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Guests & Co-Hosts

John Neal

John Neal directs PTI Securities’ Glendale, Arizona office serving the firm’s clients in the Phoenix metro area and across the Western U.S. He oversees day-to-day operations, including client services, investor education, staff management and marketing. John has more than 12 years of management experience in the securities and financial services industry. He joined PTI Securities in 2003 in this role. Prior to that time, he was a branch manager with Phoenix area firms, Granite Capital Management and, most recently, Independent Financial Management. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, John earned a bachelor’s degree in international management from Arizona State University in Tempe. Away from work, John enjoys reading, live music and outdoor activities. He also volunteers with the St. Vincent De Paul Society and the Lupus Foundation of America. Married with two children, John and his family live in Peoria, Arizona.

Chris Manns

Christopher Manns manages PTI Securities & Futures’ global commodities area and is a research analyst. He devotes much of his time to monitoring and analyzing the latest international commodities reports and financial research. This allows him to keep the firm’s management well informed so that they can, in turn, apprise their clients on pertinent information. Christopher has more than 18 years of securities and financial services experience. Prior to joining PTI Securities, he was a floor broker for AE Staley at the Chicago Board of Trade, and worked for the grain division of Rodman & Renshaw. He has authored many commodities articles and training materials, and speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese. Christopher earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Christopher lives with his wife in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. Read more.

Ken Foster

Professor Foster’s research interests are in the fields of production economics and marketing with special emphasis on dynamic models in the livestock and meat sectors. His work has included a dynamic analysis of investment and supply in the U.S. beef cattle industry, measuring technical change in agriculture, the management of livestock waste, demand for heterogeneous products, and the use of contracts in agricultural production. Foster’s research and outreach activities have included testimony to Senate committees and state legislative study committees on the competitiveness of livestock markets and the use of contract production.  Likewise, his work has impacted the decisions of private stakeholders in the livestock and meat industry.  Most notable, perhaps, is his coauthored book Positioning Your Pork Operation for the 21st Century which provided guidance to the international pork industry during a time of dramatic technological and managerial revolution.

Professor Foster teaches applied econometrics, has experience working in Latin America, China, and Africa, and serves as an extension specialist in the area of livestock production economics. Foster served as Associate Head and Graduate Program Director from 2004 to 2008 and was named Interim Department Head in 2008. In 2009, he was appointed as head of the department. Foster serves on the College of Agriculture Academic Leadership Council and as an ex-Officio member of the Board of Directors for the Agribusiness Council of Indiana. Among his many awards, Ken has been recognized by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association for Distinguished Graduate Teaching with 10 or More Years’ Experience, by the College of Agriculture for Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor, and has received the Purdue Agriculture Team Award on three different occasions.  He is currently the Chair of the National Association of Agricultural Economics Administrators.

David Andalman

Technical Analyst, DACS Research, PTI Securities & Futures

David Andalman joins the Stocks & Jocks show every Monday and Wednesday morning. He was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and earned his bachelor's degree in Engineering from the University of Illinois, and then his MBA in Finance and Marketing from Indiana University. David traded for a year at the MidAmerica Commodity Exchange before starting the DACS Research Newsletters on commodity futures, which were the first all-technical research newsletters at the CME. Currently, he has been a senior wealth manager and portfolio strategist for over 23 years. He holds registrations in Series 3, 4 (Options Principal), 7, 55, 63 and is a registered Commodity Trading Advisor. Read more.