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 Carlos Lara manages a consulting firm specializing in trust services, business consulting and debtor-creditor relations. The firm’s primary service is working with companies in financial crisis. Serving over 400 business clients nationwide over a period of three decades, these engagements have involved companies in most major industries including, manufacturing, distribution and retail. Lara incorporated his consulting company in 1976 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.
As a young business owner, Lara learned early in life that business survival during tumultuous economic times is a daunting task. In subsequent years, experience with many financially troubled businesses helped Lara shape the skills used in crisis management into a precise rehabilitation process. His strategies bring about stability to rapidly deteriorating situations through debtor-creditor relations, operational and financial restructuring, cost reduction, and revenue building. His expert services are highly specialized and have been used extensively by many large corporations such as:
- Meinhart Commercial, New York
- Banker’s Trust, New York
- William Islen, New York
- Citicorp, New York
- Ingram Industries, Nashville
- Genesco, Nashville
- Oxford Industries, Atlanta
- Hart Schaffner and Marx, Chicago
- Footwear Management Co., Fort Worth
- HRE HATCO, Inc., Dallas
Lara’s approach to a business crisis is radical. A company in financial conflict creates an unusual environment that makes it necessary to abandon the traditional business approaches taught in most MBA programs. This type of management experience makes Lara a regular speaker at industry trade symposiums. His extensive knowledge of the debtor-creditor relationship earned him the credentials to teach credit management to qualified members of the National Association of Credit Management (NACM) for the Accredited Business Credit Executive Program (ABCE).
Over the years, his financial curriculum was broadened. In 1989, Lara obtained securities licenses 7, 6, 24, 63-65 and became a General Securities Principal for purposes of assisting businesses in capital formation and related investment banking services. In 1990 Lara obtained Life, Accident and Health licenses. In 1993 Lara, as president of USTC, became a Registered Broker-Dealer Firm and member of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). These additional qualifications and membership expanded Lara’s exposure to the highly regulated financial services industry and its enormous array of financial products. It was during this time that Lara studied Estate Tax Planning and the process of using financial products for wealth building, wealth distribution and wealth conservation.
Lara believes that the average American is not getting the truth about how money really works because the financial services industry, the primary source of financial education for the average individual, is excessively regulated and biased. The financial institutions with their voracious appetites to accumulate investor monies sell financial products through financial representatives as the means to achieve this primary goal. Both the financial institutions and their representatives must sell these financial products under increasing government constraints in order to keep their accreditation. This ever increasing conflict keeps the most important and essential facts about money, its origin and its function in an economy, from being properly understood and properly communicated to the individual.
Convicted that these conflicting issues presented a problem for USTC as a true consulting firm, Lara chose to give up all securities licenses in 2001. He believes that the truth about money can be learned by studying man, economy and the state found in the science of economics, specifically, Praxeology, the science of human action. Today USTC educates clients extensively in all areas having to do with money matters, but the firm does not sell investments or securities, nor does it manage client funds. He is the co-author of How Privatized Banking Really Works.Carlos Lara was born in Monterrey Mexico on March 19, 1947. He was raised in Dallas, Texas where he attended Irving high school and then later the University of North Texas. He competed for the U.S.1968 Olympics as a Weight Lifter placing second at the Nationals in Philadelphia. He served in the armed forces in 1970-1976 as a U.S. Marine Corps Reservist. He married Anne H. Browning in 1970. Together they have three children and five grand children. Carlos and Anne have been residents of Nashville for 36 years. Both are members of Covenant Presybterian Church, Nashville, TN. |
Paul A. Cleveland is part of the economics faculty at Birmingham-Southern College. He received his Ph.D  . in Economics from Texas A&M University and began his career teaching at SUNY-Geneseo in 1985. After spending one year as a Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Central Florida in Orlando in 1989, he joined the faculty at Birmingham-Southern. His principal academic research is focused on the study of free enterprise and entrepreneurial human action. In pursuing his studies, he also reads heavily in the areas of philosophy, theology, and history, which are helpful in exploring the morality of free markets. One of his main interests is an examination of the proper role of government in society and the problems created when it enacts policy mandates beyond its appropriate boundaries. In the pursuit of showing how to build and promote a free and virtuous society, he has affiliated with the Acton Institute where he serves as an Adjunct Scholar. His articles have been published in numerous places including the Journal of Private Enterprise, Idaho's Economy, Religion and Liberty, and Ideas on Liberty. In addition to his writing, he has lectured on the free market in numerous places including universities in Lithuania, Poland, and Taiwan.
Paul is married and is the father of two children. He is a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) where he serves as a ruling elder. He enjoys activities with his family and plays golf when time allows. |
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 Robert P. "Bob" Murphy (born 23 May 1976) is an Austrian School economist and free market-oriented author.
Murphy completed his Bachelor of Arts in economics at Hillsdale College in 1998. He then moved back to his home state of New York to continue his studies at New York University. Murphy earned his Ph.D. in economics from NYU in 2003 after successfully defending a dissertation on Unanticipated Intertemporal Change in Theories of Interest.
Murphy is married to Rachael Murphy (née Fajardo) with whom he has one son, Joel Clark Murphy, and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Murphy is a Christian, and has stated in his writings that "my ethical beliefs are informed by my Christian faith, and I am a firm believer in natural law."
After earning his doctoral degree, Murphy served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics at Hillsdale College in Michigan, U.S., a role he relinquished in the summer of 2006 when he moved back to New York City. From 2006 until early 2007, Murphy was employed as a research and portfolio analyst with Laffer Associates, an economic and investment consultancy firm.
Murphy is a senior fellow in business and economic studies at the Pacific Research Institute, and is an adjunct scholar and frequent speaker at the Ludwig von Mises Institute. He writes a column for Townhall.com and has also written for LewRockwell.com. He is an adjunct scholar at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and an economist for the Institute for Energy Research. Murphy appeared before the United States House Committee on Financial Services on 24 July 2008 to discuss oil prices and the United States dollar. His work has been cited by Walter Block, with whom Murphy has also published. Murphy is a frequent radio guest. He appeared on "Free Markets With Dr. Mike Beitler" on the Voice America Business network on October 30, 2008.
Books:
Murphy has also designed a home study course in Austrian economics (2005), as well as a study guide for Murray Rothbard's Man, Economy and State (with Power and Market), both published and distributed by the Mises Institute. |
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 Richard J. Grant is Professor of Finance and Economics at Lipscomb University, where he teaches course in International Economics and Finance; Debt and Derivatives; and Principles of Economics.
He is also a Scholar at the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, and the Publications Editor at the Free Market Foundation of Southern Africa.
He is a speaker, writer, and consultant on economic issues.
Before joining the Lipscomb faculty, he worked at universities, and in businesses, in several countries around the world (and was working in the Middle East on 9/11). He was Chief Economist at the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, and Contributing Editor and columnist at the Financial Mail in Johannesburg, South Africa. He trained as an infantry officer, has run for federal political office, and has made numerous appearances on radio and television.
He has a Ph.D. in Economics (with specializations in Finance and Public Economics) from George Mason University.
He has written two books and several monographs and articles (including frequent articles in The Tennessean). His research and consulting interests include most areas of Public Policy, Financial Markets, International Economics and Finance, Monetary Policy, Health-care Economics and Finance, Environmental (and water) Policy, and Constitutional Political Economy.
He is married, has two sons, and attends Hillsboro Church of Christ.
Additional articles authored by Richard can be found at RichardJGrant.com |
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 Andrew Benedict III (Buddy) started his career in the investment banking business with Equitable Securities Corporation in 1968 as an investment advisor. In 1972 he became a principal owner of Equitable when he and other partners purchased the Corporation from The American Express Company. He was Executive Vice President giving leadership to sales, customer relations and syndication.
In 1980 Equitable Securities Corporation had grown from an initial capital base of $500,000 to $3,000,000 in a very difficult time in the United States economy. While at Equitable he served as president of the Nashville Securities Association in addition to being President of the Downtown Rotary Club of Nashville. In 1978, Benedict was designated a 33 Degree Scottish Rite Mason and served as Master of Corinthian Lodge F&AM that same year. He served on the Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church in New York City lending his investment expertise to the Investment Committee of The World Division. He served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of West End United Methodist Church and gave leadership to the Committee on the Goals and Directions for ministry by serving as its Chairman charting new directions to the mission and educational priorities of that congregation.
Benedict resigned from Equitable Securities Corporation in 1980 to enter Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He graduated with a Master of Divinity Degree in 1983 and was ordained as a Deacon and in 1986 as an Elder in the United Methodist Church. He served as Minister of Pastoral Care at West End United Methodist Church for a few years. While at West End, Benedict initiated a program promoting ethics in the business community developing concrete ways to integrate core faith beliefs in the decision making process within the free enterprise system. Here he learned various ways to invite persons into taking practical approaches to profitability within a spiritual context.
In 1986, Benedict was appointed to start a new congregation of The United Methodist Church in Williamson County. He gave leadership to the founding of Christ United Methodist Church gathering the congregation and building its first worship and educational facility. Starting in a tent with only his family, Benedict and the lay congregation grew Christ United Methodist to 350 persons. In 1990 the congregation moved into its present facilities. His background in finance prepared him to give leadership to not only raising the funds for a new building but expanding the church’s ministry through additional real estate purchases.
Benedict left Christ United Methodist Church in 1992 to redirect his understanding of servant hood to the world of public service. He ran for the United States Senate in 1992 traveling the State of Tennessee talking about what it means to be a servant in public life. After defeat in the 1994 primary election, Benedict returned to the investment banking business. In 1997, Benedict was asked to become manager of the Smith Barney office on West End Avenue. He eventually became manager of all Smith Barney offices in Nashville building new office space for an additional sales office in the Green Hills area. As a Smith Barney office manager Benedict built a work environment around his understanding of the principles of servant leadership. Benedict managed 50 investment consultants while at Smith Barney retiring in November of 2007.
Benedict joins United Services Trust Corporation to add emphasis to educating persons on the way money works with teaching practical approaches to being a proper steward of one’s money and personal resources within the context of personal faith and practice.
Buddy was born in Nashville, TN on October 25, 1942 and is married to Dianne Lackey Benedict. They have 4 children: Beth, Fran, Andy and Carolyn. Khullun Avery is their only grandson adding a special ray of sunshine to their family circle. Buddy enjoys playing golf, fishing and playing in his 60s rock ‘n roll band. He and Dianne are members of Brentwood United Methodist Church. |
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 McKechnie began her quest for knowledge of finance, both corporate and personal, in the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University through obtaining a degree in Finance with a further concentration in Personal Financial Planning. This specialized degree allowed her to gain a significant depth of knowledge in the areas of Estate Planning, principals of Financial Planning, Tax Planning, Accounting, Economics, Finance, Investments and Real Estate.
Her attraction to business, management and operational issues, money and other related topics further grew as she obtained hands-on experience in summer internships at the then Nashville based company, Equicor. McKechnie was employed by Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., New York, in their Management Development Program. Upon moving to New York City she was indoctrinated in many areas of banking including branch management, auto and lease financing, personal financial services, credit underwriting, telemarketing sales, brokerage services and customer relations.
Graduating from Chase’s New York based program led Paige to Dallas, Texas where she worked in Chase’s Personal Financial Services (PFS) division. It was in this position that she essentially learned to wear “two hats” with regards to the financial industry; she was responsible for meeting sales quotas by offering Chase’s products and services to the marketplace but then was charged with the credit underwriting of the transaction. It was here that she gained an understanding of the opposing dichotomy between the push for sales and transacting in the best interest of the company for which she worked.
Since that time, she has seen this opposition of interests in many other industries as well. McKechnie, undergoing extensive classroom training, gained a complete and thorough understanding of financial statements, tax returns and how these instruments correlate to a credit lending decision.
McKechnie married Kevin S. McKechnie of Houston, Texas in 1991. Within the first two years of their marriage, Kevin chose to pursue a career in medicine. McKechnie was able to place her sales, as well as, her lending experience with other financial institutions, First Union and Wachovia Bank, while her husband obtained a medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia.
Although always enjoying the basis of her career in financial services, McKechnie struggled many times mentally to serve the best interest of her clients and yet function at top performing levels within the various financial institutions by whom she was employed. A sales culture that promoted products that were primarily beneficial to the financial institutions that created them caused many moments of pause to Paige. Her heightened desire to truly assist her clients with products and services that held their well being as their primary focus, paralleled her growing frustration with the mores of the prosperous and insatiable financial industry.
It was during a quest to better understand and implement financial strategies for her own family that McKechnie was introduced to Carlos Lara, founder and CEO of United Services and Trust Corporation. McKechnie found refreshing accuracy and truthfulness in Lara’s strategic approach to wealth creation and preservation based predominately on economics. Her collegiate education and work experience had fostered plans for money creation and growth which were strictly based on mathematical principals and did not allow for the notion of money being an economic commodity.
After a complete assessment of their entire personal financial situation, Lara was able to advise and consult with the McKechnies to implement several financial strategies to secure and protect their financial future. It was with this feeling of having been objectively advised and led to a place of financial confidence that McKechnie sought and was offered a position with the USTC team.
Paige McKechnie, age 41, is a native Nashvillian graduating from Brentwood High School in 1986. Kevin and Paige currently reside in Brentwood, TN. |
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