Founders

Erik L. Gebhard
President, Co-Founder
ALTAVEST Worldwide Trading, Inc.

Before trading commodities Erik acquired his Series 6 & 63 securities licenses and offered mutual funds and insurance products to clients. In 1991 Erik earned his Series 3 commodity broker license and not only serviced customer accounts, but he facilitated the development of paper trading programs and was a broker-representative at option trading seminars throughout the country. He then became a founding broker at a firm in Oregon where he was associate editor of their newsletter and author of their trading hotline.

Erik took some time away from the futures markets to study systems trading, but he soon returned to commodities as a partner in a Southern California brokerage. With six years of market experience, in 1997 Erik then partnered with Mike Armbruster to create ALTAVEST. Erik currently co-authors TradeScope™, periodically writes research and analysis papers, often times on gold and silver trading, and offers his personal brokerage services to traders.

His tip for trading longevity is to "know where you want out of a market before you get into a market." He stresses the importance of using a methodical trading plan that incorporates sensible money management. While maintaining an overall perspective on market fundamentals, he also uses traditional technical analysis to "fine-tune" entry and exit points. One of his favorite tools is Candlestick Analysis because it conveys price behavior quickly and effectively.

When Erik is away from the office he enjoys time with his family, golfing, sailing, cycling and vintage automobiles.

Michael A. Armbruster
CFO, Cofounder
ALTAVEST Worldwide Trading, Inc.

In 1986, while attending the University of Hawaii, Mike was introduced to the exciting world of commodities as an intern with Shearson Lehman Brothers. After his internship, he transferred to the University of Kansas where, as an undergraduate, he joined the KU rowing team and was elected captain after his second year. With a double-major in Business and Accounting, he continued his study at Kansas where he earned a Masters degree in Accounting in 1992. With degrees in hand, Mike's entry into the corporate world was with Trans World Airlines as an internal auditor. While at TWA, he was responsible for compliance and financial audits of the company's global operations in such locations as New York, London, Zurich and Cairo.

In 1994, Mike began his career as a commodity broker in Grants Pass, Oregon. While in Oregon, Mike specialized in servicing hundreds of clients who had been introduced to the commodity markets through the Ken Roberts trading course. After three years as a broker, Mike joined forces with Erik Gebhard in 1997 to found ALTAVEST. Mike currently co-authors TradeScope and also offers his personal brokerage services to select traders.

When Mike is away from the markets, he enjoys a round of golf, training for competitive cycling events, mountain bike trips in the Rockies, and of course, Jayhawk basketball.