Joseph Fried

Joe attended Case Western Reserve University on full scholarship, graduated with an MBA, and was hired as an auditor by Ernst & Young. In 1983 he formed his own firm, from which he retired in 2022. During his 40-year career, Joe performed and supervised countless audits, and was AICPA-authorized peer reviewer for dozens of other audit firms. In 2003, Joe published his first book, How Social Security Picks Your Pocket, which chronicled the waste in the program, and called for a private option for participants. After publication, Joe was invited to share his thoughts in a 2-hour program called "A Conversation on Social Security." The other 5 contributors were President George W. Bush, Senator Grassley, Congressman JC Watts, Columnist David Hogberg, and the host, Jan Mickelson. Following the 2008 financial crisis, Joe wrote a unique book called, Who Really Drove the Economy into the Ditch. Unlike other analysts, Joe described the roots of the crisis, which went back to the early days of the Clinton Administration, and its push to eliminate the down payment requirement for home mortgage loans.