Frank Beck
President and Chief Investment Adviser
Frank began his career in 1978 and has distinguished himself as a local and national authority on investing. Frank appears regularly on CNBC, Fox Business News and Bloomberg television. He is a contributing author to Forbes Magazine and is often quoted in the Wall Street Journal. He has been an analyst and investment manager since 1997, using his economics and statistical mathematics background to guide his philosophy of Sector Rotation Management.
Frank graduated from the University of Texas in 1977 and now lives with his wife Debbie, and his two sons, Victor & Hunter. He enjoys coaching youth baseball, teaching “mathemagic”, and playing golf.
Lew Spellman
Investment Advisory Board Member
Since 1971, Lew Spellman has taught financial markets at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is a Professor of Finance. He has also taught at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, the UT School of Law, the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University.
Professor Spellman’s primary teaching is in financial markets and institutions at both the graduate and undergraduate level with an emphasis on interpreting and analyzing current market and policy developments and market trends. His academic publications appear in the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Journal of Money, Credit and Banking and Finance among others.
His experience outside of academics includes government service as Assistant to the Chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors for the Johnson Administration and Economist with the Federal Reserve Board. His published works primarily concern the market pricing of financial institution claims. Professor Spellman’s business interests include serving as Director and Chair of Investments, Magna Carta Insurance Company. Previously, he served as Chairman and CEO of Real Rate Financial and Electronic Exchange Technologies. He holds several U.S. patents related to financial instruments in an inflation area environment.
Lew holds the degrees of BBA and MBA from the University of Michigan and MA and PhD degrees in economics from Stanford University.
Jerry McIlhon, RFC
Senior Manager
Jerry is a twenty-four year veteran of the financial services industry. In his career, he has guided people in both the private and public sectors. His tenure as the director of the City of Austin’s deferred compensation plan is particularly noteworthy. Under his direction, from 1991 to 1997, the plan grew from 3,000 to over 7,000 participants. Total assets grew from $30 million to over $100 million during that time. Jerry then joined Frank Beck in 1997. Since then, his focus as a Senior Advisor at Beck Capital Management has shifted to the post-retirement financial needs of his clients. Jerry has worked with hundreds of retirees, helping them achieve dependable income, appropriate asset growth, and tax-efficient disposition of assets during their lifetimes and at death.
Jerry lives in Lakeway, TX, with his wife Janet and son Chase.
Justin Simmons
President, Pro-Player Investing
President and Co-Founder of Pro Player Investing, Justin has been a registered and licensed Investment Advisor since 2006. Justin founded PPI to meet the special needs and circumstances of Professional Athletes. Prior to entering the investment field, Justin earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas. While in school, he was an All-American pitcher for the Longhorns and helped lead the program to the 2002 National Championship. Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004, Justin then pitched for the LA Dodgers organization for three seasons before returning to Austin. Always looking to give back to the community, Justin currently volunteers on a regular basis with three local charities. He also enjoys running, teaching youth baseball, and hunting.
Melanie Johnson
Senior Advisor
Melanie began her career in 2005, where she was President and CEO for her own company, Athena Financial Group, a comprehensive, independent wealth management firm. She is founder of Divorce Financial Solutions, where she offers professional guidance and expertise required to make an informed and educated financial decision for those going through divorce.
She originated the workshop, Second Saturday – What Women Need To Know About Divorce in Austin. Run continuously each month for five years, it has helped over 500 women (and some men) deal with the legal, financial and psychological issues of divorce. Melanie and her team have donated hundreds of hours to help teach and empower those going through transition.
Johnson is a registered and licensed Independent Investment Advisor, a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™ , (CDFA™), completed specialized training in the financial issues of divorce and graduated from Texas State University. She has authored articles for legal, business and financial trade journals and has been quoted about financial planning and post-divorce in financial issues in magazines and newspapers.
Melanie frequently serves as a guest lecturer on investment, money management and divorce related topics to organizations such as the Austin Association of Marriage & Family Therapist, Hill Country Collaborative Law Group, Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Texas and other women’s organizations.
Melanie loves spending time with her family and being outdoors. She has lived in Austin, Texas all her life, but enjoys traveling whenever she can. Melanie is the mother of four children ages 5 to 21.
Bill Gregory
Chief Compliance Officer
Bill joined Beck Capital Management in 1997 after starting his career at Janus Funds. Bill coordinates with Clients and Fidelity Investments, ensuring accurate and timely information for the benefit of our valued clients. In 2009, Bill was promoted to a senior analyst position, having proven an exceptional ability to analyze technical information, incorporating it with our fundamental approach.
Mike Samouce
Senior Bond Manager
Mike’s experience and knowledge of bonds is on a level that very few people will ever attain. After selling his highly successful bond management company, he went on to develop a bond software program that is used today by many large pensions and life insurance company. Upon joining Beck Capital Management in 2006, Mike became our resident bond expert.
Don Cutrer, RFC
Don joined Beck Capital Management in 1997. He has expertise in Major Medical Insurance, Business Insurance, and Investments. After a successful career in management for a large technology company, in 1992 Don entered the financial planning field and is an outstanding resource for business owners.
