and professor of economics
at Harvard University, Buchholz is a frequent guest on ABC
News, PBS, and CBS, and recently hosted his own special on
CNBC. He's the author of numerous books on global economics,
including the best-selling New Ideas from Dead Economists, as
well as Lasting Lessons from the Corner Office, Why You Need
and Love the Rat Race (named by Publishers Weekly as a "Top
Ten" book for 2011), and Market Shock: 9 Economic and Social
Upheavals That Will Shake Our Financial Future. He's also
written articles for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal,
Washington Post, Forbes, and Reader's Digest, and is a
co-producer of the Broadway smash hit "Jersey Boys." SpeakInc,
(800) 677-3324, www.speakinc.com
Marci Rossell, Ph.D.
The former chief economist for CNBC in the months immediately
following Sept. 11, 2001, Marci Rossell is a dynamic,
media-savvy expert on the topics of economics, politics, and
culture. An animated presenter, Rossell prides herself on
contextualizing complex economic issues and making them
relatable to the general public. Prior to her work at CNBC, she
served as corporate economist and investment spokesperson for
OppenheimerFunds, one of the nation's largest mutual fund
companies, and as an expert witness on economic issues for
consulting company Deloitte & Touche. She began her career
as an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
SpeakInc, (800) 677-3324, www.speakinc.com