DIG LIFE DEEP!

Jim Toes is President and CEO of the Security Traders Association (STA), a grassroots trade organization which serves individuals employed in the financial services industry.

In his role, Toes maintains STA’s relationship with U.S. regulators and congressional policymakers. Since assuming his role in 2011, STA has written more than fifty (50) comment letters on a wide range of issues under the regulatory oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Department of Treasury; Commodities and Futures Trading Commission; FINRA; and the Senate and House Financial Services Committees.

In addition, Toes has penned close to 100 articles on current events and human interest stories under STA’s Monthly Newsletter; Taking Stock and Lighthouse columns. Using a combination of data; personal experiences and humor, these articles resonate well with individual members and align with one of STA’s core principles, the relationship matters.

Toes has over 30 years experience in the securities business. Prior to joining STA, Mr. Toes was a Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch for 18 years where he held various management positions in equity and options sales, trading and clearing while interacting with a broad range of clients that included – institutional and middle market asset managers; broker-dealers; and retail investors. Over the course of his career, Mr. Toes has served on various best execution and market structure committees and has testified before Congress. He was particularly active in the STA’s successful work on Section 31a fees.

Besides possessing a knowledge of market structure and the business models deployed across the industry, as a past President of the Security Traders Association of New York and a former Governor and Secretary of STA Toes brings has an understanding of the STA organization and the vital role its 24 Affiliate organizations in North America play in the success and mission of the Association.

More about the Security Traders Association (STA): https://securitytraders.org

Jim Toes is President and CEO of the Security Traders Association (STA), a grassroots trade organization which serves individuals employed in the financial services industry.

In his role, Toes maintains STA’s relationship with U.S. regulators and congressional policymakers. Since assuming his role in 2011, STA has written more than fifty (50) comment letters on a wide range of issues under the regulatory oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Department of Treasury; Commodities and Futures Trading Commission; FINRA; and the Senate and House Financial Services Committees.

In addition, Toes has penned close to 100 articles on current events and human interest stories under STA’s Monthly Newsletter; Taking Stock and Lighthouse columns. Using a combination of data; personal experiences and humor, these articles resonate well with individual members and align with one of STA’s core principles, the relationship matters.

Toes has over 30 years experience in the securities business. Prior to joining STA, Mr. Toes was a Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch for 18 years where he held various management positions in equity and options sales, trading and clearing while interacting with a broad range of clients that included – institutional and middle market asset managers; broker-dealers; and retail investors. Over the course of his career, Mr. Toes has served on various best execution and market structure committees and has testified before Congress. He was particularly active in the STA’s successful work on Section 31a fees.

Besides possessing a knowledge of market structure and the business models deployed across the industry, as a past President of the Security Traders Association of New York and a former Governor and Secretary of STA Toes brings has an understanding of the STA organization and the vital role its 24 Affiliate organizations in North America play in the success and mission of the Association.

Nick Bogacz is Founder and President Caliente Pizza & Draft House, launched in 2013 with five locations today in the Greater Pittsburgh region. He's won a multitude of awards on his journey to success and is the modern personification of the American Dream. Nick skipped college -- no student debt! --  worked multiple jobs and long hours from an early age. How Nick arrived at this point in his early 40s - running a growing chain of pizza locations serving great beers and operating during the pandemic - is a lesson in dedication, positive mindset, self-confidence and professionalism. Nick also has a most notable trait, an eye and habit for helping others succeed and overcame obstacles in life. 

After beginning his journey in the pizza industry as a delivery driver over 20 years ago, Nick firmly left his footprint on the pizza industry - earning the title of World Pizza Champion, becoming a member of the World Pizza Team, successfully publishing a book, and launching a popular podcast known as The Business Equation.

For more information: https://nickbogacz.com/

Christine Soule’s life was a jumbled pile of broken pieces. Her father was married seven times; her mother four times. Between her parents’ divorce when she was 5 years old and the day she allowed the power and presence of God into her heart, she watched her sister have an affair with her adoptive father; met 15 siblings she never knew at her biological father’s funeral; turned to drugs and alcohol; got pregnant at 17; had twins less than two years later; and became a victim of human trafficking. She had to break the cycle for the sake of her children. With nowhere else to turn, she dropped to her knees and prayed. And that’s when everything changed.

Broken and Beautiful is Soule’s inspirational story of how God took the pieces of her broken, astonishingly dysfunctional life and transformed it all into a breathtaking mosaic of joy and purpose.

“The places where you feel hopeless are exactly what He wants to redeem and fill with beauty, dignity and strength. He has a plan for your pain. A wonderful intention for your failures. A purpose for your hardest, darkest stories,” Soule writes.

Told with honesty and surprising touches of humor, Soule shares her journey from drug-addicted stripper to exuberant Jesus lover with a passion for helping others embrace God’s love. Broken and Beautiful is a raw, authentic story of hope, from a place of experience.

Author Christine Soule lives with the love of her life, Mitch Soule, in Seattle. They have five kids and two wonderful grandchildren (and counting). She is the founder and CEO of Providence Heights (www.providenceheights.org), a nonprofit created to house women and children in need and to provide counseling, education and jobs.

For more information, please visit www.christinesoule.com.

Broken and Beautiful

Release Date: December 1, 2020

ISBN-13: 979-8662957619

Available from Amazon.com (Broken and Beautiful), providenceheights.org and christinesoule.com

In his scintillating, controversial history The Money Plot: A History of Currency's Power to Enchant, Control, and Manipulate (Other Press Hardcover; November 24, 2020; ISBN: 9781590517185; $27.99), journalist and Professor Frederick Kaufman delves into the past 65,000 years to demystify the concept of money, reminding us that whether its form is polished shells, bills or bitcoin – in the end, it’s all a fiction. With the same ease that Salt: A World History and Freakonomics condensed thousands of years of history into a highly informative yet entertaining format, The Money Plot explains how money was created, used, and is constantly being transformed. It also peers through the fog of modern finance to reveal how the Federal Reserve creates those trillions, why most of today’s money exists in a complex yet poorly understood web of computer screen abstraction – and the twisted but inevitable path that led here.

Frederick Kaufman’s media appearances and articles include this New Yorker piece on pandemics and conspiracy theories, NBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business, TEDx, and Harper’s. This winter, he’ll take a virtual tour to talk about The Money Plot, including the Boston Athenæum, Mechanics’ Institute, Toronto Public Library, Decatur Library, Fountain Bookstore, Skylight Books, and more. 

Emily Conrad has written a comprehensive account of the US Electoral College in her new book, The Faithless? The Untold Story of the Electoral College. As another presidential election rapidly approaches this November, the fate may well rest in the hands of the Electoral College. Conrad conducted extensive interviews, profiling a diverse roster of faithless electors in the 2016 Electoral College. Conrad compiled their personal background and to understand their reasons for their rouge votes.

"As I researched this book and talked with one faithless elector after another, I found myself constantly challenged in my ideas and understanding of the Electoral College, the role of political parties within America's democratic system, and the empowerment of the individual versus the masses in American politics" says Conrad.

"However," Conrad continues, "one thing I do not question is the authenticity of the electors who decided to go against the popular vote of their states and vote faithlessly. Each one of the electors with whom I have spoken gave immense thought and emotional energy into his or her decision."

Will the die-hard Bernie electors stay true to their convictions, or grudgingly support the official nominee? Will the lifelong Republican electors cast their vote for Donald Trump, or write in another candidate in the name of principle? Conrad expands upon these stories and details the reactions and aftermath after each elector casts their deciding vote, prompting the question: what do the faithless electors of 2016 prescribe to the possibility of faithless electors in this contentious 2020 presidential race?

"While most political junkies examined the unprecedented nature of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential victory, Conrad was fascinated by the underreported stories about the eight so-called faithless electors who cast ballots that went against the popular vote of their states in the Electoral College. The driving questions behind the author's work lie not in constitutional debates surrounding the legality of faithless electors or the undemocratic nature of the Electoral College, but in the eight electors themselves . . . her deeply human approach that centers on the personal lives of the eight electors is a welcome alternative to a genre dominated by hyperpartisan pundits. By pushing Trump and Clinton out of the spotlight, the book is also an implicit celebration of democracy with an unrelenting focus on state and local activists willing to stand up against members of their own parties." - Kirkus Reviews

"Not merely about the Electoral College, but about how ordinary, politically engaged Americans are struggling to cope with the political turmoils of our time. a particularly worthwhile read." - Bradley A. Smith, Professor at Capital University Law School, Federal Election Commissioner (2000-2005)

The box office hit TULSA has just became the #2 All-Time Box Office for self-distributed films and announced that it will be available for streaming everywhere on February 2nd.  TULSA is an unlikely Hollywood success story despite the pandemic's effect on Hollywood and movie theatres. The movie's star, director and writer, Scott Pryor, is also a renowned trial lawyer and with this film he turns his real-life court case into an award-winning box office smash.   Inspired by true events from one of Scott's actual trial cases, TULSA follows a desperate marine biker whose life is turned upside-down when he is united with the sassy 9-year-old daughter he never knew existed.

For Scott Pryor who is married and has 3 sons, film business is family business. Together with his wife Laura they are Pryor Entertainment, a thriving Atlanta based independent production company that creates films, TV, and content that inspires, empowers, and educates so that others may truly live.

In TULSA, Biker 'Tommy Colston' (Scott Pryor) is a hopeless addict. When 'Tommy' discovers he has a long-lost daughter named 'Tulsa' (Livi Birch), he reluctantly welcomes the 9-year-old into his home but tries to keep her out of his heart. The head strong girl attempts to use her strong faith to save 'Tommy' from his addictions and the demons of his past. When tragedy strikes, 'Tommy' is forced to face his demons and attempts to become the father of 'Tulsa's' dreams. TULSA is a funny and heartwarming story of redemption, family, and forgiveness, even in the darkest of times.

Leaving The Billionaire Monster Behind: Many want to be rich and successful but is there a point where it gets to be too toxic? What type of person can you become on the path to building a billion dollar empire? According to one entrepreneurial expert, Eric Lochtefeld, it can make you into a monster.

Lochtefeld, co-author of The Purpose Code, is a massively successful investor and developer that has seen firsthand how most accomplished business owners are dissatisfied and unfulfilled despite their achievements. Eric established 20+ entities exceeding $250 million in revenue before deciding to start over and reinvent himself. In this episode, we talk about the blessings and curse of wealth if you let it get to you! How Domino's Pizza founder, Tom Monahan, a devout Catholic and champion of family values, turned his life around after reading C. S. Lewis' account on pride from Mere Christianity, Monaghan then shed his life of ostentation and the trappings of massive wealth to devote his life to Catholic causes including the establishment of Ave Maria University in Florida, 

Eric himself has witnessed what he calls “the billionaire monster” and today confesses:

Eric says he has since revolutionized the coaching and personal development industries. Using his extensive experience and extraordinary integrity, he helps other entrepreneurs realize their life's visions, while continuing to build wealth along the way.

Tom Libelt, 40, is an avowed and successful free enterprise businessman, describing himself without apology as a capitalist. This former hip hop sensation has led a charmed life from a young age, escaping as an 11-year-old with his family from his native Poland during the waning days of the Communist regime. Libelt eventually found himself in New York where he would take the hip hop scene by storm in the city's large Polish community. He released two albums with five hits on top ten Polish radio. 

Libelt, who now runs Smart Brand Marketing as well as online course marketing, out of Chiang Mai, Thailand, learned from a young age how to sell and negotiate business by getting haggled by Russian vendors back in Europe. He says after his family fled Poland for the US to escape the terrible grip of communism, his parents took any job they could to survive. Seeing this as a young man motivated him to never want a job, and to keep moving forward as an entrepreneur, publisher, salesman and creative artist.

In this episode, Libelt recalls his own success from humble beginnings, explains why he started a business in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and he offers his assessment of America on the global stage. The US, he says, is under siege, battling to reverse an economic and broader decline with the rise of Asia.