Current Financial Figures and Organizations You Should Know

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US Department of the Treasury: Headquartered in Washington, DC the Department of Treasury is an executive department that is responsible for producing all US currency, collecting taxes, paying bills, managing government accounts, supervising national banks, advising on domestic and international financial, monetary, economic, trade and tax policy (advises on fiscal policy, the ultimate responsibly of Congress), enforcing tax laws, and publishing statistical reports (wiki).

Timothy Geithner 

(Secretary of Treasury)

Who is in Charge?

Timothy Geithner, former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has been the Secretary of the Treasury since January 2009.

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The Federal Reserve System (the Fed): Headquartered in Washington, DC the Fed is the central banking system of the US responsible for addressing problems with banking panics, to strike a balance between private interests of banks and the centralized responsibility of government, to manage the US money supply, to maintain the stability of the financial system, to provide financial services to depository institutions, and to ultimately strengthen the US standing in the world economy.

The Fed structure is composed of the presidential appointed Board of Governors, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), twelve regional Fed Reserve Banks, privately owned US member banks, and various advisory councils. The FOMC is the committee responsible for setting monetary policy and these policy decisions do not have to be approved by the President or anyone else in the executive or legislative branches. The authority of the Fed is derived from statutes enacted by the US Congress and is subject to congressional oversight (wiki).

Ben Bernanke

(Chairman)

Who is in Charge?

Ben Bernanke, former tenured professor at Princeton and scholar of the Great Depression, has been the Chairman of the Federal Reserve since February 2006.

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International Monetary Fund (IMF): Headquartered in Washington, DC the IMF is an organization of 187 countries that work towards fostering global monetary cooperation, securing financial stability, facilitating international trade, promoting high employment, sustaining economic growth and reducing poverty around the world (wiki).

Christine Lagarde

(Managing Director)

Who is in Charge?

Christine Lagarde, a former French lawyer, has been the managing director since July 5^th, 2011

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The European Central Bank (ECB): Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany the ECB is in charge of defining and implementing monetary policy for the Eurozone, to conduct foreign exchange operations, to take care of the foreign reserves of the European System of Central Banks, and promote smooth operation of the financial market infrastructure. The ECB has the authority to issue euro banknotes and members states have to ask the ECB for permission before issuing euro coins. Recently, in May 2010, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) was created to safeguard financial stability in Europe by providing financial assistance to Eurozone Member States (wiki).

Mario Draghi

(President)

Who is in Charge?

Mario Draghi, former governor of the Bank of Italy, has been the President of the ECB since November 2011.

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A Few Faces You Should Know:
Lloyd Blankfein (CEO and Chairman of Goldman Sachs): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Blankfein

Jamie Dimon (Chairman, President & CEO of JP Morgan): http://topics.bloomberg.com/jamie-dimon/

Henry Paulson (former Secretary of the Treasury & CEO of GS): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Paulson

Bill Gross (Co-Founder of PIMCO): http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/20/power-09_William-H-Gross_3ESQ.html

Warren Buffet (Chairman & CEO of Berkshire Hathaway): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Buffett

Bill Gates (Chairman of Microsoft): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_gates