Hal Blackwell authored the bestseller Secrets of the Skim , which is an expose of the US wealth management industry. As a Merrill Lynch financial advisor, Hal predicted the financial maelstrom in 2008 and protected his clients from the sudden drop in asset values. Before joining Merrill Lynch in 2005, Mr. Blackwell was president of Cornerstone Insurance Group. He has a long history of risk management in both the insurance and financial sectors of the economy.

Hal was born in Union, South Carolina and graduated from the high school there. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of South Carolina in 1985.

Career highlights:

*President of Cornerstone Insurance Group

*Fox Business News wealth management industry expert

*Financial advisor to high profile, high net worth individuals

*Guest lecturer at both the Clemson University Graduate School of Entrepreneurship and the business school at the University of South Carolina Upstate

*Asked to submit white paper to Elizabeth Warren's new financial consumer protection agency on the need to disclose the fiduciary status of advisors in the advisor/client relationship

*Documented prediction of the financial crisis of 2008 (and the financial crisis to follow in late 2011 or early 2012)

*While shepherding an $800 million renewable fuels project, was privy to a unique view of the investment banking world during the financial crisis of 2008.Hal lives in Spartanburg, SC with his wife Anita and their two daughters, Vowan and Claire.

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