audio by year 2009

15:06 minutes (17.28 MB)

Those who resolve to learn from past financial mistakes will be entering 2009 with a great deal of caution. 2008 was an epic year for the discovery of errors among regulators and financial institutions of all sorts, including money managers, investment banks, traditional banks, and insurance companies. When gigantic, well-established companies like Washington Mutual, AIG, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac collapse within a matter of months, we know that mistakes have been made.

12:16 minutes (11.23 MB)

Imagine this scenario: in the not-too distant future a man is cryogenically preserved until a cure can be found for his terminal disease. Before freezing himself, the man invests all of his money in real estate and stock market index funds. 200 years later, the defrosted man receives a pill that cures his disease...

13:58 minutes (12.8 MB)

The headlines would have you believe that a AIG, Bank of America, and other Wall Street titans decide the economy's fate.