Published in The Journeyman.·Nov 24Member-onlyThe Red Wave Was No Match for a Black SwanThe 2022 midterms are a lesson in improbability — and what happens when unlikely voters decide to vote — Once thought to be nonexistent, the discovery of the black swan in Australia gave rise to the bird’s use as a metaphor to describe an unexpected event of significant consequence. The financial website Investopedia defines a Black Swan as “an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of…Politics10 min readPolitics10 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Nov 2Member-onlyDogma Posing as an Investment StrategyIn which the anti-woke brigade set its sights on investment methodologies — The other day I had a brief Twitter exchange with Mark Dow, a global macro trader. According to his profile on Business Insider, he was previously an economist at the U.S. Treasury Department and the International Monetary Fund. The catalyst for Dow’s tweet was an Andrew Ross Sorkin interview with…Identity Politics12 min readIdentity Politics12 min read
Published in Writers and Editors of Color Magazine·Oct 20Member-onlyIt’s Not Always the Far-RightSometimes racism comes from the places we least expect — By now, you’ve probably heard about the recent anonymous leak of an audio recording of Democratic members of the Los Angeles City Council. In it, President Nury Martinez, council members Kevin de León, Gil Cedillo, and L.A. …Racism4 min readRacism4 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Oct 14Member-onlyYes, Biden’s Marijuana Pardons Are a BFD, but They’re Also Smart PoliticsThe administration’s step toward federal cannabis legalization could help Democrats hang onto Congress — Last week, President Joe Biden fulfilled another campaign promise, pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law. The move also covers thousands convicted of marijuana possession in the District of Columbia. …Cannabis4 min readCannabis4 min read
Published in DataDrivenInvestor·Oct 2Member-onlyCan Blockchain Technology Revolutionize Healthcare?An emerging group of health tech upstarts looks to succeed where fintech failed — One of my last research projects from my days consulting as a capital markets analyst was a paper I wrote on the use cases for blockchain technology in financial services. At the time, a confluence of circumstances (not the least of which was the Great Financial Crisis) spawned a wave…Blockchain8 min readBlockchain8 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Sep 22Member-onlyHe’s Gonna Keep Getting Away With ItIt’s time to admit that Donald Trump is above the law — Imagine yourself in the following scenario: Your employer fired you from your job at a global investment bank eighteen months ago. But on your way out the door, you steal reams of the company’s most sensitive internal documents. You’ve stored the ill-gotten items in the basement of your second home. …Justice5 min readJustice5 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Sep 15Member-onlyThe Plutocracy’s Achilles’ Heel?Citigroup’s notorious strategy for exploiting income inequality also provides a roadmap for how to defeat it — Although I’ve been away from Wall Street for more than a decade, I still talk to many of my former colleagues, some almost daily. Many are former competitors, others worked with me on one of the trading businesses I ran. Beyond our years of friendship, they are my direct line…Wealth Inequality8 min readWealth Inequality8 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Aug 23Member-onlyThe FBI’s Mar-a-Lago Seizure Could Pose Trump’s Biggest Legal Problem YetEven Georgia’s investigation into election interference could take a back seat to Trump’s mishandling of sensitive government documents — Mission: Impossible, the 1996 spy thriller starring Tom Cruise, is among my favorite movies. One of the film’s most memorable moments is “the vault scene.” In it, Cruise’s character and his team of covert operatives break into a secure room inside CIA headquarters. …Mar A Lago Raid9 min readMar A Lago Raid9 min read
Published in Writers and Editors of Color Magazine·Jul 27Member-onlyWhen I Became One of the First Black Finance Professionals in Arkansas, the Racism I Encountered Was UnbelievableFrom racism in my workplace to racist clients, in the 80s and 90s, being a Black bond salesman in the Deep South was almost too much — I spent much of my finance career in the Deep South, where I worked for one of the largest investment banks outside Wall Street. What follows is a story about racism and some things I experienced during that time. …Race9 min readRace9 min read
Jun 28Member-onlyHerschel Walker’s Problem with the TruthIt’s no surprise Donald Trump endorsed him. — There was a boy who lived a few blocks from my childhood home in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The boy (I’ll call him Jason) was younger than me, so we didn’t interact much. The one thing I remember about him was his prolific lying. …Midterm Elections4 min readMidterm Elections4 min read
