HerbVest.com

TRUE

AdShuffle

Metric

HDVMS

Instructions To My Officers

Murder in Gainesville

Herb D. Vest

UNIVERSITY DEGREES

Bachelor of Science (BS), Political Science - West Texas State University, 1966
Master of Science (MS), Taxation - Texas Tech University, 1973
Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) - The American College, 1991
Master of Science in Management (MSM) - The American College, 1991
Juris Doctor (JD) ⁱ - William Howard Taft University, 1993
Doctor of International Business Administration (DIBA) - Nova Southeastern University, 1994
Master of Laws (LLM) - Southern Methodist University, 1998

POSTGRADUATE WORK

Princeton University - Investment Management, 1981
School of Mortgage Banking - Mortgage Banking, 1988
Wharton School, University of PA - Investment Management, 1989
Campaign Management College - Political Campaigns, 1990
Harvard Law School - Negotiations, 1995

PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS ⁱⁱ

Accounting and Taxation
Certified Public Accountant, TX (CPA)
Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
Employee Benefits
Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS)
Pension and Executive Compensation Certificate (PECC)
Financial Planning
Certified Financial Planner ™ (CFP™)
AICPA: Personal Financial Specialist (PFS)
Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)
Estate Planning and Taxation Certificate (EPTC)
Information Technology
Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
AICPA: Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP)
Insurance
Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU)
Registered Health Underwriter (RHU)
Master Fellow Life Management Institute (FLMI/M)
Investments
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
Law
Admitted to:
The State Bar of California
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States District Court, Eastern District of California
United States Court of Federal Claims
United States Tax Court
Management
Advanced Management Certificate (AMC)

LICENSES

Admitted to: The State Bar of California
Texas-Certified Public Accountant
Real Estate Broker - California, Oklahoma and Texas

NASD Series 4 Registered Options Principal
NASD Series 7 General Securities Representative
NASD Series 15 Foreign Currency Options
NASD Series 24 General Securities Principal
NASD Series 27 Financial Operations Principal
NASD Series 53 Municipal Securities Principal
NASD Series 63 Uniform Securities State Law
NASD Series 65 Uniform Investment Advisor Law

PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

Mensa
Intertel
Triple Nine Society
Senior Research Fellow - International Society for Philosophical Inquiry

BOARD MEMBERSHIPS

U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce - National (Past)
U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce - Southwest Chapter (Past)
Southern Methodist University School of Law Executive Board (Past)
Chairman of the Board, H.D. Vest, Inc. (Past)
Chairman, Investment Advisory Committee, H.D. Vest Advisory Services, Inc. (Past)
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative - Investment Policy Committee (Past)
What's On Business Horizons - NAFTA Magazine (Past)
American Small Businesses Association (Past)
North Lake and Tarrant County Colleges - Advisory (Past)
Irving Chamber of Commerce (Past)
Profit Information Technology for Entrepreneurs (Past)

AWARDS

Ernst & Young 1999 Entrepreneur of the Year
100 Most Influential People in Accounting, Accounting Today, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000
Entrepreneur of the Year (Finalist), Inc. Magazine, 1992
Outstanding Young Man of the Year (Nominee), United States Jaycees, 1979
Distinguished Service Award of Outstanding Community Service, Jaycees, 1978
Distinguished Service Award, Irving Chamber of Commerce, 1980

BOOKS

The Reaction of World Market Correlations to German Reunification and Privatization (Dissertation submitted to Nova Southeastern University, 1994)

WEALTH: How to Get It, How to Keep It, The H.D. Vest System for Achieving Financial Security (AMACOM, 1994) co-authored with Lynn R. Niedermeier

WEALTH WORKOUT, H.D. Vest's Wealth Building Program for Life (Irwin, 1996) co-authored with Lynn R. Niedermeier

ARTICLES

Numerous articles have been published by and about me. A listing of these articles is available upon request.

MEDIA

I have been a guest on several radio and TV broadcasts.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Prior to 1966
I had numerous jobs during grade school, junior high, high school and college, including newspaper delivery, caddie, carpenter helper, masonry helper, lumber yard hand, lumber sales, gas station attendant, bookkeeper, dock worker (union membership), truck driver, yard worker, painter and other miscellaneous jobs.

From 1966 to 1971
I served as a U.S. Army Infantry Officer, attaining the rank of Captain. During this time, I spent two tours of duty in Vietnam as a platoon leader, as a commander of a 150-man infantry company and as intelligence officer to an infantry battalion.

While with the U.S. Army, I completed the 36-week Chemical Officer's Career Course, which included deployment of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. I also completed the Infantry Officer's Career Course, Combat Tracker Course at the British Jungle Warfare School in Malaysia and the Psychological Warfare Course. I had a Top Secret security clearance.

During my tenure with the U.S. Army, I was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Parachutist Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge and the Combat Tracker Tab.

From 1973 to 1983
I was in public accounting. My firm performed diversified tasks for clients, including audits of financial statements. The bulk of my practice, however, consisted of tax preparation and advice.

I also taught courses on income taxation on a part-time basis at the University of Texas at Arlington (Law of Individual Income Taxation, Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting) and at North Lake College (Law of Taxation of Real Estate Transactions).

From 1983 to the July 2001
I was Chairman of the Board of H.D. Vest, Inc. since its inception until its merger with Wells Fargo in 2001. Founded in 1983 on a shoestring, the company offers financial services and products through a national network of approximately 6,000 tax and financial professionals who, collectively, advise an estimated two million individuals and small business clients. Their corporate office, located in the Dallas metroplex, had more than 400 employees and was rapidly expanding. During my eighteen-year tenure as CEO the company grew from $0 to nearly $200 million in revenue. It had an average capital turnover of approximately 20 times with an average growth in revenue of 29% during the prior ten years and 34% over the prior five years. H.D. Vest, Inc. was traded on NASDAQ under the symbol of HDVS.

From July 2001 until 2003
I concentrated my efforts on travel, study and other personal growth activities.

From 2003 until Present

True.com:
I am the founder and CEO of TRUE. This internet company is dedicated to developing and improving human relationships. Funding a multi-million dollar psychological research project, the company has developed the only compatibility test certified by an independent firm of psychologists as conforming to the standards of testing of the American Psychological Association. By comparing the individual's test results with others, members are paired in the order of the likelihood of a successful dating or long-term relationship. The company spearheads the effort to make dating safer by requiring applicants to undergo background checks and agree to a code of ethics before becoming members.

AdShuffle:
I am the founder and CEO of AdShuffle. AdShuffle was created in 2005 by a group of veteran Internet executives who found that existing ad serving and marketing technology was unable to meet competitive business needs. AdShuffle integrates both advertiser and publisher solutions within the same interface. AdShuffle's real-time architecture delivers custom reporting, creative and landing page optimization, and remarketing, as well as advanced inventory management and forecasting. AdShuffle is committed to creating solutions that meet the current and future needs of our clients, leading the industry in product innovation and setting the standard in client services. AdShuffle- the first, best and only choice for ad serving.

Metric Interactive:
I am the founder and CEO of Metric Interactive. Metric Interactive is an independent full-service interactive agency, with expertise in creative optimization. Created in 2007 to respond to the unique opportunities of the Internet, Metric specializes in using performance data to turn smart ideas into revenue – at the pace that today’s digital marketplace demands. Metric’s team of experienced marketing and creative professionals provide best-in-class solutions for every marketing need, including design, copywriting, media planning and buying, interactive marketing and brand identity.

H.D. Vest Investigations:
I am the founder and CEO of HD Vest Investigations, a firm created to reveal the truth behind my father’s, Harold “Buddy” Vest, murder in Gainesville, Texas, June 28, 1946.

PERSONAL

Born
August 12, 1944, in Battlecreek, Michigan
Reared in Borger, Texas.

Languages
English (Native Speaker)
Spanish (Beginner)
Esperanto (Introductory)
I have studied Spanish by living with families in Madrid, Spain, and Cuernavaca, Mexico, as well as attending classes in Dallas during the week. While living with the families, no English was spoken and, therefore, speedy adaptation to the language was required. In addition, living in the native household gave me valuable insight into the culture of the host country.

Scuba Diving
I hold the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) professional designation of Divemaster. I am also a Master Scuba Diver and Rescue Diver. In addition, I hold specialty certifications in Archaeology, Aquanaut, Boat Diver, Deep Diver, Diver Propulsion Systems, Drift Diver, Equipment Specialist, Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox), Kayak Diver, Marine Biology, Multilevel Diver, Night Diver, O2 Provider, Research Diver, Shark Diver, Underwater Communications, Underwater Naturalist, Underwater Navigator, Underwater Photographer, and Underwater Videographer.

I am particularly interested in shark diving. In 1997, I completed the Shark Feeder Program administered by the Underwater Explorer Society on Grand Bahama Island. During this program, I performed five dives in which I hand-fed seven- to nine-foot gray reef sharks. The program is at the professional level. It is designed to train divers to interact with sharks for scientific and entertainment purposes. Prior to this program, I hand-fed blue sharks off the coast of San Diego. While feeding the blue sharks, I had the opportunity to observe a mako circling in the vicinity.

In February 1999, I also participated in a white shark expedition conducted by the White Shark Research Institute of South Africa at Dyer Island and Geyser Rock, located approximately 15 kilometers from Gansbaai between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas. Known to shark enthusiasts as "Shark Alley," this location provided ample opportunity to observe white sharks from a shark cage and from a boat. From the cage, I viewed 3- to 4.3-meter white sharks within arm's reach. The experience was thrilling and educational. In the future, I would like to interact with whale sharks, tiger sharks, bull sharks, ragged tooth sharks, six- and seven-gill sharks, sand tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks, and manta rays in the wild.

In March 1999, I participated in the Scott Carpenter Man in the Sea Program (MITS) in Key Largo, Florida. The program is designed to introduce divers to the latest technology being used by the commercial diving and scientific communities to live and work at extreme depths. During the program, I spent 22 hours in an underwater habitat. This is known as an absorption dive. In an absorption dive, the diver's body is fully absorbed with the increased nitrogen level in the cells induced by the pressure at that depth. The depth was above that which requires decompression. Excursions from the habitat were made to an undersea marine biology laboratory. Here I helped gather samples of and conducted experiments on algae, plankton and marine animals. This research was designed to not harm the organism or the environment. Excursions from the habitat also included an opportunity to conduct an underwater archaeological search of a simulated Spanish sailing vessel wrecked by a storm in the seventeenth century.

During the MITS program, I participated in tethered diving from a bell. The dive involved entrance into the bell through a decompression chamber. The bell was then lowered to a no-decompression depth where we exited the bell to disassemble and reassemble pipes using tools. During the excursion, we used the latest in underwater communications equipment. We then reentered the bell and were brought back to the surface for exit back through the decompression chamber. This system is used to allow absorption divers to descend to extreme depths, perform a task and ascend to the surface without decompression. Divers can then be transported in the decompression chamber with the bell to a dive site in another part of the world without the weeks of decompression that would otherwise be necessary.

I also had the opportunity at MITS to operate a one-person mini-submersible on a submerged mission exploring a lagoon. This mission included operations of the controls, monitoring systems, checklists and safety procedures.

I left MITS with a profound sense of awe and respect for the brave men and women who daily put their lives at risk and endure untold hardships for the sake of scientific inquiry and husbandry of the vast domain of the ocean's resources. Like its cousin, space exploration, ocean exploration will yield huge dividends to mankind for decades to come.

DEFENSIVE SHOOTING

Certificates in Defensive Handgun I, II, and III - Fifteen days of police training at Thunder Ranch, 2001.
Certificates in Urban Rifle I and II - Ten days of police training at Thunder Ranch, 2001. I was featured in an article about Thunder Ranch in S.W.A.T. magazine.
Certificates in High Intensity Training - Six days of police training in Handgun and Urban Rifle at Thunder Ranch, 2001
Certificate in Team Tactics - Three days of police training at Thunder Ranch, 2001.
In addition I have had training in shotgun and automatic weapons at Gunsite in 2002.

HIGH PERFORMANCE DRIVING

Grand Prix Road Racing - Attended this four day school several times from 1995 through 2002. Bondurant School of High Performance Driving
Advanced Road Racing - Attended this four day school several times from 1995 through 2002. Bondurant School of High Performance Driving
Anti-Kidnapping - Attended this four day school several times from 1995 through 2002. Bondurant School of High Performance Driving
Attended Panoz and Skip Barber Racing Schools
SCCA Racing License
Participated in several SCCA sponsored races

TRAVEL

Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Republic of China - U.S. Army
France, Hungary, Sweden and Denmark - Trade Mission
Africa - Game viewing and observation of indigenous cultures in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi
Zaire - Gorilla tracking
Belize - Business
Antarctic Circle via "SS Explorer" - Observation of various species of birds, penguins, whales and seals; two voyages
Chile - Exploring Chilean fjords
Falkland Islands - Observation of penguin rookeries and elephant seals
Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Isle of Man, France, Germany, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Spain, Norway, Italy and Greece - Business, tourism and study
Republic of China, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China - Trade Mission
North Pole via Russian Nuclear Ice Breaker "Yamal"
Canada - Sea-kayaking and fauna and flora observation
Bahamas - Shark diving
Tanzania - Climbing expedition to Kilimanjaro (failed due to illness)
Australia - White shark expedition
Alaska - Kayaking and voyages to observe whales and other aquatic life
Costa Rica - Studies of fauna and flora in the jungle
South America - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Colombia, Paraguay and Brazil - Studies in fauna and flora and South American cultures
Galapagos Islands - Studies in evolution of autochthonous species of fauna and flora and the climatic effect of El Niño on these life forms
Amazon - Traveled over 2,000 miles by ship from Iquitos, Peru, to Belém, Brazil, studying fauna and flora and indigenous people
South Georgia Island - Observation of seabirds, penguin rookeries and elephant seals
Argentina - Tierra del Fuego
Southeast Asia - Culture studies in Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Laos and Thailand
Japan - Culture studies
Mexico - Scuba diving, Mayan and Spanish cultural and language studies
Egypt - Both ancient and modern culture studies. Scuba diving off the tip of the Sinai Peninsula
Middle East - Both ancient and modern culture studies in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel
South Africa - Scuba diving, cultural studies, studies of fauna and flora including jackass penguins and various aquatic birds and fish
Ireland and Scotland - Cultural and historical studies
Republic of Seychelles - Scuba diving, tourism

OTHER INTERESTS

Cultural studies, philosophy, New York and London Theater, water sports, skydiving, auto racing (former SCCA and IMSA National Racing Licenses), gliding, hot air ballooning, future studies, cosmology, earth science, foreign affairs and others.

ⁱThe Supreme Court of California approves William Howard Taft University for the legal education requirement to sit for the California Bar Examination. It is NOT accredited by The American Bar Association (ABA). I passed the California Bar Examination in February 1996 and am licensed to practice law in that state. The pass rate for the California Bar Examination in February 1996 was 42%. The California State Bar does not release examination scores of successful applicants. However, they do authorize the National Committee of Bar Examiners to advise the applicant if he or she qualifies for admission without examination in certain states. The highest requirement for these states was 152. Since I did qualify, my Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) score for the February 1996 examination was 152 or higher. This places me in at least the top 20% taking the MBE on that date. The MBE is a uniform bar exam given in nearly every jurisdiction. All but a few applicants are graduates of ABA-accredited law schools. Subsequently, I have completed a Master of Laws degree from Southern Methodist University, an ABA-accredited law school.

ⁱⁱProfessional credentials and licenses are awarded by various governmental and quasi-governmental agencies and by professional organizations. Names, addresses and telephone numbers of these agencies and organizations (some of which I am no longer a member) are included in the addendum to this resume. Also included in the addendum are the names, addresses and telephone numbers of referenced educational institutions and their accrediting agencies. The addendum is available upon request. General public inquiries concerning credential verification, past or current disciplinary proceedings against certificate holders and licensee are available from the educational institutions, agencies and organizations upon request. There are no current disciplinary proceedings against me nor is there any history of past disciplinary actions.