Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Book Signing: March 22 at 7 PM, Barnes & Noble in Rochester Hills, MI

Well, the title of this post just about says it all.

Next week I'm returning to my home town of Rochester Hills, Michigan (where I attended the same high school Madonna did -- Rochester Adams), and will be at the local Barnes & Noble, talking about the process of writing Zero-Sum Game, reading a few select passages from the book, and then of course signing copies for any nice people who show up. I'm hoping I'll see a lot of my old friends and/or their parents, and am planning a very fun and candid chat.

If you're in Southeast Michigan, please try to stop by. And feel free to spread the word to others in the area as well.

Event Details:
March 22
7 PM
Barnes & Noble, Rochester Hills, Michigan
2800 S. Rochester Rd.
More info here!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

REGISTRATION DEADLINE TODAY, MONDAY 2/21, for 2/23 Event: The Past, Present, and Future of Chicago's Derivatives Exchanges

2/21 UPDATE: Today is the registration deadline for Wednesday's event. If you are not a member of the University Club or HBS Club of Chicago, please call The Book Stall at 847-446-8880 to sign up today. The cost for the event is $25.

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Attention Chicagoans!

On February 23 I'll be speaking at the University Club over lunch and would be thrilled to see you there. This is probably the last major speaking event I'll have in Chicago for the foreseeable future, so if you'd like to have your copy of Zero-Sum Game signed by moi, enjoy a fabulous meal, hear me blab for a little while and also see Bernie Dan in action (he'll be joining me for a Q&A session), now's your chance.

The event is open to all -- details on how to register are at the bottom of this post. Please note that registration closes at the end of the business day on Monday the 21st. Also please note that the University Club has a business casual dress code -- no denim or athletic wear is allowed.

Date and time
: February 23, Noon - 1:15 PM

Registration closes: End of business day on February 21

Location: The University Club of Chicago, 76 East Monroe Street

Event description:

For over one hundred years, the intense feud between the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) put even the Sox/Cubs rivalry to shame. The thought of these two institutions joining forces was simply inconceivable. But in July 2007, after a one-hundred-seventeen-day, multibillion-dollar bidding war, a six-month-long Department of Justice investigation, a bomb threat, a media circus, and the consumption of countless T-bones, the CME/CBOT merger happened. Erika S. Olson was a managing director at CBOT during that tumultuous time, and will share an overview of the futures exchange industry as well as behind-the-scenes highlights of the deal that resulted in Chicago-based CME Group dominating the country’s exchange-traded futures industry.

With the NYSE Euronext/Deutsche Borse merger dominating headlines this month and deadlines for the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation looming, there couldn’t be a better time to review the storied history of Chicago’s futures exchanges and discuss what lies ahead for the derivatives industry. Join us over lunch for a discussion of these topics with Erika S. Olson, author of Zero-Sum Game: The Rise of the World’s Largest Derivatives Exchange. Bernie Dan, President of Sun Holdings LLC and former CEO of the Chicago Board of Trade, will join Erika for a Q&A session at the end of her prepared presentation.

Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.


TO REGISTER (deadline: end of business day, February 21):

- Call The Book Stall at 847-446-8880. The cost for the event is $25.

The Book Stall is a bookstore in Winnetka that is handling reservations for those who are not members of any of the clubs co-hosting the event.

- OR -

- If you are a member of The University Club, you can register with them directly.

- If you are a member of the HBS Club of Chicago, you will find a registration link at the bottom of this page.

- If you are a member of the Harvard Club of Chicago, you can call the HBS Club of Chicago at 847-256-4846 (they are handling the reservations for both Harvard alumni clubs for this event).

Thank you for your support!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Chicago Event: Derivatives Industry Panel Hosted by ACG Chicago

Those of you who've read Zero-Sum Game already will recognize a few names on the panel I'm moderating next week. The luncheon event is hosted by ACG Chicago, and non-members are welcome to attend (for a slightly higher registration fee).

If you know of anyone in the Windy City who might be interested in hearing futures industry executives discuss current trends and debate the latest issues, please spread the word. Discounted pricing for early registration ends this Friday the 11th.

Hope to see you there. Here's the registration page with more information:

Chicago: The Risk Management Capital of the World

Sunday, January 23, 2011

WGN Midday News: December 27, 2010

So it took me nearly a month to post the video of my chat with WGN Midday News anchor Steve Sanders back on December 27, 2010. Oops. But better late than never, right?




This was my first time on live TV and it was quite the experience. Steve was incredibly nice, and I told him that I was jealous of him because a few months prior he interviewed one of my writing heroes, Michael Lewis. He replied that Michael was a fascinating guy, and one of his favorite people to have on the show.

I have another TV appearance coming up at the end of this month on PBS's Nightly Business Report, so stay tuned for that!

Oh, and Go Bears!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Futures Magazine Reviews Zero-Sum Game

First and foremost, Happy New Year!

Zero-Sum Game received some great coverage since the last time I posted, but I'd been traveling over the holidays and neglected to update the blog. So here's a review from the January 2011 digital edition of Futures magazine, in which I'm compared to Alice in Wonderland. Love it!

While I'm curious (like Alice, how fitting) to know exactly what the reviewer felt I got wrong, as I had economists from CME Group review all of the high-level "educational" parts of the book, I'm very pleased that he understood Zero-Sum Game was mostly meant to be a behind-the-scenes look at what was going on inside the Chicago Board of Trade during its final year, as well as a story about the executives at CBOT, CME and ICE during a time of unprecedented change in the industry.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Zulkey.com Asks the Hard-Hitting Questions!

My friend and fellow author Claire Zulkey was spreading her awesomeness via Zulkey.com waaaayyyy before the rest of us even knew what blogs were. I never cease to be amazed at her writing career -- or her interviewing skills. Check out all of the impressive authors/comedians/famous people she's talked to! And now little ol' me has joined her list of interviewees. Unless I grow a beard or somehow snag a spot as an extra in The Hangover 2, I don't think there will ever be anything else Zach Galifianakis and I have in common.

So if you've ever wondered how I went about writing Zero-Sum Game, or if I have any regrets, or what I might write about next, then stop what you're doing and read this interview!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Reuters' Felix Salmon Determines That "$190,000/Year is Rich" from Reading Zero-Sum Game

Reuters' financial blogger extraordinaire, Felix Salmon, was inspired to write a very clever article after reading Chapter Two of Zero-Sum Game.

See if you agree: $190,000 a Year is Rich.