How do we change the world? Not through corporations and political parties from the top-down, but through men and women of good will from the bottom-up. Not as an alienated flock, but as a cooperative pack. Not with abstractions and transactions, but with making, protecting and teaching. Let's gooooooo!

Epsilon Theory #9: Make, Protect, Teach

The inevitable result of financial innovation gone awry, which it ALWAYS does, is that it ALWAYS ends up empowering the State. When too clever by half people misplay the meta-game, that’s all the excuse the State needs to come swooping in and crush them, just as they are with Bitcoin today they did with Bear and Lehman in 2008. Installment #10 from Notes from the Field.

Notes From the Field

Epsilon Theory on Tape: Too Clever By Half

The student loan crisis is a Big Deal. And it is only a part of a Bigger Deal: the Myth of College. 

This issue will be front-and-center in the upcoming elections. We will all be handed our very own 'Yay, College' signs to raise high. More often than not, we will be asked to raise them in service of market-distorting policies which will make our problems worse.

Mysterious Madeline

Epsilon Theory on Tape: Starry Eyes and Starry Skies

In this episode we discuss how the upcoming November election is shaping the current political and economic landscape. We discuss why inflation, the stock market and the war in the Middle East are all being viewed through a political lens as the election approaches and those with a vested interest seek to influence its outcome . We also discuss the prevalence of conspiracy theories, the erosion of trust in institutions, and the importance of curiosity in a left brain focused world.

Breaking News #19: Number Go Up For November

In this episode of Breaking News we look at the impact of the presidential debate and the role it played in changing the common knowledge about President Biden's fitness for office. We explore the concept of common knowledge and illustrate how public perception shifts when everyone knows that everyone else knows something. We discuss the implications for the 2024 election, the role of media in shaping these narratives, and the potential fallout within the Democratic Party. Intertwining serious political analysis with lighter anecdotes, including a story about the Beastie Boys' early days, we emphasize the importance of community and shared understanding in navigating these turbulent times. Join us as we break down what's making us tick with clear eyes and full hearts.

Breaking News #24: The Debate That Changed Everything | Joe Biden's Common Knowledge Moment

In this episode of The Intentional Investor, Matt Zeigler talks with Grant Williams, a veteran of the finance industry and creator of the popular newsletter "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..." Grant shares fascinating stories from his career journey, from trading Japanese equities in the 1980s to founding Real Vision. He discusses his approach to writing and interviewing, emphasizing the importance of building trust with an audience and focusing on quality content rather than chasing numbers. Grant also reflects on his experiences living and working around the world, the challenges of moving his family internationally, and his passion for sports. Throughout the conversation, he offers valuable insights on communication, community-building, and maintaining curiosity in both investing and life.

Intentional Investor #10: Grant Williams

The Intentional Investor with Matt Ziegler welcomes Mike Green, a veteran investor and financial thinker. In this wide-ranging conversation, Green offers a candid look at his journey in the financial world, blending personal anecdotes with thoughtful analysis of markets and investing. His stories highlight the unpredictable nature of both markets and life, and the importance of continuous learning and adaptation.
This episode provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a seasoned investor, offering lessons applicable to both financial markets and life in general.

Intentional Investor #13: Mike Green

Allergies. We either have them or know some one who does. Ranging from life threatening to mildly irritating, they're one of life's constant annoyances. And they're getting worse. We have more allergies now than ever before. Rusty Guinn joins Cursed Knowledge to talk about why allergies are more common, and if there's anything we can do about it.

Spiegeltent

Cursed Knowledge #29: Allergies

In this fascinating conversation, Matt Zeigler sits down with Jason Buck, co-founder of Mutiny Fund, to explore the unexpected intersections between entrepreneurship, risk management, and personal development. From selling mixtapes in rural Michigan to developing real estate in Charleston and ultimately founding an innovative investment firm, Jason's journey challenges conventional wisdom about success and risk-taking.

The Intentional Investor #18: Jason Buck

In this engaging episode of The Intentional Investor, host Matt Ziegler interviews Eric Markowitz, exploring his fascinating journey from investigative journalism to investment research. The conversation weaves through Eric's formative years, professional evolution, and life-changing experiences, offering valuable insights into the intersection of media, investing, and personal growth.

The Intentional Investor #22: Eric Markowitz

In this profound follow-up conversation, Matt Zeigler welcomes back Ben Hunt to explore the evolution of Hunt's writing and worldview. Beginning with reflections on their childhood relationships with religion and storytelling, the discussion moves into Hunt's journey with Epsilon Theory – from its market-focused origins to his current philosophical crossroads.

The Intentional Investor #24: Ben Hunt

In this episode of The Intentional Investor, host Matt Zeigler sits down with Cullen Roche, an economist, writer, and financial maverick who has carved out a unique space in the world of finance through his independent thinking and unconventional approach. From his large Irish Catholic family to his journey through finance, Cullen shares an intimate look at how curiosity, non-conformity, and a commitment to understanding complex systems have shaped his professional and personal life.

The Intentional Investor #25 Cullen Roche

Join Matt Zeigler on The Intentional Investor podcast as he interviews Daryl Fairweather, Chief Economist at Redfin and author of the new book "Hate the Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work." In this engaging conversation, Daryl shares her journey from MIT to the University of Chicago, her experiences navigating corporate America, and how she applies economic principles to everyday life decisions. With her unique background spanning academia, tech, and real estate, Daryl offers fascinating insights on using economic frameworks to understand human behavior and make better decisions.

The Intentional Investor #27: Daryl Fairweather

In this episode of The Intentional Investor, Matt Zeigler sits down with Brent Kochuba, founder of financial research firm SpotGamma. Brent shares his remarkable journey from network administrator to options trading expert, including his experiences at major financial institutions, surviving market crashes, and ultimately building his own successful derivatives research business. With humor and candor, Brent reveals the unexpected paths that led him to where he is today, including family influences, career pivots, and seizing opportunities during uncertain times.

The Intentional Investor #28: Brent Kochuba

In this captivating episode of The Intentional Investor, Matt Zeigler sits down with Kris Abdelmessih, the mind behind Moontower. From his immigrant family upbringing in New Jersey to becoming a seasoned market maker who covered virtually every trading pit imaginable, Kris shares his fascinating journey through the financial world. Learn how key mentors, family influences, and pivotal life moments shaped his path from trading floors to becoming a respected financial writer.

The Intentional Investor #29: Kris Abdelmessih

In this episode of The Intentional Investor, Matt Zeigler sits down with Andrew Cohen, a former market maker at Bernie Madoff’s firm whose life took a dramatic turn when the largest Ponzi scheme in history unraveled. But this isn’t just a story about scandal—it's about resilience, reinvention, and redefining success on your own terms.

The Intentional Investor #30: Andrew Cohen

From bagpipes to bouncing to betting markets, Andrew Mack’s journey to becoming a successful trader and sports bettor is anything but conventional. In this deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation, Andrew opens up about the detours, doubts, and decisions that shaped his unlikely path from rural Canada to algorithmic trading. Along the way, he shares what working in oil fields, selling used cars, and studying sociology taught him about risk, discipline, and finding conviction in uncertainty. This is a story about reinvention, self-reliance, and the grit it takes to build your own edge from scratch.

The Intentional Investor #31: Andrew Mack

Bryan Moore, host of The Active Advisor Podcast and veteran ETF trader, joins us to share his remarkable journey through trading pits, ETF desks, market crashes, and more — including putting on a trade for the Vatican. In this conversation, Bryan reveals how embracing discomfort, risk, and uncertainty has been the key to his success in markets and life. From the trading floor to intentional investing, you’ll learn how to rethink risk, growth, and your investing mindset.

The Intentional Investor #32: Bryan Moore

In this episode of The Intentional Investor, Matt Zeigler sits down with John Stoj for a wide-ranging conversation that explores career reinvention, risk-taking, and the deeper purpose behind financial decisions. From an unexpected Wall Street entry via a summer internship, to launching a sushi business, to ultimately rethinking how investment advice should be delivered, John shares a journey filled with humility, humor, and hard-earned lessons.

The Intentional Investor #33: John Stoj

In this episode of *The Intentional Investor*, Matt Zeigler sits down with Rupert Mitchell—global capital markets veteran, writer, and founder of Blind Squirrel Macro—for a conversation that’s equal parts myth, markets, and meaning. From working on privatization deals in Cairo and Hong Kong’s ETF debut to reflections on career reinvention, cynicism in finance, and Norse mythology, Rupert brings a rare blend of depth, wit, and global experience. If you’ve ever wondered how a Spanish literature major ends up structuring billion-dollar deals—or how a squirrel from Norse myth can explain market dynamics—this one’s for you.

The Intentional Investor #34: Rupert Mitchell

In this episode of *The Intentional Investor, Matt Zeigler sits down with Devin Anderson — CEO and co-founder of Convexitas — for a wide-ranging conversation on startups, trading desks, and the lessons learned from navigating crises. From working at an internet company in high school to winding down risk at Deutsche Bank’s “bad bank,” Devin shares an unfiltered look at technology, entrepreneurship, derivatives, and risk management.

The Intentional Investor #35: Devin Anderson

In this episode of The Intentional Investor, Matt Zeigler sits down with Jenny Rozelle—attorney, business owner, and host of the Legal Tea podcast—to explore her journey from small-town Indiana to running a thriving law firm with her husband. Jenny shares stories of persistence, mentorship, and building a business that doubles as a community asset. From stubbornness as a superpower to balancing cattle chores with client calls, this conversation blends humor, resilience, and hard-earned lessons about investing in both life and work.

The Intentional Investor #36: Jenny Rozelle

Matt Zeigler sits down with Eric Pachman to explore how purpose, curiosity, and friendship powered an unlikely path from chemical engineering and ExxonMobil to Wall Street, data storytelling, and exposing hidden costs in healthcare. Eric shares the decisions and inflection points that shaped his life—becoming a parent during Harvard Business School, burning out and rebuilding energy as an introvert, and learning to make complex ideas useful—while offering practical frameworks for better decisions, communication, and impact.

The Intentional Investor #37: Eric Pachman

In this episode of Intentional Investor, Matt Ziegler sits down with Danielle Strachman, co-founder and general partner of 1517 Fund, former director at the Thiel Fellowship, and lifelong supporter of unconventional paths. Danielle shares her journey from a New England upbringing and music-filled childhood to starting a charter school during the financial crisis, building 1517 to back “dropouts, renegades, and sci-fi kids,” and embracing her role as a “professional fairy godmother.” Her story is one of resilience, creativity, and building communities that make a difference.

The Intentional Investor #38: Danielle Strachman

Tyrone Ross joins The Intentional Investor with Matt Zeigler for a conversation that goes far beyond markets — a story of grit, purpose, pain, and love. From growing up in the projects of New Jersey to becoming an elite athlete and mission-driven financial leader, Tyrone shares how the people who filled the gaps in his life helped shape his identity and purpose. This episode explores how embracing pain, service, and faith can transform setbacks into gifts, and how personal history informs a life of intentional investing and impact.

The Intentional Investor #39: Tyrone Ross

Adam Butler joins The Intentional Investor with Matt Zeigler for an honest, funny, and deeply reflective conversation that traces the origins of one of investing’s most thoughtful minds. From a Dungeons & Dragons-playing kid in Newfoundland to the CIO of Resolve Asset Management, Adam’s story is about curiosity, overconfidence, failure, reinvention, and finding purpose through markets. Along the way, he shares the lessons that shaped his worldview — and the mistakes that built his philosophy on risk, humility, and growth.

The Intentional Investor #40: Adam Butler

Pablos Holman is a legendary hacker, inventor, and investor whose career spans from rural Alaska to Blue Origin and beyond. In this episode of The Intentional Investor, Matt Zeigler explores how curiosity, creativity, and relentless experimentation shaped Pablos’s journey — from hacking onstage and pioneering early web development to building inventions that shoot mosquitoes with lasers and investing in deep-tech founders today. It’s a masterclass in innovation, persistence, and the mindset of people who make the impossible real.

The Intentional Investor #41: Pablos Holman

On episode 19 of the Epsilon Theory podcast, Dr. Ben Hunt is joined by Rusty Guinn, Salient’s executive vice president of asset management. Picking up from their last conversation on fake news, Ben and Rusty consider the kinds of information that we have at our disposal and if we are asking the right questions in our analysis — or just searching for the answers we want.

Epsilon Theory - Information, Please.

A conversation with Brian Portnoy, author of The Geometry of Wealth, about the role of money in shaping a life of meaning. How do we give better advice about money to others ... and to ourselves?

Epsilon Theory #2: Personal Finance

Very little of investing today is buying and selling shares of common stock in individual companies. Instead, we buy and sell what Wall Street calls "products". Mutual funds, ETFs, options, REITs, SPACs, etc. Dave Nadig, who literally wrote the book on ETFs, helps us understand the history and future of the business of Wall Street.

Epsilon Theory #6: The Business of Wall Street

Epsilon Theory is an exploration of the most powerful force in our social world - narrative. See more at www.epsilontheory.com.

Epsilon Theory

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