American Monetary Association

Roger Stone is an alternative historian who was one the legendary American Republican political consultant who has played a key role in the election of Republican presidents from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan to George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Stone also served as an assistant to Senator Bob Dole. Stone is the author of "The Man Who Killed Kennedy - the Case Against LBJ". Stone is also the author of Nixon's Secrets, a broader look at the rise and fall and rise and fall and final comeback of Richard Milhouse Nixon.

Key Takeaways:

[2:21] Comparing Richard Nixon with Barack Obama

[5:42] The importance of Nixon's China trip with the closing of the gold window

[8:12] Making the case that Lyndon Johnson was the linchpin of the JFK assassination

[11:44] LBJ and the Warren Commission

[12:13] Lee Harvey Oswald's role in the JFK assassination

[15:17] The possibility of Hillary's run for president in 2016

[18:01] The problem that continues to remain for America, the weakness of the dollar

[19:34] How the Republicans could use a weaker economy for a resurgence

Website Mentioned:

www.stonezone.com

Direct download: AMA_148_Roger_Stone.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:43am EDT

Avik Roy is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He is also the opinion editor at Forbes, and has advised Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on policy. In 2015, Roy was a senior advisor to former Texas governor Rick Perry; in 2012, he served as a health care policy advisor to Mitt Romney. He is the founder of Roy Healthcare Research, an investment research firm, and previously was an analyst and portfolio manager at Bain Capital and J.P. Morgan. Roy is the principal author of The Apothecary (the Forbes blog on health care policy and entitlement reform), as well as author of Transcending Obamacare: A Patient-Centered Plan for Near-Universal Coverage and Permanent Fiscal Solvency (2014) and How Medicaid Fails the Poor (2013). His research interests include the Affordable Care Act, universal coverage, entitlement reform, international health systems, veterans’ health care, and FDA policy.

Key Takeaways:

[1:34] Avik's "near universal" healthcare idea

[3:52] How the government could spend less money than we spend today, yet cover more people with better coverage

[6:47] How much of an impact breaking up regional medical clinic monopolies could have on healthcare costs

[8:56] Why it matters that we don't know how much our insurance is paying for medical care

[10:58] How Medicaid is failing

[13:26] Why we have to think of healthcare like any other market, and not some unique part of society

[15:14] The shocking revelation that for as much as the government spends on Medicaid, it might not actually be helping people

[17:28] The best way to understand Donald Trump

[20:20] How closing the border would lead to rising wages

Websites Mentioned:

www.twitter.com/avik
www.forbes.com/opinion
www.facebook.com/forbesaroy

Direct download: AMA_147_Avik_Roy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:22pm EDT

Paul Vigna is a markets reporter for The Wall Street Journal, covering equities and the economy. He writes for the MoneyBeat blog and hosts a daily news show of the same name.

Michael J. Casey writes for The Wall Street Journal, covering global finance in his “Horizons” column. He is a frequent contributor to the Journal’s MoneyBeat blog and co-authors the daily “BitBeat” with Paul Vigna. He is the host of the book-themed video series “WSJ Afterword” and a frequent guest on and host of “The News Hub” and “MoneyBeat.”

Paul and Michael are co-authors of the new book "The Age of Cryptocurrency".

Key Takeaways:

[1:12] How Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are challenging the world order

[3:14] How money not backed by a government is possible

[5:17] Anyone can make a cryptocurrency, including governments

[6:58] How you can set up your own cryptocurrency

[9:30] The issue of concentration of ownership in Bitcoin and how it can be made more democratic

[12:16] If governments will use regulation to end cryptocurrency but how it would be pretty hard to do

[15:52] Decentralized exchanges and the Block Chain can be used for things such as copyrights, and how the Block Chain makes your claim irrefutable, and how you can do it

[18:58] Don't think of this as a currency, but rather an exchange of information

[22:16] What, if anything, the average person should be doing with cryptocurrency right now

[22:58] Different potential ways to invest in cryptocurrencies

Websites Mentioned:

www.theageofcryptocurrency.com
www.wsj.com

Direct download: AMA_146_Vigna_Casey.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:57pm EDT

Mary Spio is Chief Visionary & Product Architect at CEEK VR. She started her career as a Deep Space Engineer working with companies such as Boeing Digital Cinema, Intelsat and Aerospace Corp developing technologies that have changed media and communications. Through her ventures she's provided technical guidance and content solutions for over 200 radio stations, Microsoft XBOX, Tribune News Company, Coca Cola, Toyota and much more.

Every once in a while something comes along with the potential to shift the way we do things, as a Digital Cinema pioneer at Boeing, she had the rare opportunity to help create the technology that changed the entire movie distribution paradigm working with Lucas Films, 20th Century Fox and other major studios. From there she pioneered an online video distribution platform that became the defacto standard for many media companies and brands to distribute their content digitally. And now…here she is again building what she believes will be the standard for mixed reality content creation and distribution CEEK.

Mary talks with Jason about where virtual reality is now, where it's going and what it all means for the individual.

Key Takeaways:

[2:28] How quickly technology in the virtual reality world is changing

[4:57] The best VR technology on the market today

[6:31] The difference between virtual and augmented reality

[9:34] Mary describes a virtual reality experience

[12:17] How CEEK has had to meld their new technology with existing file types

[15:35] The consumer readiness of VR technology and how phones might be the first things targeted

[18:05] How Mary got into the VR world

[20:56] The entry cost for VR technology

Website:
www.ceek.com

Direct download: AMA_145_Mary_Spio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:54am EDT

JC Watts is a former Congressman from Oklahoma, President of Feed the Children, co-chair of the Coalition for AIDS Relief in Africa, founder and Chairman of JC Watts Companies and Watts Consulting Group. He's also the author of the new book Dig Deep: 7 Truths for Finding the Strength Within.

In Dig Deep, J.C. Watts offers seven powerful maxims that have kept him grounded throughout his roller-coaster career from star college quarterback to U.S. Congressman. The first black Republican ever elected to a leadership position in Congress, Watts resisted the rat-race of Washington and eventually declined re-election. His seven simple principles are a blueprint for living a fulfilling and meaningful life without falling to the temptations of reckless ambition or indulgence. Dig Deep is a powerful, simple guide that will help readers find the courage and faith to live the best life possible.

Key Takeaways:

[6:13] The need for more tax payers, and how you create that

[10:43] Why adversity can be good for us, as long as we're willing to change

[14:05] Why "we've always done it this way" isn't good enough anymore

[17:00] JC's work with Feed the Children

[19:45] How forgiving can set you free

[23:18] An unfortunate series of events leading up to JC's first elected office that taught him an important lesson in forgiveness

Websites Mentioned:

www.wattsconsultinggroup.com
Dig Deep: 7 Truths to Finding the Strength Within

Direct download: AMA_144_JC_Watts.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:24pm EDT

Henry Olsen is an elections analyst and political essayist who studies conservative politics, both here and abroad. He looks at election returns and poll data to understand why people vote the way they do and how conservative politicians and thinkers can best advance their ideas in the climate they face. Olsen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Prior to that, he was a vice president at the American Enterprise Institute, a vice president at the Manhattan Institute, and president of the Commonwealth Foundation. He has also been a lawyer at the firm currently known as Dechert, a clerk for the Honorable Judge Danny J. Boggs on the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, a staffer for the California Assembly Republican Caucus, and an associate at the political consulting firm of Hoffenblum-Mollrich. Olsen graduated with a B.A. in political science from Claremont McKenna College, and received his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. His new book is called The Four Faces of the Republican Party.

Mr. Olsen has worked in senior executive positions at many center-right think tanks. He most recently served from 2006 to 2013 as Vice President and Director, National Research Initiative, at the American Enterprise Institute. He previously worked as Vice President of Programs at the Manhattan Institute and President of the Commonwealth Foundation.

Key Takeaways:

[4:22] Why more funding hasn't solved our educational systems woes

[9:05] The odd discrepancy of how technology hasn't driven down the cost of college education

[14:32] Examining the Bernie Sanders tax plan

[19:29] The Republican candidates tax plans

[23:39] Why moving to a European style society might hurt the people who are down right now but want to get back on their feet

[25:18] Trump's laughable tax plan

Websites Mentioned:

www.henryolsenpolitics.com

www.twitter.com/henryolseneppc

The Four Faces of the Republican Party

Direct download: AMA_143_Henry_Olsen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:16pm EDT

Jeffrey Lord, a former Reagan White House political director, is a columnist and contributing editor for The American Spectator. He is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His work has been published around the country, including The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Weekly Standard, National Review Online, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Harrisburg Patriot-News.

He is also the author of the new book "What America Needs: The Case for Trump". Jason and Jeffrey recently talked about if a Trump presidency was actually possible, and, if it was, what it might actually look like.

Key Takeaways:

[1:48] How the media has portrayed Trump and the misportrayals of Trump supporters

[4:11] The dangers of political correctness

[7:46] The condescension of people toward Trump supporters and how Trump and Ronald Reagan have something in common

[9:23] The history of liberal smear tactics

[12:07] How a conservative like Jeffrey ended up a CNN contributor

[13:27] What the average Trump supporter ACTUALLY looks like

[14:54] What draws people to Trump

[15:34] Why the details don't matter

[20:35] The KKK relationship with the Democrats

[21:52] Contrasting what Trump is suggesting doing with the Muslim nationalization process to what FDR did following Pearl Harbor to Japanese, Germans and Italians

[24:25] How Trump reminds Jeffrey of a certain Eddie Murphy character

[27:07] How Trump is using his media savvy to run his campaign on the cheap

[30:51] What a Trump presidentcy might look like

[33:10] The economy that comes from having a tough guy in the Oval Office

Websites Mentioned

What America Needs, The Case For Trump on Amazon

Direct download: AMA_142_Jeffrey_Lord.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:31am EDT

Richard C. Wilson is CEO of The Miami Family Office, a $500M AUM single family office. Richard is also the founder of Wilson Holding Company which employs over 30 professionals and produces over $10M a year in revenue through various operating businesses which include Billionaire Family Office and The Family Club, the largest membership-based family office association (FamilyOffices.com), along with holdings in the training, single family office management (SingleFamilyOffices.com), investment conference, search, data research, physical bullion, private equity (PrivatEquity.com), food, and energy industries.

Richard has spoken at over 150 conferences in 17 countries and has the #1 bestselling book in the family office industry, The Single Family Office: Creating, Operating, and Managing the Investments of a Single Family Office.  Richard has his undergraduate degree from Oregon State University, his M.B.A. from University of Portland, and has studied master’s level psychology through Harvard’s ALM program while previously residing in Boston.

Key Takeaways:

[2:20] Why you should care about what people worth $20+ million are doing with their money

[4:13] Some important terminology for dealing with family offices

[6:35] Looking back at some of the original family offices and the changes that have taken place since then

[10:49] Why there's a need for family offices

[14:11] How the middle class investor can take the framework of a family office and use it to fit their situation

[16:26] A key strategy you can take from family offices of the ultra-wealthy

[19:24] What sorts of holdings the family offices have

[22:56] Why the US is the haven for the ultra-wealthy

[26:26] Family offices, surprisingly, sometimes even go after distressed markets

[27:38] How you can find a family office to partner with in your deals

Websites Mentioned:

www.familyoffices.com

Direct download: AMA_141_Richard_Wilson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:53pm EDT

Chris Dancy is touted as “the Most Connected Man on Earth,” and the world is watching those connections carefully. For 25 years, Dancy has served in leadership within the technology and healthcare industries, specializing in the intersection of the two.

Chris entered the public dialog concerning digital health as the media started to focus on wearable technology. He earned his moniker by utilizing up to 700 sensors, devices, applications, and services to track, analyze, and optimize his life--from his calorie intake to his spiritual well-being. This quantification enables him to see the connections of otherwise invisible data, resulting in dramatic upgrades to his health, productivity, and quality of life.

A noted keynote speaker and executive workshop retreat facilitator, Chris guides organizations and audiences on a journey--a disruptive, breathtaking journey--into the future of computing, when behavior becomes the ultimate interface.

Key Takeaways:

[3:27] Every major corporation is surveilling you, they just have a different name for it to make it sound better

4:27] Chris tells Jason how he went about starting to collect data on himself and how he decided what to do with it

[7:13] How Chris' background as a Database Analyst led him to be able to collect all his data on himself

[9:07] The one piece of equipment that's already doing tracking for you, whether you know it or not

[10:29] How categorizing your purchases by feeling rather than type can change the way you view your habits

[11:35] Wanting to collect data is good, but data isn't very high on the food chain of your life

[12:28] The internet is turning into the INNERnet

[14:06] What could cause the death of apps

[16:42] As technology improves, we're heading towards devices that can track anything we want, from blood oxygen to reading blood with spectral imaging

[18:29] How marketing could be changed as companies are able to get more and more data about our lives and the one place on Earth that's ALREADY doing this

[20:02] The new world of data collection and surveillance is new and, admittedly, scary

[21:00] Whether we should be optimistic or pessimistic about the direction we're headed with technology and surveillance

[23:11] What is singularity and how far off it might be

[24:45] The people who are going to be the most important as we move into quantum computing

Websites Mentioned:

www.chrisdancy.com
www.twitter.com/chrisdancy

Tweetables:

[6:32] "there's this interesting relationship about our lives when you experience everything through a connected interface, that you realize there's filtered information that you can benefit from"

[8:03] "We're entering an age very rapidly, in the next 4 years (and I'd say we're already, it's done), where you can't afford to live without the internet"

[18:08] "Disney's probably the most surveilled, convenient, safe space on Earth"

[19:57] "People don't have the ability to not weaponize facts, and we live in a world full of facts and data"

Direct download: AMA_140_Chris_Dancy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:42am EDT

John G. Taft is CEO of RBC Wealth Management in the U.S. Mr. Taft is responsible for RBC's wealth management growth strategy in the U.S. which consists of helping clients achieve their financial objectives through a full- service wealth management offering (investment management, retirement planning, cash management, credit and lending, insurance trust, estate planning and other solutions); and enhancing the productivity of financial advisors and relationship managers in RBC's Private Client Group, Correspondent Services, Advisor Services and U.S.-based international businesses.

Mr. Taft has worked in financial services since 1981. He has served as Chairman-Elect and Chairman of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), the leading securities industry trade group representing securities firms, banks and asset managers in the United States. He is an industry thought leader who frequently speaks at government and industry events and who is widely quoted in the media. He is also executive sponsor of the firm's PRIDE group, representing the interests of LGBT employees and clients.

He is the author of “A Force for Good: How Enlightened Finance Can Restore Faith in Capitalism,” for which Mr. Taft gathered more than 20 industry leaders to share their fresh perspectives on creating solutions for positive social outcomes and a sustainable financial future. He is also the author of "Stewardship: Lessons Learned from the Lost Culture of Wall Street," which explores the importance of stewardship as a core principle.

Jason talks with John about the state of the financial services industry today, what it COULD be, and how we can get it there again.


Key Takeaways:

[4:10] Why Wall Street falls into the cycle of corruption at least once every generation

[5:22] If anyone actually goes to work on Wall Street to help people

[6:39] John gives a surprise example of a country whose financial sector is doing what we want ours to do, but with a lot fewer financial institutions

[7:33] Why financial services institutions actually exist (hint: it's not to make money for the share holders)

[8:56] Why the original reasoning for Wall Street is so important, and where you can look today to prove that it's still true

[10:22] The important fact about capitalism that gets lost in the income inequality discussion

[12:37] Real markets vs the expectations market and the importance of keeping them separate

[15:36] Trying to find a solution to the reoccurring financial services industry problems, whether that be more regulation, less regulation, or something out of left field

[18:11] The "Future of Finance" initiative being done by the Charter Financial Analysts to try and bring morality back into the financial services industry

[19:03] Why the term "financial innovation" doesn't have to make you cringe and shield your wallet

[20:48] RBC Wealth Management's views on their belief that we're in a long term secular bull market for equities

Websites Mentioned:

www.cfainstitute.org
Robert Shiller's book - Finance and the Good Society
www.rbcwealthmanagement.com

Direct download: AMA_139_John_Taft.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:09pm EDT