Terror on Wall Street, a Financial Metafiction Novel (23 page)

THE AUTHORS

Gordon L. Eade

I was born in 1927 and was the eldest of four children. Dad was a stock market speculator well known in financial circles in Southern California. My Dad never played catch with me; the family never went camping or to the beach with Dad. But during my summer vacations, Dad and I would visit broker offices, conduct research, talk with brokers, and watch market prices. He traded stocks every day the market was open using a system he had devised. On weekends, we would study the annual reports of various companies as well as Value Line reports and chart market prices. By the age of seven, I could chart, read Standard & Poor’s (S&P) reports, and read the ticker tape. I even had my favorite stocks.

     At Claremont Men’s College, I took an MBA-style course with an emphasis in economics, corporate finance, and tax law. After college, I worked in accounting, finance, and capital budgeting at a number of large corporations such as U.S. Steel, U.S. Borax & Chemical, Rhodes Corporation, Gulf Oil, and Litton Industries. On some of these jobs, I was stationed overseas in Europe and South America.

     For a time, I worked with the people on staff with Aristotle Onassis on international projects. In 1970, I purchased a minority shareholder interest in a small public company traded in the over-the-counter market called Jensen Industries. At Jensen Industries, I was the Chief Financial Officer in charge of all financial matters, doing mergers and acquisition work, secondary stock issues, and tender offers in addition to my duties as Chief Financial Officer. As a member of the Board of Directors, I was responsible to the shareholders in a fiduciary capacity. I filed the required disclosures with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to issue additional shares of the company’s stock, wrote proxy statements, and represented the company at stock analyst meetings. I applied for and obtained a listing for the company on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). Today, I am an investor with substantial holdings, fully retired and living solely off my portfolio income and a little social security. I also teach Modern Portfolio Theory at the local community college and keep up to date on new strategies and investment techniques. I use the strategies illustrated herein. I hold in excess of 14,000 stocks and bonds in my portfolio all in index and exchange traded funds. 

     Most investors spend far too many hours reading what I call financial pornography in the financial media. This leads to both unwise trading decisions and continuous trading of stocks into and out of their portfolios. Most investors end up then with a portfolio with a mish mash of individual stocks and mutual funds. Their portfolios have been constructed without a solid plan. As a result, their portfolios exhibit levels of risk well above the market risk. An index investor knows when he takes on risk that he does so with the understanding that it is very likely that, over time he can expect to achieve the expected returns that taking additional risk promises to provide.

Kenneth Eade

Author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an up-and-coming author in the legal thriller and courtroom drama genre, has been described by critics as "Brilliant when it comes to creating complicated, intriguing stories that end in mind-blowing surprises", who have said that his novels will remind readers of John Grisham, proving that Kenneth Eade deserves to be on the same lists with the world's greatest thriller authors. 
     Says Eade of the comparisons: "John Grisham is famous for saying that sometimes he likes to wrap a good story around an important issue.  In all of my novels, the story and the important issues are always present.”

In loving memory of

Gordon Lyle Eade

Loving father, brilliant investor and author

September 13, 1927-January 21, 2016

Copyright 2016, Gordon L. Eade and Kenneth Eade

ASIN:
B015B83G0Q

Second Edition

All rights reserved

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If you require legal advice or other professional assistance; you should seek the services of a competent individual. Investing in stocks, bonds, and derivative products requires the assumption risks not easily understood by the average investor. You are cautioned that you must not engage in speculative activities until you thoroughly understand the risks involved. Further, it is imperative that you understand that when you take on a risk, you may or may not receive the appropriative expected return for the risk taken. You are cautioned that in no other activity are there are so many scam artists who are extremely skilled in taking your money and leaving you broke and destitute. Some of these villains work for our largest and most highly respected firms.