Ron Holland is the author of several books, including The Threat to the Private Pension System and Escape the Pension Trap, and of numerous special reports and hundreds of articles on investment and political topics, many focusing on the interplay between politics and the investment markets. Selections of his essays can be found in the archives of TheDailyBell.com and LewRockwell.com. Ron also serves as chair of the advisory board of the Foundation for the Advancement of Free-Market Thinking (FAFMT). Originally from North Carolina, Ron Holland lived and worked in Geneva, Switzerland from 2003 to 2004, and then divided his time between the US and Europe until 2012. Ron continues to speak publicly on the virtues of free-market thinking and the need for individuals to accept personal responsibility for their own lives. Ron Holland is a graduate of the University of South Carolina-Columbia with a degree in Banking and Finance. In his 30-year career, Ron has worked as president of International Retirement Consultants, an international consulting firm specializing in retirement planning, head of the trust department of First Citizens Bank & Trust in Greenville, SC, and as president of JML Swiss Investment Counsellors USA Inc., a Swiss-owned US securities broker/dealer licensed in 47 states of the US. He has held various securities and insurance licenses.