About

I’ve spent years trading, in newsrooms, and out on the road, all while balancing marriage and raising kids. This unique perspective comes to bear on my writing, books, and podcasts. I started my career as a journalist in 1990s Russia, writing for Novaya Gazeta, The Moscow Times, and Hearst. I met my wife in Russia and we returned to the US to raise a family. I spent 20+ years on Wall St, most of that time at Bridgewater Associates, the biggest hedge fund in the world. There we spent our days studying economic history and how markets work. I tested these ideas out in a portfolio continuously run since 2007. I believe the world can be understood but it isn’t easy and requires a combination of rigorous economic analysis overlaid with history, cultural understanding, and creativity. I was educated at Brown University, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts in association with Harvard), and the Maurice Thorez School of Foreign Languages. I am fluent in Russian and have also studied Chinese, French, and Spanish. I continue to be motivated by the same curiosity that drove me to Moscow in my 20s.