Man of the Futures: The Story of Leo Melamed

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YIVO Board Member Leo Melamed, author of Man of the Futures, recounts his journey from Holocaust survivor to prominent leader in the world of finance, sharing behind-the-scenes reminiscences on the financial markets and his philanthropic work in the Jewish community.

Join us for a special program featuring Leo Melamed in conversation with financial expert Terry Savage.

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About the Author

Leo Melamed, a Holocaust survivor and author of Man of the Futures, recounts his escape from the Nazis, an odyssey that took two years, spanned three continents, six languages, the Trans-Siberian railroad, and Japan – courtesy of a life-saving transit visa from Japanese Counsel General to Lithuania, Chiune Sugihara. 

In 1972, as chairman of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group), Leo Melamed revolutionized markets with the creation of the International Monetary Market—the first futures exchange for financial instruments—and the launch of currency futures. In 1987, he revolutionized futures trading again with the founding of Globex®, the world’s first futures electronic-trading system. Twenty years after their inception, Nobel Laureate Merton Miller named financial futures “the most significant innovation of the past two decades.”

Man of the Futures is of significance beyond his revolutionary innovations in financial markets. Leo Melamed brought with him a love of “Mamme Loshn,” the Yiddish language. Consequently, his memoirs contain a rare and intimate glimpse of the Jewish world destroyed by the Nazis.

About the Moderator

Terry Savage is a nationally recognized expert contributor on personal finance, the economy, and the markets. She writes a weekly personal finance column syndicated in major newspapers by Tribune Content Agency. Terry appears frequently on national television and radio programs, commenting on the financial markets and current economic events. She is featured on WGN Radio and WGN-TV in Chicago, with a weekly personal finance segment.

Terry is the author of four best-selling books on personal finance. The first edition of her best-selling book, The Savage Truth on Money, was named one of the top ten money books of the year by Amazon.com. A new edition is now available.