The Blunt Dollar

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, we sit down with Rob Arnott, founder and chairman of Research Affiliates and one of the most contrarian thinkers in investing today. 

With over $160 billion managed using his models, Rob has challenged decades of financial orthodoxy, from the efficient market hypothesis to the myth of stimulus-driven growth. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to build a truly independent investing philosophy or what the stock market teaches us about time, risk, and reward, this conversation is a masterclass.

We cover:

📉 Why fundamental indexing may outperform traditional approaches — and how it challenges everything we thought we knew about how to invest in stocks

🔍 What makes the active side of passive investing quietly dangerous, and why blindly following the S&P 500 could backfire

💡 Rob's journey from aspiring astrophysicist to quant pioneer, and how curiosity, not conformity, drove his success

🧠 Lessons from going against the grain on government stimulus, market efficiency, and long-term value investing

📈 How time horizon, patience, and humility can give individual investors an edge, especially when investing for beginners or learning how to save money and build wealth

If you like personal finance, investing strategy, and breaking down complex finance ideas, this one's for you. Whether you're exploring stocks to buy or learning how to budget and invest, this episode is packed with insights.

Oh, and if you haven't already... subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

New episodes drop every other week! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-ramirez-moreno-cfa/

Enjoy the episode!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Listeners should consult a qualified financial professional before making any financial decisions.

Quant meets code meets capital in this sharp conversation with Cyril Bosch, a seasoned investment strategist with a rare blend of quant experience, AI expertise, and institutional rigor.

Formerly CIO at Sidekick and with a deep background across JP Morgan, USS, and Polar Capital, Cyril unpacks how AI is fundamentally changing the investment game, and why it’s about much more than just automation.

We dive deep into Cyril’s vision of an AI-first investment process, his own tools for automating ripple intelligence, and how he’s helping fintech startups build real-world AI applications. And yes, we also get into drones, Japan, and why behavioral finance still matters.

Here’s what we cover:

🤖 Why AI in investing isn’t just a tool — it’s a new mindset
🛠 How Cyril built a portfolio-aware AI alert system that beats Bloomberg
🇯🇵 Unique challenges (and megatrends) in Japanese equities
📉 How behavioral biases quietly cost investors 300bps per year
🧠 Advice for younger professionals: learn, code, and stay curious

If you’re into applied AI, portfolio strategy, and how tech is reshaping capital markets, this one’s for you.

Oh, and if you haven't already... subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

New episodes drop every other week! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-ramirez-moreno-cfa/

Enjoy the episode!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Listeners should consult a qualified financial professional before making any financial decisions.

Cole Wilcox, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Longboard Asset Management, joins The Blunt Dollar to unpack the core ideas behind his 25-year investing journey rooted in disciplined risk management, long-term thinking, and trend following.

If you're exploring how to invest, curious about what it means to have a sound investment strategy, or simply want to understand personal finance through a deeper lens, this episode delivers timeless insights you can actually use.

We discuss the highs and lows of the stock market, how to protect your portfolio from catastrophic loss, and what investing for beginners should really look like in a world full of noise. 

In this conversation, we cover:

📉 Why “avoiding the double zero” is the cornerstone of Cole’s approach to investing

📚 How early market cycles and losses shaped his take on how to invest in stocks and build lasting wealth

📊 What most get wrong about trend following and how it beats buy low sell high thinking

🧠 Why budgeting, patience, and emotional discipline matter more than stock picking

🔮 The rise of liquid alternatives, freenvesting, and what the future of retire stock market strategies may look like

If you're into stocks to buy, how to save money, and building a strategy that actually compounds, this one’s for you.

Oh, and if you haven't already... subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

New episodes drop every other week! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-ramirez-moreno-cfa/

Enjoy the episode!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Listeners should consult a qualified financial professional before making any financial decisions.

Few people have shaped the way we think about long-term investing and finance like Laurence Siegel. From his early collaboration with Roger Ibbotson on the landmark "Stocks, Bonds, Bills, and Inflation" study to leading investment research at the Ford Foundation and the CFA Institute Research Foundation, Larry has spent decades connecting financial history, data, and practical insight into how markets truly work.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore what centuries of economic and stock market history can teach us about the future, how seemingly obscure ideas like tontines and medieval water mills reveal deep investing truths, and why indexing, once a fringe idea, changed everything from the NYSE to global financial education.

🎯 Here's what we cover:

🏛️ Discovering 14th-century share trading in a Toulouse watermill, an early example of stock market investing

📉 The real lessons foundations and endowments learn about risk and profit

📘 What most investors miss about the early days of index funds and quantitative analysis

🧠 How to build a true long-term mindset in a short-term world dominated by CNBC headlines and stock market news

🧭 Why economic history is still the best forecasting tool we have, from forex markets to interbank lending dynamics

If you’re into deep market wisdom, financial education, and no-nonsense investment thinking, this one’s for you.

Oh, and if you haven't already... subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

New episodes drop every other week! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-ramirez-moreno-cfa/

Enjoy the episode!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Listeners should consult a qualified financial professional before making any financial decisions.

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, we sit down with Marcie Frost, CEO of CalPERS, the largest public pension fund in the U.S., managing over $500 billion in assets for more than 2 million public sector workers.

From a childhood marked by poverty to the pinnacle of public finance, Marcie’s journey is a masterclass in grit, purpose, and principled leadership. She opens up about the personal experiences that shaped her view of retirement security and the operational pressures of leading a fund under constant political and media scrutiny.

We cover a wide range of topics, including the future of public pensions, the impact of AI, and how to lead with clarity under pressure.

🔹 From food banks to a finance titan: Marcie's remarkable rise without a college degree
🔹 What it takes to lead CalPERS: Balancing fiduciary duty, politics, and performance
🔹 Inside the $100B climate strategy: Myth-busting ESG misconceptions and redefining impact
🔹 The Pathways initiative: Empowering women to step into leadership with confidence
🔹 AI at CalPERS: How the fund is embracing tech without compromising its human touch

If you like stories of bold leadership, sustainable investing, and what it really takes to manage generational capital at scale, this one's for you.

Oh, and if you haven't already... subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

New episodes drop every other week! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-ramirez-moreno-cfa/

Enjoy the episode!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Listeners should consult a qualified financial professional before making any financial decisions.

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Orlando Gemes, Founding Partner and CIO of Fourier Asset Management, a credit hedge fund focused on uncovering repeatable alpha through a highly data-driven approach to convertible arbitrage. Orlando’s background spans from fixed income at Deutsche Bank to leading structured credit at Hermes and running his own shop at Fairwater Capital. Now, he’s building something truly unique with Farrier.

We talk about what makes convertibles so compelling, how he’s assembling a PhD-led quant team from scratch, and what it really takes to launch an emerging hedge fund without the usual pedigree or seed backers.

🔍 Why convertibles are one of the best risk-adjusted investing opportunities out there

🧠 How Orlando leverages STEM talent, data analysis, and quantitative trading models to find an edge

📉 The brutal realities of liquidity risk in credit markets

🏗️ What it’s like to build a hedge fund from scratch, with no shortcuts or safety nets

📚 Orlando’s advice to young professionals: read everything, get mentors, stay curious about finance and financial education

If you’re into investing, money management, or just want an honest look at what it takes to go from idea to fund launch, this one's for you.

Oh, and if you haven't already... subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

New episodes drop every other week! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-ramirez-moreno-cfa/

Enjoy the episode!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Listeners should consult a qualified financial professional before making any financial decisions.

Today’s guest is James Eagle, data visualization pioneer, LinkedIn top voice, and former investment writer with a two-decade run at firms like HSBC, Fidelity, and Vontobel. James left the institutional world to become a full-time content creator and data storyteller, making finance clearer and more human through the power of visuals.

In this episode, we unpack his incredible journey from pitchbooks to pixels, why most financial communication still misses the mark, and how we might be able to save ourselves from the chaos of information overload — one chart at a time.

Here’s what we cover:

📊 From asset management to animated charts: James’ leap from Fidelity and Vontobel to founding PlotSet

🧠 Why most financial storytelling is forgettable, and how to make it emotionally resonant

🔥 The role of vulnerability in content creation (yes, even in finance)

🧭 Why data visualization is more than decoration, it’s a map for a confusing world

🤖 How AI is both the problem and the solution to data pollution

If you like content creation, emotional intelligence in finance, and making complex ideas beautifully simple, this one's for you.

Oh, and if you haven't already... subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

New episodes drop every other week! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-ramirez-moreno-cfa/

Enjoy the episode!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Listeners should consult a qualified financial professional before making any financial decisions.

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Stephen White, co-founder of Markets Recon and former marketing lead at BlackRock and eVestment, to unpack nearly two decades of insights from the intersection of finance, strategy, and storytelling.

From launching billion-dollar investment strategies to now building a tech platform that reimagines how allocators absorb research, Stephen brings a fresh, human take on everything from active management to fintech innovation. This conversation goes deep into what it really means to work in finance with integrity, purpose, and an eye toward broader impact.

We talk about:

💡 The hidden role of storytelling in finance — and why English Lit majors might be the next big thing

🚀 What it's really like inside BlackRock: strategy, politics, layoffs, and long-term vision

📊 Why active management isn’t just about alpha, it’s about self-actualisation

🌍 The tension between democratizing investing and solving rich people's problems

🎙️ How marketing in finance is shifting from press releases to podcast mics and personal brands

If you're into fintech, asset management strategy, and the human side of markets, this one's for you.

Oh, and if you haven't already... subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

New episodes drop every other week! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-ramirez-moreno-cfa/

Enjoy the episode!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Listeners should consult a qualified financial professional before making any financial decisions.

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Bill Kelly, a true veteran of the asset management world with over 40 years of experience and former CEO of the CAIA Association. From co-founding Boston Partners to steering CAIA into a global standard for alternatives education, Bill has seen (and shaped) the evolution of the investment industry from the inside out.

We dive into the lessons he’s learned leading both scrappy startups and established institutions, why investor education matters more than ever, and the opportunities and risks in today’s democratising private markets.

Here’s what we cover:

💼 Bill’s career journey — from CPA at PwC to CEO of CAIA and beyond
📈 The evolution of alternative investments and the democratisation of private markets
⚠️ Why financial literacy and fiduciary duty are essential safeguards for investors
🧠 Bridging the gap between data scientists and investment professionals through the FTP Institute
🤖 AI, quantum computing, and the next wave of disruption in finance

If you’re interested in asset management, alternative investments, and the future of investor education, this one’s for you.

And if you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

Oh, and if you haven't already... subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

New episodes drop every other week! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-ramirez-moreno-cfa/

Enjoy the episode!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Listeners should consult a qualified financial professional before making any financial decisions.

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Rhodri Preece, Senior Head of Research at CFA Institute, to explore how digital forces, new generations, and AI are reshaping the investment landscape. Rhodri has spent nearly two decades at CFA Institute leading global research initiatives, covering everything from ESG and transparency to the rise of social media influencers in finance.

We discuss:
📱 The powerful impact of “finfluencers” and how Gen Z is learning (and sometimes mislearning) about investing online

🎯 Why personalization, data, and digital engagement are becoming non-negotiable for financial firms

🤖 How AI is changing the advisory profession, and why creativity, empathy, and critical thinking still give humans an edge

🌎 What the CFA Institute is doing to keep standards relevant in a world of rapid tech shifts

💥 Why trust today looks very different than it did a generation ago — and how firms can adapt

If you’re interested in the future of financial advice, Gen Z investors, and the blend of human and machine intelligence in markets, this one’s for you.

Oh, and if you haven't already... subscribe to The Blunt Dollar for more raw and honest finance conversations.

New episodes drop every other week! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-ramirez-moreno-cfa/

Enjoy the episode!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Listeners should consult a qualified financial professional before making any financial decisions.