Podcast appearances and mentions of Mark Skousen

Keith Weinhold explains why inflation has become a permanent part of the post–World War II economy and what that shift means for today's financial system.  He breaks down economist Dr. Mark Skousen's five structural reasons behind never-ending inflation and ties them to the hollowing out of the middle class and the "last generation to live normally" concept.  Keith then introduces opportunity cost as the biggest financial expense most people overlook and illustrates how leveraging low-cost, long-term debt to buy productive real assets can turn inflation into an advantage.  He closes by outlining a practical hierarchy for which debts to eliminate first and which to keep as tools for long-term wealth building. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/614 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  FAMILY to 66866  Unlock truly passive real estate income—visit flockhomes.com/GRE today to see if your properties qualify for a 721 exchange with Flock Homes. To get in the best physical, mental, and professional shape of your life, go to DanielThomasHind.com and apply for Daniel's intensive 1-on-1 coaching for burnt-out entrepreneurs and executives. Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com  Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold  0:01   Welcome to GRE. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. In less than 40 years, America has gone from 75% gasoline to permanent inflation. Then learn about the biggest financial expense you will ever have in your life. It's not taxes, housing, interest charges, inflation, children, or healthcare. Most people have never heard of it today on Get Rich Education. You know, Mid South Homebuyers, that top Memphis turnkey provider. I learned that a secret weapon behind their explosive growth is more than just you buying their properties. It's an executive coach. For nine years now. Their CEO Terry Kerr and his COO Pat Nix have worked privately with a coach who I've now learned from too, and he doesn't market himself online anywhere. After 12 years behind the scenes, that coach is now making himself available exclusively for GRE listeners. His name is Daniel Thomas Hind. If you're a hard-charging business owner or investor who wants to get in the best shape of your life, physically, mentally, and professionally, you can fill out an application for a free consult. This is private one-on-one coaching for those willing to go to uncommon lengths to achieve uncommon results. Thanks to Daniel, we've all become better leaders, better operators, and better men. It started by showing up for ourselves. Now it's your turn. Go to DanielThomashHind.com. H-I-N-D. That's DanielThomashHind.com, and sign up before spots fill.   Keith Weinhold  1:41   What if you got your mortgage loans the same place I get mine? You sure can at Ridge Lending Group NMLS 42056 They provided GRE listeners with more loans than anyone because Ridge specializes in investment property. They'll help you build a long-term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequal and even chat directly with President Chaley Ridge. While it's on your mind, start at ridgelendinggroup.com. That's ridgelendinggroup.com.   Speaker 1  2:14   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world, this is Get Rich Education.   Keith Weinhold  2:31   Welcome to GRE from Bavaria, Germany, to Batavia, New York, and across 188 world nations. I'm Keith Weinhold, and you're listening to Get Rich Education. In the 19 the 1988 movie Die Hard, there's a California gas station sign in the background that's visible. You can see it there. The gas price on this sign is a jaw dropper. Unleaded 77.9 cents per gallon, regular 70-4.9 cents per gallon. That now looks like it belongs in a museum next to rotary phones and blockbuster video cards. Yes, California gas for 75 cents, and the movie Die Hard. It had all these actors from yesteryear, like Bruce Willis and Reginald Vel Johnson. Yet you, depending on your age, you might remember 1988. It's not like ancient history. Now we all know that inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon, like Milton Friedman said, but is there more to this? Is there more than the Fed targeting 2% inflation, just like it says on their website? Oh, there sure is. And by the way, with a little research, it looks like California Gas averaged 95 cents in 1988, not 75 like it shows in Die Hard, but in any case, the point is still there. And today, inflation keeps running hot. Four years ago, the pandemic made CPI inflation peak at 9.1 percent. Today, the hangover effects of tariffs push it up, and the Iran war are turning up the heat even more, with the latest reading above 4% Inflation is running at more than double what the Fed wants. You can even make the case now that inflation is out of control. But here's the thing: inflation has exceeded that 2% target for 60-three consecutive months now. I mean, think about what that means. My gosh, just imagine having an important target that affects every American and missing it 60-three times in a row. That's kind of what's happening now, and they're. Going to keep missing it. So this streak of inflation above 2% started back in March of 2021 during the pandemic hangover, and it is still going strong after 63 months. Nobody knows where this is going to end. Most Americans get crushed by rising prices because their wages don't keep up, and you know collectively they sort of think we are concerned, but then they mostly keep doing the same thing while their lifestyle quietly shrinks. So consumers despise inflation. Everyday investors are lukewarm about inflation, and leverage real estate investors are smiling like they found a 20-dollar bill in last winter's coat. Leverage real estate investors are pretty ecstatic about inflation. Now the history gets super interesting.   Keith Weinhold  5:59   Okay, how did we get into this, where we just always seem to have inflation? So learn the history, and then I'll tie it back to how it affects you as an investor. Because before World War II, inflation behaved differently. The old pre-1945 pattern was that we had inflation during wars and booms. We had deflation after panics and depressions. So therefore, the result was that over long stretches, price levels often just moved sideways. We used to have recessions more often back 80 plus years ago than we do now. So therefore, you just had these price levels move sideways because a recession even prompted deflation, actually a strengthening of purchasing power. But then after World War II, inflation basically went permanently positive. I mean, yeah, permanently positive, where inflation is just always turned on with very few exceptions to that. In wartime, now we have inflation. In peacetime, now we have inflation. During the Super Bowl, now we have inflation. It is inflation, no matter what is going on. Right then, so what changed? Prominent economist and GRE podcast guest here, Dr. Mark Skousen. He has cited five major reasons that inflation became a permanent fixture from 1945 until today. And Mark Skousen was here on the show with us almost exactly two years ago because he's also the founder of a great event called Freedom Fest that Nareesh and I broadcast a show from, the five reasons that Scowson cites for never-ending inflation are first, never-ending wars. Now this doesn't only mean formally declared boots on the ground wars where tanks are rolling, never-ending wars. It means this permanent state of global military readiness that we have today, where we have overseas bases, defense contractors, right with the military-industrial complex. We have NATO commitments.   Keith Weinhold  8:17   We have anti-terror operations, naval patrols, intelligence agencies, and all this enormous machinery that's required to keep America as the world's security backstop. Well, all that costs an awful lot of money, and when government wants more money than it collects, it has a favorite trick: just create more dollars and create them out of nothing. I mean, it's like ordering another round of drinks for the table and then putting it on the unborn grandchildren's tab. The second reason for the never-ending inflation is the 1913 creation of the Federal Reserve and how that's changed over time because the Fed they were originally supposed to defend the dollar, defend the gold standard, and act as lender of last resort. Today it mostly just does the last one. It acts as the lender of last resort, and it's really not even last resort. I mean, she shit seems to patch any significant hole in the economy by creating more dollars and then pumping them into the system. When markets wobble, banks panic, or politicians overspend, or the economy catches any kind of cold, you know, the Fed often just shows up with this fire hose of liquidity. Now, sometimes that's necessary, but either way, it means more currency creation. So, the Fed it began as this sort of sober hallway monitor, but now they're often the responsible party that needs monitoring. But no. No one is going to stand up and do it because no one in power wants austerity under their watch because that is extremely unpopular. The third reason for permanent inflation is the Bretton Woods Agreement. You've probably heard of this, but let me summarize what it briefly means. Okay, Bretton Woods was the 1944 deal that basically created the post-World War II global monetary system? It made the U.S. dollar the world's reserve currency. If you remember anything from Bretton Woods, just remember that it did that. It made the U.S. dollar the world's reserve currency, and the dollar was pegged to gold at $35 per ounce.   Keith Weinhold  13:29   And finally, the fifth reason for never-ending inflation post World War II is Keynesian economics. I mean, you probably at least heard the term before. It's been thrown around here from time to time. Named after John Maynard Keynes, K E Y N E S. And before I go on, I invested in real estate for a long time before I learned all this stuff. Probably close to a decade of investing first. So I taught myself this material, Keynesian economics. That's the belief that demand is what drives economic output and employment. So, if you only remember one thing about Keynesian economics, it's that you need demand, and it stokes demand. It says demand drives everything, and what I mean by that is the spending, spending from households, corporations, and government. So, in plain English, when private demand weakens, the government should step in and spend. That's what Keynesian economics says. Well, that means deficits, borrowing, stimulus, support, programs, relief, rescue packages, emergency measures, and see what happens is that temporary measures somehow become permanent measures wearing a fake mustache. Remember, even Nixon said removal from the gold standard is temporary. Well, that was now 50. 55 years ago, in theory, the government runs deficits in bad times and then tightens up in good times. But that doesn't really happen because, in practice, government often runs deficits in bad times and good times, war times, peace times, election years, non-election years, leap years, all the time running deficits, spending more than we take in, and when deficits become normal, well, then currency creation has got to follow. That's the consequence. Well, these five forces that I told you about for never-ending inflation, the reasons that I just shared with you-they are now structurally embedded. They are not going away.   Keith Weinhold  19:03   I mean, there is even political resistance to deflation in this system. Investors benefit the most when they own one thing: real assets tied to long-term debt. You probably knew that I was going to say that because if the dollar is designed to slowly melt. You don't want to be the one holding the ice cube. You want to own the freezer. That's the control that you have. The first half of the year recently ended. It's time for our asset class rundown. From the midpoint of last year to the midpoint of this year, single-family home values are up only about one and a half percent. That's the average of Case-Shiller and FHFA. Apartment building values are down 1% in the past year. When it comes to rents per Zillow, single-family home rents are up 2.8% in the past year to an all-time record of almost 20-$300 Apartment rents are up just. 1.3% nationally. Sunbelt Apartments were the weak spot. Apartments.com said the South was down seven tenths of 1% year over year, and the mountain region down one and a half percent. With San Antonio, Denver, Austin, and Phoenix among the weaker markets, that's due to oversupply in those areas. 30-year mortgage rates down from 6.8 to 6.6% The S S&P 500 up 21 percent on AI optimism, despite a war in Iran. Though down in past months for the year, gold is still up 21 percent, silver soared 63 percent, Bitcoin down 45 percent. I mean, speculative digital assets have really gotten a cold shoulder. Oil up 4% although it went on a wild ride, and CPI inflation reheated to 4.2% That's our asset class rundown.   Speaker 2  22:59   This is our rich dad poor dad author Robert Kiyosaki. Listen to Get Rich Education with Keith Weinhold. Don't quit your daydream.   Keith Weinhold  23:17   Welcome back to Get Rich Education. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. I want you to listen to something along with me, and then I'll come back to comment. This is from the parallel truth. It's called the last generation to live normally, and it's less than two minutes in length.   Speaker 2  23:32   We have to talk about something that sounds dramatic, but it is becoming true. Your parents may have been the last generation to live a normal life-not an easy life, not a perfect life, but a life where the basic deal still made sense. You could get a stable job, you could buy a house, you could raise children, you could save some money, you could retire one day. And even if life was hard, most people still believed that if they worked honestly, their future would slowly get better. But look at what happened to your generation. You work more, but own less. You study more, but feel less secure. You have more technology than any generation in history, but less peace, less time, and less confidence about the future. Your parents were told, "Work hard, and you will build a life. But you are being told that, "Work hard, and maybe you can afford rent. And the most disturbing part is that this did not happen overnight. It happened slowly. First, housing became an investment instead of a basic need. Then, education became a debt trap. Then, healthcare became too expensive. Then, stable jobs disappeared. Then, everything became a subscription: your house, your car, your software, your entertainment, even your future. Everything slowly became something you rent but never truly own. And while ordinary people were falling behind, the economy kept looking strong on paper. The stock market went up, billionaires got richer, companies made record profits. Politicians kept saying that everything was fine, but if everything is fine, why does an entire generation feel like it is drowning? The truth is, your parents did not live through normal history. They lived through a rare window where ordinary people. People were allowed to share in the wealth of the system, but that window is now closing. The old promise was simple: work hard, buy a home, raise a family, retire with dignity. The new promise is different: work forever, rent everything, delay children, carry debt, and call it freedom. So maybe young people are not lazy. Maybe they are just the first generation honest enough to admit that the old deal is dead. Your parents were not lucky because life was easy. They were lucky because they were the last ones who got the deal before it was taken away.   Keith Weinhold  25:27   Yeah, there it is-the last generation to live normally. That's really a fresh slant on the hollowing out of the middle class. The rules have changed. Inflation is entrenched. Now you know why. Back in 2020, the pandemic accelerated that effect, and yet it's just unbelievable to me that people think working hard and saving money is enough to get you the lifestyle that you desire. Now I am not against hard work, it's the fact that people think that that's all that it takes. Before we hit the permanent inflation era, it might have made sense for you to say, save your money, pay all cash for a cheap fixer-upper property, and work hard for years to fix it up yourself. Oh, and then you could own a modest home debt-free. Today, even if you could do that, why would you? Instead, you can just prudently finance your way through life. You could have instead borrowed for two or three already renovated properties and let debt, inflation, and perhaps even tenants do the work for you. Above all, do the right thing before you do things right. That's what I like to say. Well, the way you get wealthy is by owning a lot of assets, not by grinding in the salt mines to pay off your debt. Those that are debt free are often asset poor. The biggest financial expense that you will ever have in your life. Do you know what it is? It is not taxes or interest charges. It's not even inflation or housing or healthcare or having children, most people have never heard of it. You probably have, but most people have never heard of this biggest financial expense you'll ever have, and they certainly don't know how to avoid it.   Keith Weinhold  27:34   Say that you're 35 years old and you put 100k under a mattress for 30 years until you're 60- years old. Instead, if that would have been invested at a 12% annual return, do you know how much that would have grown to? That would have grown to $2.996 million All right, basically 3 million bucks, a 30x increase. Therefore, it would be a 2.9 million dollar mistake to save money, and what this means is that the biggest expense you'll ever pay in your life is called opportunity cost. Yeah, opportunity cost is life's biggest expense. It's the return that was foregone when you chose one option over another. So opportunity cost is not what you spend; it's what your money could have become had you put it somewhere more productive. All right, now that was a pretty extreme example of 100k under a mattress. As a listener to this show, you are probably more savvy than a person that would save big lumps of money for close to zero return. Let me give you a better example of how when you pay all cash for something, you've usually just made your future self poorer. A friend of mine heard the episode last year where I talked about buying a new car for myself, a BMW X3 SUV. As it is, you probably remember that episode. Though I could have paid all cash for the car, I put the minimum down payment in there and then financed as much as I could because of a favorable 4% interest rate that I got on a car loan. Well, my friend Jesse heard that episode. This influenced him. So what he did is he bought a Subaru for his wife. Although he had planned to pay all cash and could have paid all cash for the car, Jesse got financing, and he did better than me. He got just a 1% interest rate somehow. Wow! It was actually nine tenths of 1% but let's just call it 1% What a deal! Instead of paying all cash for the car, he held on to that chunk of money. Instead of tying it up in a depreciating asset, he is financing it all. Now I don't. How much the Subaru costs, but let's just say it was 50k to keep the numbers simple. Well, look, if Jesse feels like he can get a 10% return over time by investing his money instead of sinking it into a car, how much does he profit by borrowing? Of course, he has the advantage of keeping his funds more liquid as well, but how much does he actually profit from this arrangement?   Keith Weinhold  30:24   Well, the math is so easy that you can even visualize it in an audio format here. Now it depends on the loan term, but the simple spread is a 10% investment return minus a 1% car loan cost. That is a 9% positive spread on 50k. That's roughly $4,500 per year in benefit. That's before any taxes, risk, or fees. $4,500 a year just for doing some loan paperwork. Like if you wonder whether the loan paperwork is worth it or not, that's what we're talking about here, and that's 375 bucks a month. So if you're wondering if it's even worth it taking the time to get a car loan when you could pay all cash, it probably is. All right, now that's the upside. What about the risk that's associated with taking a loan instead of paying all cash, well, the caveat here is that the 1% loan is guaranteed, but the 10% return is probably not, and that risk gap does matter. If you're financially fragile and you can't make the payment with another pot of money, well, then you risk default. That is over leverage risk. That's the worst case scenario. All right, what's the flip side? The flip side is that you could earn a return even better than 10% As we know, with real estate pays five ways on investment property. If you earn a 20% return, now you're making $9,500 a year on the spread, not $4,500, but a 10% return. That is the base case. So again, by paying all cash instead of getting the loan, your future self would be poorer by $4,500 a year. And now, my friend Jesse, that learned this from me, he's actually a CFA, a chartered financial analyst, a sophisticated money guy. But he had simply been overlooking this. And said another way, what you're doing here is that over time, your investment is paying you more than your interest is costing you, and in my life, I have been doing exactly this sort of thing all over the place for decades. An interesting thing that I hear about this, although it makes me scratch my head, I've heard a few people say this. It's just like, oh well, I don't want to have to deal with a car payment? I just rather be done with it and move on. What is there to deal with? Just set up auto pay with preserving funds for say a 10% return. You're then going to see more dollars flowing into your account than you will out of it. I mean that part can just be automated.   Keith Weinhold  33:19   My life and finances are set up this way. In fact, when I get a loan for a rental property, I have had mortgage loan officers that are looking at my finances. They tell me that I have more stuff flowing into and out of my checking account than they've ever seen anyone have. I'm I'm financing and arbitraging my way through life passively. This is thanks in part to inflation. I am not paying very much at all in that biggest financial expense that we all have in our lives-not taxes or children or housing, but opportunity cost. I am avoiding paying that. This is the world that we live in today, a lot of times debt reduction is horrible advice. Debt free that can keep people from falling over a cliff, but it stalls any wealth creation. Now the debts that usually make the most sense to pay down they're the ones with high interest, variable rates, no tax benefit, and no productive asset attached. And here is the priority order that I use for paying down debt or paying off debt. First, it is credit cards. Pay down these first almost every time. I mean, a 20% or even 30% credit card rate. This is like financial quicksand. You don't need a sophisticated investment thesis when you can get a guaranteed 20-4% quote-unquote return by eliminating this debt. The next place I would pay down are payday loans, personal. Loans and consumer finance debt. I mean, these are usually bad debts because they're at a high rate, have a short amortization, and they're usually tied to consumption instead of an income-producing asset. Pay these aggressively too, and then next in priority is paying variable rate debt that could reset higher. This isn't quite as important to address.   Keith Weinhold  35:24   We're talking about things like HELOCs, adjustable rate loans, margin debt, and some business lines of credit. Some of those can become dangerous when rates rise, even if the rate's tolerable today. The uncertainty can be a bit of a problem. Now, when it comes to should you pay down student loans, consider that. low fixed-rate student loans that might not be urgent. It sure wasn't for me. High-rate private student loans that could be different. That could get more of your attention. You also got to weigh things like tax benefits. Look out for forgiveness programs when it comes to student loans, those haven't been quite as available lately under this administration. Also, look at employer repayment benefits before you rush to pay down student loans, and then really the last one: low fixed-rate mortgage debt. Pay that last if you ever do. In fact, it is quite possible that I will always keep this debt type around that low fixed rate mortgage debt. So really, my rule of thumb here is to kill toxic debt. Be careful with unstable debt, and don't rush to pay off cheap fixed productive debt if you ever pay it off at all. You and I covered a lot of ground today, starting with 75 cent gasoline in California, all the way to the biggest expense you'll ever pay throughout your life, being something that most people have never heard of: opportunity cost. Coming up on the show here, a lot of good episodes, including a great guest and I are going to discuss a new way to invest in residential real estate that we haven't discussed before, and it will massively boost your cash flow. If you found today's show valuable, whether it was the history of why we have permanent inflation or the idea of passively financing your way to wealth, rather than only working harder. I would be grateful if you share this episode with a friend. Just tap the share button in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen, and send it to someone who would benefit from hearing it. Or take a screenshot of this episode and post it on social media. It helps more people find the show, and it gives you and your friends something smart to talk about with each other. Until next week, I'm your host Keith Weinhold. Don't quit your daydream.   Speaker 1  37:53   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal, or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial, or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of Get Rich Education LLC exclusively.    Keith Weinhold  38:21   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building at getricheducation.com.  

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On this week's episode of The Ultimate Assist, John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers sit down with economist, author, professor, and FreedomFest founder Mark Skousen for a wide-ranging conversation about freedom, capitalism, socialism, healthcare, inflation, and the future of America.Mark brings a rare combination of economic expertise and optimism to a time when many Americans are worried about government overreach, rising costs, cultural division, and whether the American Dream is still alive.The conversation begins with a provocative question:Is America still the land of freedom — or are we just good at pretending?From there, Mark explains why he still believes America's entrepreneurial spirit remains alive, despite growing regulation, taxation, and political pressure. He points to the success of American companies, the importance of free markets, and the ability of individuals and businesses to move, compete, build, and innovate as evidence that liberty still has power. John, Ken, and Mark also dive into: Why socialism continues to appeal to younger generations  The difference between “democratic capitalism” and democratic socialism  Why profit sharing, stock options, and employee ownership may be better answers than government redistribution  How healthcare could be improved through market-based solutions  What America can learn from Singapore's healthcare system  Why inflation is not inevitable, but often the result of policy decisions  The danger of executive orders and centralized power  Why economic freedom remains one of the clearest predictors of prosperity Mark also shares the story behind FreedomFest, which he describes as a gathering focused not on “who is right,” but what is right — bringing together people interested in liberty, economics, health, technology, film, philosophy, and practical solutions.Whether you agree with him or not, Mark Skousen offers a hopeful but urgent reminder:Freedom does not preserve itself.

We are entering an era of permanent inflation. The Federal Reserve doesn't even wait for the rates to come down to 2% before they start cutting." — Dr. Mark SkousenEconomist Dr. Mark Skousen warns that small businesses are lagging, B2B spending is in a minor recession, and the stock market's AI-driven highs may be an illusion.

As real estate investors, we don't get the luxury of ignoring what's happening in the broader economy. Interest rates, inflation, global conflict, government policy, and shifting sentiment all have a way of showing up in real decisions investors are making every day … What we buy, how we finance, and when we choose to act. In this episode one of the world's leading economists, Dr. Mark Skousen, joins Robert Helms to share his perspective on the markets, the war, and what investors can do to be prepared for whatever comes next. Drawing on decades of economic research and market observation, Mark helps connect today's headlines to the bigger forces shaping opportunity and risk. Then in our Market Spotlight, apartment investor Brad Sumrok highlights three markets that are showing notable strength despite today's challenges. He breaks down what's driving demand and why these areas continue to attract investor attention. Listen in to get a clearer read on where the economy may be heading—and what that could mean for your next move in real estate. Since 1997, The Real Estate Guys™ radio show features real estate investing ideas, strategies, interviews, and all kinds of valuable resources. Visit our Special Reports Library under Resources at RealEstateGuysRadio.com

Mark and Sal interview Mark Skousen, the Founder of Freedom Fest about his new book about Ben Franklin. How to prepare for Flock Cameras and More.

Mark Skousen believes the global economy has crossed a monetary threshold and entered what he calls an era of "permanent inflation." With gold surging past $5,000 and silver pushing toward triple digits, the repricing of hard assets may only be beginning as governments confront exploding debt, geopolitical conflict, and relentless money creation. Skousen explains why the gold price breakout and the rising silver price could signal a major shift in the global monetary system. War, tariffs, and central bank liquidity are creating a powerful inflationary backdrop that could drive precious metals and mining stocks much higher. The conversation also explores the gold-silver ratio myth, the weakening dominance of the dollar, and why policymakers may have little choice but to keep printing money to prevent financial collapse, and what that could mean for gold, silver, and investors. _ Sign up for my free weekly newsletter. _ WHERE TO FIND BEN MUMME

Nationally known investment expert, economist, Chapman University professor and author of more than 25 books Mark Skousen joins us to discuss his latest book, The Greatest American, on his distant relative, Benjamin Franklin.  We talk about Franklin's legacy in science, business, economics, politics, and diplomacy, and ponder what Franklin would think about politicians like Zohran Mandami.  He also gives a preview of next year's FreedomFest, the world's largest gathering of free minds.

Michael Shermer sits down with economist and Franklin descendant Dr. Mark Skousen to explore the wit, wisdom, and modern relevance of Benjamin Franklin, the man who bridged science, politics, and philosophy like no other. Shermer and Skousen discuss Franklin's contributions to science, moral philosophy, economics, and religious thought, while asking: What would Franklin make of today's America—its economy, politics, and culture? Mark Skousen holds the Doti-Spogli Chair of Free Enterprise at Chapman University. Known as “America's Economist,” he is the editor of Forecasts & Strategies, an award winning investment newsletter, and producer of FreedomFest, “the world's largest gathering of free minds.” He is the author of over 25 books, incl. his latest, The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, The World's Most Versatile Genius.

Mark Skousen holds the Doti-Spogli Chair of Free Enterprise at Chapman University in California. As an eighth-generation direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin, he has had a lifelong interest in the “grandfather” of our nation. Dr. Skousen's career has often followed that of his illustrious ancestor, as a publisher, author, financial advisor, teacher, father, public servant, and world traveler. Get a copy of Mark's wonderful book The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, the World's Most Versatile Genius Books mentioned on this episode: Fart Proudly by Benjamin Franklin https://amzn.to/4nyi2Yb The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon Common Sense by Thomas Paine The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. He is the host of the podcast Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci. A graduate of Tufts University and Harvard Law School, he lives in Manhasset, Long Island.

Roger welcomes Dr. Mark Skousen, economist, author and the Doti-Spogli Chair of Free Enterprise at Chapman University, for a conversation about Benjamin Franklin's enduring wisdom and what it means for today's debates on liberty, economics and civic life.They explore Franklin's defense of wealth and philanthropy, his views on capitalism and free trade, and his complex relationships with fellow Founders such as Washington, Jefferson and Adams. Skousen shares lessons from Franklin on personal finance, diplomacy, optimism in the face of crisis and even the power of compound interest. The discussion also touches on Franklin's role in shaping the postal system, his influence on Adam Smith's “The Wealth of Nations", and why Franklin's humor and optimism still resonate in divided times.Skousen is the bestselling author of more than 25 books, including his latest, “The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, the World's Most Versatile Genius.” He has served as president of the Foundation for Economic Education, writes widely on business and finance, and is the founder of FreedomFest, a national conference celebrating liberty, ideas and free enterprise. The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.Support the show

“As an economist, it's extremely important to look at the data, rather than just on a theoretical basis,” says Mark Skousen. “We should be in a recession. Well, we're not in a recession; looks like we're coming out of slow growth, which is really important.”In this episode, I sit down with economist Mark Skousen to discuss taxes, tariffs, trade, and energy.“I think somewhere in between what the Fed wants and what Trump wants is a more reasonable approach to keep this economy on an even keel,” says Skousen. “The other thing that's really positive is President Trump's support for nuclear power, the small nuclear power plants, which don't cost as much and can be done much more efficiently. This is a breakthrough.”We also discuss his latest book, “The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, The World's Most Versatile Genius.”“There were many critics of Franklin, but he had a very interesting point of view. He said enemies will teach you a lot about yourself,” says Skousen. “So, you should be grateful for the enemies you have.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Newt talks with Dr. Mark Skousen, “America’s Economist” about his new book, “The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, The World’s Most Versatile Genius.” Their conversation explores Franklin's profound impact on American politics and daily life, highlighting his diverse roles as an inventor, scientist and diplomat. Skousen, who is a direct descendant of Franklin, shares insights into Franklin's unfinished autobiography, which he completed using Franklin's letters and papers. They also discuss Franklin's practical approach to science, his mastery of diplomacy, and his personal philosophies, including his belief in the importance of being useful and educated. Dr. Skousen also touches on Franklin's complex relationships with women, his views on religion, and his legacy as a versatile genius. Skousen provides a comprehensive look at why Franklin is considered one of the greatest Americans, emphasizing his ability to connect with people from all walks of life and his enduring influence on modern society.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Skousen, author, economist, founder of Freedom Fest, and direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin, dives into the life and legacy of his famous ancestor. Kennedy and Mark chat about his new book, The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, The World's Most Versatile Genius, and even share some fun, centuries-old tips on how to pick the ideal mistress. Follow Kennedy on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@KennedyNation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   Kennedy Now Available on YouTube: ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/kennedyytp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@kennedy_foxnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join Kennedy for Happy Hour on Fridays! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWlNiiSXX4BNUbXM5X8KkYbDepFgUIVZj⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Left is constantly pointing out America's sins and downfalls, but where would your life be if America didn't exist? Ahead of the July Fourth weekend, Glenn highlights some of the good America has done in the last 200 years. Glenn goes through all the things that America created that you likely use in your everyday life. Democrats have dropped 51 points in being proud Americans since 2001. Glenn and Stu uncomfortably watch New York City Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani eat food with his hands. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) joins to discuss the long road Trump's "big, beautiful bill" has to pass as the Senate is taking an axe to critical issues in the bill. Our Republic president and co-author of “Propaganda Wars” Justin Haskins joins to discuss the vital need for America to win the AI war against China. Glenn gives an important message for the July Fourth weekend. Economist and “The Greatest American” author Mark Skousen joins to give the story of Benjamin Franklin that you haven't heard.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of "The Federalist Radio Hour," Mark Skousen, an author and descendant of Ben Franklin, joins Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to reflect on the great inventor and thinker's life and philosophy and explain how Franklin shaped America's Founding in key ways. You can find Skousen's book The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, History's Most Versatile Genius here. If you care about combating the corrupt media that continue to inflict devastating damage, please give a gift to help The Federalist do the real journalism America needs.

On this episode of “The Federalist Radio Hour,” Mark Skousen, an author and descendant of Ben Franklin, joins Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to reflect on the great inventor and thinker's life and philosophy and explain how Franklin shaped America's Founding in key ways. You can find Skousen's book The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, History's […]

Mark Skousen joins us to discuss his new book The Greatest American: History’s Most Versatile Genius, a biography of Ben Franklin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Markets change, headlines come and go ... but solid principles still hold up. In this episode, Robert Helms catches up with America's economist Mark Skousen for a conversation about what's happening across the markets ... from stocks and real estate to inflation, interest rates, and gold. They also talk about Mark's latest book, Lessons from the Greatest American ... drawing on the life and legacy of Ben Franklin. Then in our Market Spotlight, Bill Stowell Sr. shares real-world strategies for acquiring businesses ... with or without real estate ... and how that approach can open up new opportunities for your portfolio. Tune in and take the next step toward thinking bigger and investing smarter. Visit our Special Reports Library under Resources at RealEstateGuysRadio.com    

Duane Patterson, host, "Duane's World" podcast, TownHall.com VIP columnist, fills in for Hugh today. Duane discusses the L.A. ICE riots, the Big Beautiful Bill, and talks with Olivia Beavers, Noah Rothman, Adm. Mark Montgomery (USN, Ret.), Bethany Mandel, and Dr. Mark Skousen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen in to Steve's enlightening conversation with Mark Skousen about the U.S. economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Willie discusses the grand jury for the officer charged in the shooting of Ryan Hinton with Mark Peipmeier. Also Willie talks with a descendant of Benjamin Franklin, Mark Skousen. Finally Ashley Banfield gives us an update from the Diddy trial.

Terrorist attack in Colorado. Ukraine launces a major attack against Russia...and what will Russia's response be? Bill chats with Mark Skousen, Thane Rosenbaum and John Lott.

Willie discusses the grand jury for the officer charged in the shooting of Ryan Hinton with Mark Peipmeier. Also Willie talks with a descendant of Benjamin Franklin, Mark Skousen. Finally Ashley Banfield gives us an update from the Diddy trial.

Terrorist attack in Colorado. Ukraine launces a major attack against Russia...and what will Russia's response be? Bill chats with Mark Skousen, Thane Rosenbaum and John Lott.

Terrorist attack in Colorado. Ukraine launces a major attack against Russia...and what will Russia's response be? Bill chats with Mark Skousen, Thane Rosenbaum and John Lott.

Willie discusses the grand jury for the officer charged in the shooting of Ryan Hinton with Mark Peipmeier. Also Willie talks with a descendant of Benjamin Franklin, Mark Skousen. Finally Ashley Banfield gives us an update from the Diddy trial.

Mark Skousen, a direct descendant of Ben Franklin, shares insights from the life of the man he calls "the greatest American." Sponsors: Monetary Metals & The Tom Woods Elite Mastermind Book Discussed: The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, America's Most Versatile Genius Guest's Twitter: @MarkSkousen1 Guest's Event: FreedomFest.com  Show notes for Ep. 2648

Dr. Mark Skousen, Doti-Spogli Chair of Free Enterprise at Chapman University and eighth-generation Benjamin Franklin descendant. Dr. Skousen is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society and the Council for National Policy.New book: The Greatest American. How Benjamin Franklin's Wisdom Can Address Today's National Challenges.

The Founding Fathers would have been very pleased with some of the politics of modern America, but on the other hand, very displeased with others. Benjamin Franklin, in particular, would not favor the growth of government — but at the same time, he would appreciate some of the globalism that has advanced the economies of the world. Mark Skousen is an eighth-generation descendant of Franklin and has penned the book, "The Greatest American," aimed at showing why this founder-slash-inventor-slash-diplomat was truly so genius.

Qatar is the Switzerland for terrorists - DO NOT ACCEPT THE PLANE! PLUS, Dr. Mark Skousen, America's Economist and author of the new book The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, History's Most Versatile Genius, tells Shaun about Benjamin Franklin's eternal optimism and how he would feel about government today. And Mike O'Neill, Vice President of Legal Affairs at Landmark Legal Foundation, updates Shaun on the many lawsuits against President Trump's Executive Orders and emphasizes the need for Congress to actually do their jobs by codifying these orders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economist Dr. Mark Skousen joins the show, we talk about Trump Tariff news and Mark has a new book about founding father Benjamin Franklin (a relative) former Sen. Baertschiger explains controversy re Ethics Commission

Dr. Mark Skousen, America's Economist and author of the new book The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, History's Most Versatile Genius, tells Shaun about Benjamin Franklin's eternal optimism and how he would feel about government today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin, the Chapman University economist Mark Skousen might be a bit biased. That said, Skousen makes an entertaining case in his new book, The Greatest American, for Franklin as being the most innovative and versatile of the Founding Fathers. Skousen acknowledges Franklin's contradictions: his transition from slave owner to abolitionist, his notoriety as a ladies' man and, above all, his moral philosophy of deploying his private wealth for the public good. What we are left with is the most human and least overtly political of all the Founding Fathers. Five Key Takeaways * Versatile Genius: Franklin excelled in numerous fields, with Skousen identifying 22 different careers including printing, science, diplomacy, and civic leadership, making him uniquely accomplished among American historical figures.* Ethical Capitalism: Franklin represents an ideal capitalist model who made his fortune by age 42, then dedicated the rest of his life to public service, establishing libraries, hospitals, and other civic institutions.* Personal Evolution: Franklin demonstrated willingness to change his views, most notably transitioning from slave owner to becoming the first president of Pennsylvania's abolitionist society.* Political Pragmatism: Franklin defied easy political categorization, valuing practical solutions over ideology and warning against concentrated power with his famous quote: "a republic, if you can keep it."* Complex Character: Despite his accomplishments, Franklin had notable flaws, including nepotism and his reputation as a "ladies' man," creating a complicated legacy that transcends simple hero worship.Mark Skousen holds the Doti-Spogli Chair of Free Enterprise at Chapman University in California. As an eighth-generation direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin, he has had a lifelong interest in the “grandfather” of our nation. Dr. Skousen's career has often followed that of his illustrious ancestor, as a publisher, author, financial advisor, teacher, father, public servant, and world traveler. In 2006, he and his wife, Jo Ann, compiled and edited The Compleated Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin, covering the remainder of his career, 1757–1790 (published by Regnery History).Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting the daily KEEN ON show, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy interview series. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Center for American Rights' Daniel Suhr, Chapman University's Dr. Mark Skousen, The Federalist's John Daniel Davidson, Senator Ron Johnson Matt Kittle talks to John Daniel Davidson about the new Pope Leo XIV.

Mark Skousen, Ph. D. is a nationally known investment expert, economist, university professor and author of more than 25 books. Since 1980, he has been editor in chief of Forecasts & Strategies, a popular award-winning investment newsletter. Dr. Skousen is known as “America's Economist,” and he has been identified as one of the 20 most influential living economists. 

Hour 3 Segment 1 While Tony is away, Andrew Langer fills in! Andrew starts the final hour of the show talking about regulatory costs. Andrew also talks about Tim Walz questioning the GOP and Walz’s daughter not going to her dream graduate school because they don’t protect prosecutors. Hour 3 Segment 2 Andrew talks Whoopi Goldberg and Jameison Greer’s thoughts on the 90-day tariff pause. Andrew also talks about Nia Malika Henderson on upending the economy for HVAC jobs. Later, Andrew talks about how President Donald Trump says he’s very close to their first trade deal. Hour 3 Segment 3 Andrew is joined with Mark Skousen to talk about FreedomFest 2025. Hour 3 Segment 4 Andrew wraps up another edition of the show talking more about President Trump's cabinet meeting from yesterday. Andrew also talks about Pete Hegseth’s progress update on the Panama Canal. Later, Andrew talks about how Hegseth says military recruiting numbers are up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew is joined with Mark Skousen to talk about FreedomFest 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hour 3 Segment 1 While Tony is away, Andrew Langer fills in! Andrew starts the final hour of the show talking about regulatory costs. Andrew also talks about Tim Walz questioning the GOP and Walz’s daughter not going to her dream graduate school because they don’t protect prosecutors. Hour 3 Segment 2 Andrew talks Whoopi Goldberg and Jameison Greer’s thoughts on the 90-day tariff pause. Andrew also talks about Nia Malika Henderson on upending the economy for HVAC jobs. Later, Andrew talks about how President Donald Trump says he’s very close to their first trade deal. Hour 3 Segment 3 Andrew is joined with Mark Skousen to talk about FreedomFest 2025. Hour 3 Segment 4 Andrew wraps up another edition of the show talking more about President Trump's cabinet meeting from yesterday. Andrew also talks about Pete Hegseth’s progress update on the Panama Canal. Later, Andrew talks about how Hegseth says military recruiting numbers are up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coming to you from FreedomFest in Las Vegas, I talk with Founder Mark Skousen. He's been named one of the World's Top 20 Living Economists. Also, an event summary with GRE Investment Coach, Naresh. Learn about the deleterious consequences of rent control. President Joe Biden supports it (somewhat). If four tenants live in identical fourplex units, it actually makes sense for them to pay different rent amounts. I explain. We can construct more housing by relaxing zoning requirements in the right way—reduce off-street parking requirements, increase ADUs, no rent control, reduce minimum lawn sizes. There's higher homelessness in L.A., San Francisco, and Austin than Houston. Houston has a lower-cost market, few zoning requirements, and less NIMBY mindset. Politicians run on platforms like immigration, abortion, and inflation. But they don't run on reducing the debt because they don't see it as a problem that they created. At FreedomFest, I attended a presidential debate between the current candidates of the Libertarian Party, Green Party, and Constitution Party. Most or all agreed that the Fed should be abolished. The common theme at FreedomFest was: “Government, get out of the way.” Resources mentioned: For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  You get paid first: Text FAMILY to 66866 For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search “how to leave an Apple Podcasts review”  GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREmarketplace.com/Coach Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text ‘GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation   Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold** ((00:00:01)) - - Welcome to GRE. I'm Keith Weinhold. I'm here at the world's largest gathering of free minds. It's a conference called Freedom Fest where I talk to the conference founder. He's been named one of the top 20 living economists in the world today, as well as a talk with one of our great investment coaches to learn what my conference takeaways are and more. Freedom, life, liberty and the pursuit of real estate and investing today. And get rich education.   Robert Syslo** ((00:00:36)) - -  Since 2014, the powerful get Rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate, investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad Advisors advisors and delivers a new show every week. Since 2014, there's been millions of listeners downloads and 188 world nations. He has A-list show guests include top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki. Get Rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus has had its own dedicated Apple and Android listener.   Robert Syslo** ((00:01:10)) - -  Phone apps build wealth on the go with the get Rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get Rich education podcast or visit get Rich education.com.   Corey Coates** ((00:01:21)) - -  You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:01:37)) - -  We're gonna go from Oswego, New York to Lake Oswego, Oregon, and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith, while you are inside, get rich education. I'm attending a free office live and in person in Las Vegas today. One key economic freedom and what makes a free market free is that ability for producers and suppliers and landlords to set prices based on what the market will bear, whether that's a high price or a low price. Now, what's wrong with rent control, which is a law that puts a ceiling on the amount of rent that you're allowed to charge? Well, that sounds like a nice thing to do for one set of people in the short term. Well, rent control has the same effect as price controls on consumer goods.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:02:30)) - -  If the government thinks that cars are becoming too expensive, and they set up a new law that says that you can't charge more than $20,000 if you want to sell a new car, well, then those manufacturers will stop producing cars and soon enough, you, the consumer, cannot buy a car. You'd no longer have an automobile market at all. And the consumer suffers under no choice and even austerity. Put price controls on beef jerky and companies will stop making beef jerky. Put price controls on rent called rent control, and landlords have zero incentive to provide property, no motivation to improve property. And there is a raft just reams of evidence and studies out there that show that rent control, that is a surefire way to then reduce the supply of functional housing, just like the supply of cars or beef jerky would get cut. That's especially not a good solution in today's real estate supply constrained world. And, you know, here's what's interesting. The government created the inflation in the first place. That led to the high price problem that they think they can cure through rent control.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:03:52)) - -  I mean, government keeps trying to solve a problem that they created. Well, just take a new course, a new direction and stop the inflation. In that way, you'll cure the higher prices long term and then near term. What you can do is relax zoning requirements in order to create more housing. I mean, in three cases here, less government cures the problems, no inflation, no rent control, and thirdly, no stringent zoning. Knock down all three of those walls and instead, now what have you done? You've encouraged a bunch of builders to come into a market. You've encouraged competition. And what does competition do? It increases quality and it yeah, lowers prices. So cure the problem by knocking down the walls. You know, you as a landlord, I don't even think that there should be laws that say that you have got to charge every ten at the same rent amount. Yeah, and that is even if each one of your tenants has seemingly an identical unit, say, in a fourplex building.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:05:04)) - -  Now I'm on different fourplex buildings and I have most everyone like throughout history, I've had just about every tenant paid different rent amounts in the same building, even though all of the units were built at the same time and had the same square footage. Now a real estate investing newcomer, you know, they might think that that sounds unfair, that these tenants with basically identical units paying different rent amounts. But we all know how it works in practice, in real life. I mean, one of those four tenants might have the front unit with the best views, while the tenant with the best view. Well, of course they're going to be willing to pay more for that unit. Well, that right there, that's free market supply and demand. The fourplex unit with the best view will rent out faster and for more. But instead of that arrangement, if it's mandated, say, by the government that everyone in the building must pay the same rent, say that each of the four units must pay exactly $2,000.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:06:07)) - -  Oh, well, then the tenant with the worst view, which then has less benefit to living there, has to subsidize the tenant with the best view that already has the best benefit of living there, because they must all pay exactly $2,000. And then what about things like several months from now? Say you have a vacancy at Christmas. Well, it's hard to get a tenant to move at Christmas to get them in there. So you'll charge a low rent just to get someone in there then. Versus how you charge more now in summertime, because tenants demand units, a lot of them want to get settled in during the summer before the school year starts. What about a tenants living in your fourplex or rental single family home for five years, and their unit hasn't been painted or renovated in a while, and the tenant has seen you already. Well, they're probably going to pay less then a new tenant will in there say freshly painted unit. So my point is that even making every tenant of one individual fourplex building have to pay the same rent amount.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:07:10)) - -  Well, that is a form of rent control and that is actually unfair if they all have to pay the same rent amount. The free market is what's fair and enables a system of rent price discovery, instead of being confined and oppressed under rent control. Now here, the Freedom Fest in Las Vegas and we'll discuss the conference more. Today I attended one panel discussion. It was called How the Government Created the Housing Crisis and what we can do to Fix it, And it really gave specific solutions to provide more housing. This includes things like stop mandating a minimum square area for parking spaces. Stop mandating such large lawns. Instead, people can share a public park and relax the requirements that have so many easements out of property. Well, all that stuff is zoning in its stifles development and it leads to higher housing prices. Now, I maintain that not all zoning is bad. I don't think that you want a housing development surrounded by factories with smokestacks. So it's about relaxing zoning in the right way and promoting the right policies, like the benefits of a yimby movement.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:08:27)) - -  Yes, in my backyard. Removing off street parking mandates altogether and allowing more ADUs allow Single-Family homes on smaller lot sizes. And we've already seen some of that. We're seeing home builders do more of that. They're building single family homes closer together, smaller lot sizes. But a lot of the wrong strategies exist out there. And once people get the benefits, like the beneficiaries of these wrong strategies, I mean, they don't want to give them up. Like New York's rent stabilization program that gives rent breaks to wealthy New Yorkers that also have a pricey home out in the Hamptons. Well, that's not the right policy. That's not helping the people that need it most. And you know, when the wrong policies infiltrate a market, the reaction can be amazingly rapid. I mean, how rapid? Like, do you think you would see a construction project literally halt mid construction? Yeah. You actually can like construction cranes just stop swinging. In Saint Paul, Minnesota, you saw construction cranes stop mid-air mid construction.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:09:38)) - -  When Saint Paul moved toward a rent control of no more than 3% annual rent increases. Well, that's a form of rent control. When that happens, building stops because the developer knows that people don't want to buy those units or invest in those units or rent those units. And I've got more to discuss on housing shortly, but let's bring in the very founder, host and producer of Freedom Fest here. He has been named as one of the top 20 living economists in the world. Doctor Mark Skosan and you will hear some background noise in these conference interviews. We are at a conference at times. We're in the exhibit hall now. Interestingly, here with Mark, I bring up with him how much I dislike these political labels that just divide the nation. I mean, don't you agree that it would be great if the nation were less divided? Yes, we all would. Well, we can do our part by avoiding saying words like red and blue and oh, you know, I can't stand those maps.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:10:44)) - -  Then you see, I've mentioned this to you before. You see these maps in political season that show where the red states are and where the blue states are. I mean, how divisive and polarizing that is not unifying in the United States of America. The fact that this conference has a non divisive founder like Mark Skosan is what attracted me here. Sure enough, here you'll hear me tell him how much I appreciate this. This was prescient because the very next day after this interview that you're about to hear, that was the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Hey, it's Keith Reinhold here. I'm at Freedom Fest with Freedom Fest host and founder Mark Scott. And thanks for having us here. Yeah. My pleasure, my pleasure. Thank you for coming. Well, I've got to tell you one reason that attracted me to this conference. I was concerned that it was going to be too politically partisan. And I respect you so much, because I know you have said that in most of all the books you've read, you've avoided these labels like liberal, conservative, left, right, red, blue, yes, progressive, conservative and all that.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:11:58)) - -  So that's what I'd like hearing when we talk about this conference championing principles of freedom and liberty. What does an American really need to know about freedom and liberty that's under attack today?   Mark Skousen** ((00:12:09)) - -  I think what we've tried to preach is the Adam Smith model, which you call the system of natural liberty. And what that meant was under the rule of law and justice and a robust competitive model. You've maximized the freedom of choice, freedom to choose your own work, your own business, how much salary you're going to charge or wages you're going to pay, whether you can hire or fire people. So within those rules, within those guidelines, you have maximum security. But in today's world, more and more everything, it's either being prohibited or mandated. So we're being squeezed from both sides. The idea of freedom of best to maximize freedom is for us to come together and find out what are the best solutions to improve our lives is the idea. So we talk philosophy, history, science and technology, healthy living, economics, politics.   Mark Skousen** ((00:13:05)) - -  It's all part of the program here. But it's not just a political conference.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:13:08)) - -  Part of this is lowering the guardrails and promoting free markets. The only thing that we've all seen happen in free markets is inflation, oftentimes ironically, created by some of those forces that put guardrails in place. So what does an investor there are a lot of investors here. Oh yeah. What does an investor need to know with regard to inflation today. How can the everyday person respond.   Mark Skousen** ((00:13:33)) - -  So one thing is we have a whole section on financial freedom because without financial freedom you're limited in what you can do and your influence that you can have. So this is very important. We live in an era of permanent inflation. Since World War two we've had permanent inflation. We didn't used to, but now we do because we're off the gold standard. We've adopted Keynesian economics, which means deficit spending all the time. We have adopted the dollar rather than gold. So we've lost that discipline. The fed is the engine of inflation. And they even have a policy of a minimum of at least 2% inflation rate.   Mark Skousen** ((00:14:10)) - -  We had a whole session. Actually Steve Forbes wasn't there, but Nathan Lewis is co-author of in the book inflation. We had a big session on what are the best inflation hedges. So we talk about gold and silver. The stock market, Bitcoin rallies, high bonds, real estate. We had all of those discussion. And that was the great thing about Freedom Fest is that you really do get answers and best solutions. At our conference, I attended that particular. Oh you did? Yeah.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:14:38)) - -  From Freedom Fest.   Mark Skousen** ((00:14:39)) - -  I've really.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:14:40)) - -  Enjoyed this.   Mark Skousen** ((00:14:41)) - -  So far. We have an exhibit hall.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:14:42)) - -  Which happens to be right. Oh yeah, we have breakout sessions that attendees can go to for the sessions that particularly interest. There are then a big general session where I've enjoyed presentations from Robert Kiyosaki to Ice-T. What is the future potential for getting Fest attendees? What would you like to tell them about what this conference entails? What they can.   Mark Skousen** ((00:15:03)) - -  Expect in the.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:15:03)) - -  Bank that they can.   Mark Skousen** ((00:15:04)) - -  Get? Well, one of the things is just the wonderful camaraderie that you feel, the buzz that you feel the meeting of like minded people who are all trying to seek best solutions rather than labels and attacking people.   Mark Skousen** ((00:15:18)) - -  And, we have the presidential debate here, for example. Well, we have all the third parties come together libertarians, the Constitution Party, the Green Party. We have RFK coming. The two major parties decided not to come. So, so much for their belief in democracy. But the idea is there's a there's something for everybody here. You want to improve your lifestyle, you want to prove your financial situation. You want to have better clarity on what is the proper role of government. Read about this A conference for you. This is an annual event that we usually have in the summer in Las Vegas and then other cities, and it's only 3 or 4. You know, we live busy lives, so can we come together once a year to learn to network, to socialize and celebrate liberty? I think we can if we plan ahead. When we.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:16:06)) - -  Drop these labels, we can get a clear download of sorts, remove filters.   Mark Skousen** ((00:16:11)) - -  And think.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:16:12)) - -  Clearly. And this is a largest gathering.   Mark Skousen** ((00:16:15)) - -  Of.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:16:15)) - -  Free minds. So for Mark Skelton I'm Keith Weigel. You heard Mark Skelton mentioned the presidential debate at Freedom Fest. I watched quite a bit of that. More on it later. Gray Investment coach narration is here in person with me at Freedom Fest. Coming up, he and I give you a download of some policy and real estate investing highlights that you can learn from. That's straight ahead. I'm Keith Reinhold, you're listening to get Rich education. Hey, you can get your mortgage loans at the same place where I get mine at Ridge Lending Group Nmls 42056. They provided our listeners with more loans than any provider in the entire nation because they specialize in income properties, they help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. You can start your prequalification and chat with President Ridge personally. Start now while it's on your mind at Ridge Lending Group. Com that's Ridge Lending group.com. And Your bank is getting rich off of you. The national average bank account pays less than 1% on your savings.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:17:28)) - -  If your money isn't making 4%, you're losing your hard earned cash to inflation. Let the liquidity fund help you put your money to work with minimum risk. Your cash generates up to an 8% return with compound interest year in and year out, instead of earning less than 1% sitting in your bank account, the minimum investment is just 25 K. You keep getting paid until you decide you want your money back there. Decade plus track record proves they've always paid their investors 100% in full and on time. And I would know, because I'm an investor, to earn 8%. Hundreds of others are. Text. Family to 66866. Learn more about Freedom Family Investments Liquidity Fund on your journey to financial freedom through passive income. Text family to 66866.   T. Harv Eker** ((00:18:23)) - -  This is the millionaire mind trick. You're listening to the powerful get Rich education with Keith Weingarten.   Speaker UU** ((00:18:29)) - -  Don't quit your day dream.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:18:39)) - -  Hey, we're here talking about Freedom Fest, and I'm doing that alongside gray investment coach. The race. Hey, welcome in the race. Hey, Keith.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:18:47)) - -  We are here in real life at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas, Nevada. And what Freedom Fest does is it promotes and champions the ideals of freedom in the United States, and it includes a bunch of guest speakers that have made appearances here that you got to see in person, from Ice-T to Robert Kiyosaki to a bunch of presidential candidates as well, sometimes not championing principles of things like freedom and tolerance and liberty and tyranny. And I think anyone can agree to freedom on a this basis. But when you think it through and where the discussion really begins is, oh, well, if you have freedom, does that mean you should be free to do anything at all that you want? Probably not. And that's quite a discussion or tolerance. That's an ideal. That sounds good, but oh does that mean you should tolerate absolutely anything? No probably not. So that's where a lot of the interesting policy decisions and a lot of the interesting debates come in here in the race. And I attended some of these presentations together and other ones separately.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:19:53)) - -  So we have some different perspectives on what we've learned here at Freedom Fest. Grace, why don't you tell us about some of the good takeaways that you had? I had a lot of good takeaways, Keith.   Mark Skousen** ((00:20:03)) - -  This is not just about freedom in the United States. It's about freedom around the world. And you even interviewed and I believe we're playing that interview soon. If you haven't already played it yet, you interviewed probably the freest nation in the world. It's a brand new nation and it's called liberalism, like liberty, land libre land in Europe. And it touts itself as the freest nation in the world. So there have been all sorts of topics happening or talked about from business, finance, economics, real estate, crypto, bitcoin, gold to non-business and financial topics, which I actually found more interesting simply because.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:20:46)) - -  Most of what I listen to and what.   Mark Skousen** ((00:20:48)) - -  Is business finance econ. I wanted something a little bit different, especially as a father of two young boys. There were topics on gender and sexuality.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:21:01)) - -  And.   Mark Skousen** ((00:21:02)) - -  Vaccinations being the vaccinated versus unvaccinated. Robert F Kennedy was the keynote speaker at this conference, and he's a major presidential candidate.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:21:12)) - -  RL Jr RFK.   Mark Skousen** ((00:21:14)) - -  Jr. Even though he's not part of a major party, he's probably the most popular third party candidate over the last 30 years, so he's a candidate. There were lectures on healthcare.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:21:28)) - -  And.   Mark Skousen** ((00:21:29)) - -  How to be a better patient. And hold your doctor and hold the healthcare system accountable. The other aspect of this conference is there are some heavy hitters just walking around freely. Like I met Matt Ridley easily, I met Robert Kiyosaki, just he was dressed in very casual clothing to where people didn't even recognize them. And I did and told him how much I appreciated him. You know, you and the great podcast and huge inspiration for me. Yeah, people like Kiyosaki walking around freely, presidential candidates walking around freely, many third party candidates, not just RFK. He wasn't walking around as freely. He was in and out pretty quickly with really heavy security.   Mark Skousen** ((00:22:09)) - -  But you had other third party candidates, like the Libertarian Party candidate and the Green Party candidate walking around freely. I ran into Vivek Ramaswamy, his campaign manager, while getting pizza. We are both standing in line getting pizza. We ended up having about almost a two hour lunch. One day talking finance business Vivek's policies his future. So overall this conference very educational, inside the classroom, very beneficial outside the classroom. We're going to bring some guests on the great podcast. We met at this conference, publicists who we met at this conference who represent good guests, some business development opportunities, maybe some not just good guests, but people who we would recommend their newsletters, maybe even outside of the real estate industry, people, contacts within the real estate industry. So it's not all about what you learn in the classroom. It's also about who you meet, the networking, the business development. Overall, just a really, really successful experience. There were a few.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:23:11)) - -  Shows that snagged me as a guest while here as well.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:23:15)) - -  I'm talking about American freedom here chiefly. But you did mention Lebanon, a startup nation between Croatia and Serbia. That's seven square kilometers in area. You know, I think there are a lot of people at a conference like this and just anywhere in society where if you ask them, well, hey, if you think you could run the nation better if you were starting it all over again, how would you start a nation from a clean slate and actually got an opportunity to do that? Well, I'll be interviewing the president of Lebanon here, where this country is trying to seek recognition from any nation. They want to start their own country, and they want to do freedom and really begin a country of their rights.   Mark Skousen** ((00:23:55)) - -  And see is, is is.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:23:57)) - -  Is is.   Mark Skousen** ((00:23:57)) - -  Bitcoin I think not just crypto but it's bitcoin. And it's interesting because you hear a lot of times you don't like the country that you live in, go somewhere else. These people took it to a whole new level and said, well, we're just going to start our own country.   Mark Skousen** ((00:24:10)) - -  And and it's about three square miles. So it's about the size of the area that I lived in. Tampa, not even Tampa, just almost the neighborhood that I live in, Tampa. So it's not a huge country, but it's interesting talking to them. And as you'll hear in the interview, hearing about what it's like to start a new country and there's a lot that you have to go, you know, there's a lot of fundraising if you want to call it that, that you have to do. It's it's a lot it's bigger than the business.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:24:37)) - -  You'll learn more about that on an upcoming episode of the show with the nation of Berlin. I attended a presentation called A Forgotten Solution to the Housing Crunch. Most people think of real estate development is either single family homes or multifamily properties. This espoused the building of light touch density of 2 to 4 unit properties, and how that increases the density. But it maintains character. And they showed an awful lot of photos in the presentation where from a street, a four unit building can actually like a single family home when it has the right design and therefore you don't get this NIMBYism pushback.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:25:16)) - -  I saw a number of smart design examples of that. And you know what this does? Will this help keep the cost of housing down in an area? What it allows for in a society is it allows the children who grew up in an area to afford the housing there without being priced out. Also called this multifamily missing middle 2 to 4 unit housing. You don't have the NIMBYism pushback that you do with multifamily housing. There are an awful lot of opinions here about people that want to avoid rent control, about how that's typically the bad policy. And many likened rent control to bombing American cities over time because landlords don't have an incentive to improve anything. So rent control is not a good solution to increasing the housing supply. And a lot of the discussion was how you get politicians to say no to rent control, sharing with them. Cato Institute studies on how the free market really makes for a higher housing supply, because that makes developers want to come into the market. And it was noted in one of the panel discussions about rent control and about providing more affordable housing.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:26:27)) - -  But if there's a four unit building of owners of all four units of that building, how that's deemed as less threatening than if there's a four unit building of renters.   Mark Skousen** ((00:26:38)) - -  So question for you, the housing panels that you attended were these people, were they private investors or they worked for private equity companies? I think maybe a documentary filmmaker who does real estate documentary, what was their background?   Keith Weinhold** ((00:26:50)) - -  Think tanks and yes, a documentary filmmaker of a film called Shabbat Vacation. And I did not get to see the film about the perils and ills of rent control on Shabbat vacation. But I talked with one of the people that worked on the project and basically that movie. It does glorify the landlord that was brought up. And typically in popular culture, you don't glorify the landlord. I mean, the landlord is kind of the beleaguered party in this, and it was critical of rent control there. And so it's helping to spread an awareness of how that really doesn't help the housing supply. Quantity work quality over time. I attended another presentation.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:27:33)) - -  It was called Homelessness California versus Texas and Homelessness. Of course, it's a multifaceted problem. There are a number of reasons that it occurs, but they really brought up that it often results from the loss of family connection a lot more often than what some people think. And it really brought to light that Houston has a lower proportion of homelessness in L.A. and San Francisco does. What are the reason this that that is the case. And that is because Houston has a lower proportion of homelessness, because it's a lower cost to build there, and Houston has way fewer zoning requirements, you see, almost like a hodgepodge of building across Houston. You have substantially less NIMBYism in Houston. You just have a culture there that doesn't push back on buildings. So those are really some of the key parallels between why the homelessness crisis is worse in California than it is in Texas. In most places, Austin actually has policies that are so agricultural to the rest of Texas, giving Austin a somewhat higher homelessness rate.   Mark Skousen** ((00:28:38)) - -  Wow, that's a lot of real estate content that you got there.   Mark Skousen** ((00:28:42)) - -  Anything else? Keith?   Keith Weinhold** ((00:28:44)) - -  Another presentation I attended was called Permanent Rising Prices. What are the best inflation hedges? And, you know, for a while they didn't even put real estate up there as one of them. And I was almost foaming at the mouth getting ready to ask a question. But they did bring in real estate at the end. When it comes to inflation. Many of them brought up the fact that we have multi-trillion dollar deficits even when we're in good times. I had never thought of it that way before. If most people would look at the history of the world and what's happening with the nation while they're running multi-trillion dollar deficits, they probably think that they're trending toward poverty and austerity. But that's not the case. This is what's happening in good times. And politicians, they really don't run on a platform of reducing our debt. You notice that none of the politicians do that. Instead, you see politicians run on platforms like immigration or the housing shortage or abortion. But, you know, politicians, they don't run on a platform of reducing our debt.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:29:42)) - -  And that's because they all see it as a problem that they didn't create, and they don't really want to work their way out of it either. So that's why it doesn't come up. Also, with the best inflation hedges, they showed the rank of asset performance for the last 200 years of five items stocks, bonds, treasury bills, gold and the dollar. And really it was coming down to two guys debating on whether stocks or gold were better. They both made their case either way. And they didn't bring in real estate until the end. But when they brought in real estate, they broad brushstroke and do what so many do, and they just looked at it as an asset class in what is its capital appreciation over time. Yeah. And you know, they didn't separate out income property as its own class like we would. But some of the panelists, they did not like real estate. They talked about how it's not liquid, about how you have to borrow funds, about how there's a maintenance burden and a repair burden with real estate, and you have tenants and management and some things like that.   Mark Skousen** ((00:30:40)) - -  Fair, all fair.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:30:41)) - -  All fair points. And one panelist brought up that gold has outperformed the gold mining stocks just historically over time. So those are some of the inflation hedges and some of the other issues with inflation that you don't think about very much as you have policy advocates and politicians addressing.   Mark Skousen** ((00:30:57)) - -  Well, I'll say gold mining stocks and most traders will tell you traders by gold mining stocks, not investors. So gold mining stocks are meant to be held over the short term. They are not meant to be held over a long period of time like physical tangible gold is. So for people to say, oh yeah, gold outperforms gold stocks over a 30 year period. That's true. But most people are buying gold stocks Like gold mining, stocks are only holding over a short period of time.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:31:29)) - -  Well, housing and inflation were such widespread themes here since it has been such a problem, much of it wrought by the pandemic. As we wind down here summarizing what we've experienced at our first Freedom Fest, for each of us, have any last thoughts with respect to housing and inflation since they were such overarching themes?   Mark Skousen** ((00:31:49)) - -  Well, the common theme here at Freedom Fest was government got out of the way because if you let the free market work itself out, if you let people be, people work themselves out.   Mark Skousen** ((00:32:01)) - -  But the onus on people to take personal responsibility, that in and of itself solves the inflation problem because you don't have government restrictions, government mandates, and And this was a major topic and that was the lockdowns of 2020. The mandatory vaccine mandates of 2021, those were all inflationary because when you have people fired from their jobs or dropping out, quitting their jobs because they didn't want to take this job, that means prices are higher and lower. Workforce means you have to pay the whoever is there higher wages. And that's what ended up happening. So it's not just about dollars and cents. It's something as simple as getting a job caused inflation. And ultimately when inflation goes up, of course that's going to affect rents, that's going to affect housing. There was a major savings rate, which I'm sure you covered in 2020, where people were saving money, being locked down at home. And once things started opening up, that money was spent and that created inflation. And people, as soon as they could get out of their house said, hey, I want to move to Florida, or I want to move to Texas or Utah or where we are here in Nevada.   Mark Skousen** ((00:33:10)) - -  And that's why housing values exploded. So the inflation was caused by government. It wasn't just the government spending. It was actual psychological and physical things that the government or the policies of the government did that created an inflation. The government spending, the low Federal Reserve interest rates are just a piece of the pie, or they're just a couple of pieces to the pie. And so it was interesting to learn that all these other areas, all these other, like I said, policies that the government enacted. And that's what Robert F Kennedy Jr, RFK, talked about in his keynote speech. All of these policies affected the purchasing power of our dollar.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:33:53)) - -  We have all had more dollars chasing fewer goods and services, one of those being housing itself. Hey, it's been great to meet up here in real life at Freedom Fest this year in a race. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Thank you Keith. I'm great. Yeah. Narration I enjoying freedom Fest here. Oh, there's such a wide variety of vendors and viewpoints all around this concept of free thinking, typically with getting government out of the way.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:34:29)) - -  In fact, in the exhibit hall, which is right across from where the speaker discussions are, there are booths for gold, real estate, cryptocurrency stocks, a dating app for unvaccinated people, self-directed IRAs, a program for teaching capitalism to school children. There is even a book that espouses biblical capitalist virtues. And then elsewhere in the exhibit hall, atheist virtues. There was also a promoter of a currency called the Nevada Gold Back, and what it is is 1/1000 of an ounce of 24 karat gold. And it is physical like gold back. It looks sort of like a dollar bill, just much, much more in the exhibit hall. Now, one concept that I did not hear any criticism about was Trump tariffs. Tariffs are not free market. In fact, it's akin to erecting a trade wall. And maybe there is a session about it. But there are many sessions going on concurrently and I can't attend them all. And in other sessions I was asked to be a speaker and was interviewed. Like you heard.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:35:45)) - -  Doctor Scholes had mentioned there was a presidential debate here. Now the two major party candidates didn't attend. I watched RFK Jr speak here, an independent candidate, and he was not in the presidential debate, though he spoke separately in the security for RFK Jr was formidable, even though he spoke the day before the Trump shooting. The presidential debate was among three different parties. It was Jill Stein at the Green Party, Randall Terry of the Constitution Party, and Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver, who is a particularly bright, articulate guy, and most or all of those candidates, they agree that we should end the Federal Reserve. And the presidential debate, interestingly, was moderated by Congressman Thomas Massie, who has more formally proposed ending the fed outside of the presidential debate. I also attended a different session. It was a Bitcoin debate called Will the Bitcoin bubble ever burst? And you had two guys promoting and talking about the virtues of Bitcoin. And then you had two guys criticizing Bitcoin. And one of the two bitcoin critics was Whole Foods founder John Mackey.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:36:58)) - -  So this really got interesting. Now I like a lot of the benefits of Bitcoin personally, but I must say in this particular debate the Bitcoin critics decide that Maggie was on. Oh they won this. The proponents best points were the people back in the day said electricity in the internet word feasible. They weren't going to last, but electricity and the internet won and Bitcoin will to the pro camp also espouses that Bitcoin is the first time we've had absolute digital scarcity. You cannot copy and paste bitcoin, but yeah, the critics did a better job. They said that Bitcoin is always made future promises, but it falls short like its awful acceptance rate as a currency. Still today its price levels are dreadfully volatile, just miserably volatile. You can't count on it then as a store of value. John Mackey said that Bitcoin produces no goods, no services and no cash flow. The Bitcoin critics also asked more than once this question how has Bitcoin made anyone's life simpler, easier or better? There really weren't any good answers to that question, and they even critiqued that with its fixed supply at 21 million will, then it cannot grow with the economy.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:38:21)) - -  And then what this can do is create deflation and depression. And I would like to adhere myself that each Bitcoin is already divided into 100 million tiny pieces called satoshis. And it might be able to be divided smaller than that eventually. But yeah, the Bitcoin critics won. It is quite a win for bitcoin, in my opinion, that this nascent digital asset that was only worth a few pennies 15 years ago when it came out, I mean, it was something that only cryptographers and digital geeks understood. Well, today you've got presidents discussing bitcoin. So it's certainly had some success just in branding and name recognition alone. That is just about a wrap from Freedom Fest this year here in Las Vegas, there were record breaking temperatures outside in the Mojave Desert in the middle of summer. Inside, it was a celebration of ideals like life, liberty, prosperity, and of course, freedom. Until next week, I'm your host, Keith Wendel. Don't quit your day, dream.   Speaker 6** ((00:39:35)) - -  Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice.   Speaker 6** ((00:39:39)) - -  Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss the host is operating on behalf of yet Rich education LLC exclusively.   Keith Weinhold** ((00:40:03)) - -  The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building. Get rich education.com.

Join me for an enlightening episode of "Thoughtfully Mindless" as I sit down with renowned economist and financial advisor Mark Skousen in "A Brave New World: Mark Skousen on FreedomFest and Future Trends." Mark, the founder and producer of FreedomFest, shares his insights on the future of economics, the importance of real-world experience in education, and the exciting events planned for this year's FreedomFest in Las Vegas. Discover how FreedomFest has become the world's largest gathering of free minds and what attendees can expect from speakers like Rob Schneider, Robert Kiyosaki, Bret Weinstein, Michael Shellenberger, and many more. This episode is packed with valuable insights on economic liberty, innovation, and the power of ideas to shape a free society. Don't miss this conversation with one of the leading voices in economic freedom. Use code THOUGHTFUL50 for $50 off at checkout at https://www.freedomfest.com/ https://www.markskousen.com/ https://thoughtfullymindless.com/ https://fractalzoo.net/

Sponsor special: Up to $2,500 of FREE silver AND a FREE safe on qualifying orders - Call 855-862-3377 or text “AMERICAN” to 6-5-5-3-2“Within the law, rule of law, and in a robust competitive model, you want to maximize freedom ... Economic freedom, in the context of the rule of law, is the best formula for success and prosperity.”Mark Skousen is said to be one of the top 20 most influential living economists in the world. He's written over 25 books on personal finance and investing, including two of America's definitive textbooks on economics.“We have to make the right decisions to encourage, to increase our standard of living. That is the ultimate purpose of economics—to tell us how to do that,” says Mr. Skousen.He's also the producer of the annual libertarian FreedomFest conference. In anticipation of the event next month, we sat down to discuss some of the major myths and misconceptions about our economy today.“Even the stock market, by the way, is at an all-time high. But in real terms, after inflation, it's the same [as] it was in 2021,” says Mr. Skousen.He says that since World War II, America has been in a state of permanent inflation, and that returning to the Adam Smith model of economics is the only way to get back to what he calls “enlightened capitalism.”“I judge every economist on whether they are defending and improving upon the Adam Smith model of economic liberty, or are trying to tear it down and build their own system of socialism, Keynesianism, totalitarianism, and so forth,” says Mr. Skousen.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

This week's guest on Wealth Formula Podcast is Mark Skousen. He is the producer of FreedomFest which has become an extremely popular annual gathering every year that deals with not only money but other lifestyle topics as well. What is freedom anyway? To me, It's the ability to choose what you want to do with […] The post 438: Mark Skousen on Freedom and the Economy appeared first on Wealth Formula.

Doug Stuart welcomes a distinguished guest, Mark Skousen, renowned investment expert, economist, university professor, author, and founder of FreedomFest. Skousen shares insights into his journey towards libertarianism, shaped by his upbringing in a conservative Democratic and Mormon family, and underscores the significance of individual liberty and maximum choice in both personal and business spheres, inspired by Adam Smith's principles.Skousen provides an in-depth look into the origins and evolution of FreedomFest, conceived during his tenure as president and CEO of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) in 2001. Despite fundraising challenges that curtailed his time at FEE, Skousen's vision of an annual gathering of freedom enthusiasts persisted, culminating in the creation of FreedomFest in 2007. This vibrant event, held annually in Las Vegas, offers attendees an eclectic mix of entertainment, keynote speeches, breakout sessions, networking opportunities, media coverage, and lively debates.Drawing notable figures from various fields, FreedomFest boasts a diverse lineup of speakers, including celebrities like William Shatner and George Foreman, and this year expects appearances from Rob Schneider and Ice T. The event also features full presidential debates and a focus on pressing topics such as bitcoin. Skousen highlights the upcoming event's theme, "Brave New World," aimed at addressing current global issues with an optimistic perspective, and mentions key speakers like Javier Millay, Steven Pinker, and Lord Matt Ridley.This July, LCI will be joining thousands of passionate defenders of liberty in Las Vegas for FreedomFest, “the world's largest gathering of free minds.” Just like last year and the years before that, it will be a rewarding four-day conference like no other, with big debates, world-class speakers, film/music/comedy/arts festivals, social events, the “Tradeshow for Liberty” exhibit hall, and so much more.LCI will be there with hundreds of other premier speakers and top-level experts in a wide range of topics. Don't miss yours truly, along with Javier Milei, Ice-T, Kennedy, Steven Pinker, Emily Compagno, Steve Forbes, Justin Amash, and many others.New signups save $50 off the current “Attendee” rate! Use our special code: CHRISTIAN50Learn more about what's included in your conference pass, who you'll meet, and the life-changing experience you'll have at FreedomFest Vegas: “Brave New World?” July 10-13, 2024 at CAESARS FORUM conference center.Register now with our code: CHRISTIAN50!FreedomFest is for the independent mind and spirit who chooses to be alive. We detest authoritarianism in all of its forms and seek unequivocal liberty for all. We believe in the pursuit of knowledge, diversity of ideas, human flourishing for all, fraternity with all, toleration for those we disagree with, and aspire for a life well and fully lived, a life of meaning and purpose in the service of goals, ends, and values worth serving. FreedomFest, at its core, is the embodiment of the Liberty Lifestyle. Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com ★ Support this podcast ★

Kerry Lutz and Mark Skousen discuss the upcoming Freedom Fest event in Las Vegas, highlighting the growing appeal of libertarianism and the shift away from traditional left-right politics. They emphasize the diverse lineup of keynote speakers, including Javier Miele, Ice-T, and Rob Snyder, and the various events and activities planned for the conference, such as the presidential debate and the Anthem Film Festival. The conversation also touches on Las Vegas as a libertarian paradise, discussing its evolution from a gambling-centric destination to a multifaceted hub of entertainment, museums, and events. The discussion also delves into the stock market's performance, emphasizing the influence of gridlock, tax cuts, and the Federal Reserve's actions. They express apprehension about deficit spending and the potential for a boom-bust cycle due to a shift in monetary policy. Additionally, they highlight the upcoming financial conference's focus on managing permanent inflation and the potential need for a return to a gold standard. The conversation also touches on the government's narrative regarding inflation and the upcoming FreedomFest event, with details on hotel arrangements and contact information for attendees. Overall, the meeting highlights the excitement and anticipation surrounding the upcoming Freedom Fest event and the diverse range of topics and speakers that will be featured. For the FSN community members who will be at Freedom Fest, email me at kl@kerrylutz.com and if we have enough people I will do a meetup with drinks and appetizers. Visit FreedomFest here: freedomfest.com Find Kerry here: FSN and here: inflation.cafe

“The trend is your friend … until it ends” When it comes to navigating fluctuating markets, knowing when to ride the wave and when to brace for its downturn can make all the difference. In this episode, acclaimed economist, former CIA analyst, investment expert and author Dr. Mark Skousen sits down with Robert Helms to unpack current trends in the markets and the broader economy. He'll also share what the pivotal economic indicator he developed is signaling now and tips for effectively structuring your portfolio for long term success. Lastly, we take a journey through the Tri-Cities, WA real estate market in today's Market Spotlight. Tune in, sit back, and enjoy the ride!

Lots of people have read The Road to Serfdom, but few have read the material for which F.A. Hayek won the Nobel Prize in 1974. Mark Skousen joins us to discuss the significance of Hayek's work and how it helps us understand the world (and interventionism) better. Sponsors: & Guest's Event: