Dr. Ben Hunt - Reading the Metanarrative’s Subtext
This week on Standard Deviations with Dr. Daniel Crosby, Dr. Crosby speaks with Dr. Ben Hunt. Ben Hunt is the creator of Epsilon Theory and inspiration behind Second Foundation Partners, which he co-founded with Rusty Guinn in June 2018. Epsilon Theory, Second Foundation’s principal publishing brand, is a newsletter and website that examines markets through the lenses of game theory and history. As Chief Investment Officer, Ben bears primary responsibility for determining the Company’s investment views and positioning of model portfolios. He is also the primary author of materials distributed through Epsilon Theory. Ben taught political science for 10 years: at New York University from 1991 until 1997 and (with tenure) at Southern Methodist University from 1997 until 2000. He also wrote two academic books: Getting to War (Univ. of Michigan Press, 1997) and Policy and Party Competition (Routledge, 1992), which he co-authored with Michael Laver. Ben is the founder of two technology companies and the co-founder of SmartEquip, Inc., a software company for the construction equipment industry that provides intelligent schematics and parts diagrams to facilitate e-commerce in spare parts. He began his investment career in 2003, first in venture capital and subsequently on two long/short equity hedge funds. He worked at Iridian Asset Management from 2006 until 2011 and TIG Advisors from 2012 until 2013. He joined Rusty at Salient in 2013, where he combined his background as a portfolio manager, risk manager, and entrepreneur with academic experience in game theory and econometrics to work with Salient’s own portfolio managers and its financial advisor clients to improve client outcomes. Ben is a graduate of Vanderbilt University (1986) and earned his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University in 1991. He lives in the wilds of Redding, CT on Little River Farm, where he personifies the dilettante farmer that has been a stock comedic character since Cicero's day. Luckily his wife, Jennifer, and four daughters, Harper, Hannah, Haven and Halle, are always there to save the day. Ben's hobbies include comic books, Alabama football, beekeeping, and humoring Rusty in trivia "competitions".
Tune in to hear:
- Dr. Hunt often questions - why am I hearing this now? Why is Dr. Hunt calling for greater thoughtfulness around timing?
- How can we be thoughtful about “weaponized narratives” without succumbing to seeing boogeyman around every corner?
- How do we think about this narrative formation process when it comes from the inside out? Is that something we should be seeking to do proactively or should we avoid it to truly be our “authentic selves?”
- How can one “let their freak flag fly” without being overly reactionary, which is potentially equally inauthentic?
- How can we best react to the fact that there is a push, that seems to grow with each year, to focus more on the financial burden of monthly payments than to look at the sticker price of an item (e.g. a car) itself?
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