Todd Buchholz

Former White House Director of Economic Policy and CNBC Regular

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Former White House Director of Economic Policy
and CNBC Regular

Economist Todd Buchholz “lights up economics with a wickedly sparkling wit,” says the Associated Press. The former White House senior economic advisor, Tiger hedge fund managing director and best-selling author has jousted with such personalities as James Carville and Ben Stein. His lively and informative speaking engagements have earned him a place in Successful Meetings Magazine’s “21 Top Speakers for the 21st Century, and his best-selling books on economics and financial markets have been widely translated and are taught in universities worldwide.

From White House to Wall Street

As a frequent commentator on the state of the markets, Todd Buchholz brings his experience as a former White House director of economic policy, a managing director of the $15 billion Tiger hedge fund, and a Harvard economics teacher to the cutting edge of economics, fiscal politics, finance, and business strategy.  Buchholz is a frequent guest on ABC News, PBS, and CBS, and he recently hosted his own special on CNBC. Buchholz has debated such luminaries in the field as Lester Thurow and Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz.

Before joining Tiger in 1996, Buchholz was President of the G7 Group, Inc, an international consulting firm whose clientele included many of the top securities firms, investment banks and money managers in New York, London, and Tokyo, including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. His commentaries were closely read by officials at the Federal Reserve, Bundesbank and Bank of England. From 1989 to 1992 he served at the White House as a Director for Economic Policy. Buchholz won the Allyn Young Teaching Prize at Harvard and holds advanced degrees in economics and law from Cambridge and Harvard. He was a fellow at Cambridge University in 2009, holds several engineering and design patents and is a co-producer of the Broadway smash “Jersey Boys.”

Math Arrow

Buchholz is the inventor of the Math Arrow, a mathematical matrix that makes numbers more intuitive to children.  He is the CEO of Sproglit, LLC, which develops software and classroom materials based on the Math Arrow.  Martin Cooper, widely recognized as the inventor of the cellular phone, has called the Math Arrow “ingenious.”

Acclaimed Author and Keynote Speaker

Buchholz has authored numerous critically acclaimed and best-selling books, many of which he has developed into successful lectures and speaking events. His books have been translated into a dozen languages and are used in universities worldwide, including at Harvard, Duke, and Princeton. Author Buchholz is praised for his examination of economics, business and entrepreneurship in the context of global society.

Market Shock: 9 Economic and Social Upheavals that Will Shake Our Financial Future, was released to rave reviews and dubbed “outstanding” by the Wall Street Journal. Buchholz has also published the best-selling New Ideas from Dead Economists, New Ideas from Dead CEOs, From Here to Economy, and Lasting Lessons from the Corner Office, which garnered high praise from The New York Times and Financial Times. Named by Publishers Weekly as a “top ten” book for 2011, his book Rush: Why You Need and Love the Rat Race has been praised by the Financial Times, Toronto Globe & Mail, Los Angeles Times and the BBC, among many others. Buchholz has penned articles for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Forbes, and Reader’s Digest. His latest book is The Price of Prosperity: Why Rich Nations Fail and How to Renew Them.

Trend Forecaster & Global Economy Expert

Buchholz is widely sought for his depth of experience, sharp wit and honest, entertaining delivery. He puts global politics and financial markets into perspective and offers a positive understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing today’s markets.

An experienced media personality, Buchholz gave a lecture at the White House entitled “Clarity, Honesty and Modesty in Economics,” and has delivered keynote speeches before such influential corporate and financial institutions as Microsoft, IBM, Goldman Sachs and the United States Chamber of Commerce. He has served as a consulting advisor to the White House, Microsoft, Allstate, Goldman Sachs, IBM, SAP and Toyota, and he is routinely asked to provide perspective in newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Prosperity Ahead — Or Not?

As President Donald Trump promises to reshape policy from taxation to healthcare to foreign affairs, governments and companies must grapple with crucial questions: Can the new President’s tax cuts prod the economy to recover, despite worldwide worries over Brexit and trade disputes ? Will the Fed keep its independence? How can the president repeal Obamacare and Dodd-Frank, while fostering a new era of deregulation? Will the U.S. build up bigger and bigger debts without tackling entitlements? What’s at stake for the economy, the financial markets and geopolitics, amid foreign policy crises in Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and China? Todd Buchholz has delivered keynotes at the White House, Treasury Department, UK Parliament and stock exchanges from Mexico City to Tokyo to Abu Dhabi. His just-released book The Price of Prosperity is ranked #1 on Amazon for government and received rave reviews from advisors to Donald Trump as well as from Hillary Clinton. By “connecting the dots” of the world economy, Todd will inspire you and help you develop a timely vision for the economy, the financial markets, and the dramatic impact of the presidential election.

How To Compete in A Global Economy

Never before have businesses felt such excruciating pressure to compete. The go-go days of the 1990s turned into the go-sideways days of the 2000’s. What’s next? While enjoying superlow interest rates and riding a roller coaster stock market, firms have struggled to raise prices, even when their costs go up. China poses a threat but also an opportunity for new sales. Loyal customers seem ready to jump to a competitor. How can your company or industry survive and thrive? Can the Fed keep the economy recovering in the Janet Yellen era? Will Congress try yet another “stimulus?” Todd Buchholz, who led the White House Energy Strategy, will help you figure out whether OPEC and Russia can tighten energy supplies again or whether a revolution in natural gas will reinvigorate U.S. factories. Learn how the “scissors economy” opens up new business and investment opportunities. Today might be the very best—or the very worst—time to finance a loan. By “connecting the dots” of the world economy, Todd teaches how to anticipate the new trends that open up fresh opportunities for manufacturing, service and technology companies.

The Price of Prosperity: How to Renew Rich Nations

What’s wrong with America and the modern economy? When rich nations begin to shatter, “everyone has a comfy bed—but fewer people have a reason to get out of it.” Todd Buchholz’s new book The Price of Prosperity is earning rave reviews from leading minds on the Democratic and the Republican side of the aisle, from Larry Summers and Alan Blinder to Larry Kudlow. In this entertaining speech Todd explains the 5 factors that can undermine rich countries, and he puts forth bold solutions to address the eroding work ethic, rising debt loads, and the challenge of patriotism in a multicultural country. Todd takes audiences on a fascinating historical tour, from ancient Sparta to the Habsburg Monarchy to the fall of the Ottomans to identify how rich nations get in trouble, and how they can get out. Here’s what the Wall Street Journal reviewer said about Todd’s approach: “Mr. Buchholz was economic adviser to George H.W. Bush. He has run a hedge fund. He teaches and writes books and is popular with TV talk-show hosts. His book reflects that range of talents in that it has the tone of a provocative and entertaining dinner speech, studded with factoids and witticisms…The result is entertaining and informative…Mr. Buchholz has raised his warning flags in a charming way.” Audiences will come away enlightened, motivated, and uplifted.

Behavioral Economics Can Work For You

Business leaders and policymakers take heed – your social, cognitive, and emotional biases (and those of your consumers) will affect your finances. Todd Buchholz examines how generational differences, habitual cognitive decisions, and work relationships all operate together to inform market decisions and public choices. Todd takes a sweeping view of the nature of competition in business, arguing for the vitality, growth, and progress it inspires in us. Drawing on biography, he also looks into the lives of influential entrepreneurs to explain how little ideas were turned into big successes that overhauled the way business is done, providing immediately actionable takeaways. As talented journalists such as Malcolm Gladwell and David Brooks delve into the fields of behavioral economics and behavioral finance, Todd’s analytical work offers a deeper understanding particularly suited for business people and policymakers who need to apply psychological principles to everyday life.

Finding Hope in World Politics

While the daily news tend to focus on the “crisis of the day,” Todd Buchholz puts the world in perspective, showing you where progress is taking place and what you need to pay attention to. Start pursuing tomorrow’s opportunities today. Take a world tour to the “hot spots” that are on the cusp of economic and political change. Understand how presidents and prime ministers – from Washington to Beijing to New Delhi– make crucial decisions. Learn how globalization has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, while sparking protests about Brexit, big banks, and NATO.

New Ideas from Dead CEOs

Todd Buchholz brings to life history’s greatest CEOs—from Steve Jobs to Ray Kroc to Akio Morita, Estée Lauder to Tom Watson Sr.—and shows how their lives, leadership and lessons can inform and inspire us in today’s chaotic marketplace. How did Sam Walton help create the “scissors economy” and go from being the owner of a single dime store to the CEO of Wal-Mart? How did Estée Lauder, a working-class woman from Queens, convince the shoppers at Saks to buy her cosmetics? How did the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 eventually lead to A.P. Giannini’s success as America’s greatest banker? In this speech, Buchholz answers these questions and shows today’s business managers how to deploy their entrepreneurial secrets to benefit their companies in today’s hyper-competitive global economy. He uses his experience as a White House economist, Harvard scholar, and Wall Street professional to show investors what kinds of CEOs to invest with and what kinds of companies to steer away from. In addition, Todd lays out a forecast for the economy and the financial markets. Audiences come away from this keynote presentation with a fresh understanding of the competitive pressures we face today, and a road map to finding success.

All Todd Buchholz Books

The Price of Prosperity: Why Rich Nations Fail and How to Renew Them
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Rush: Why You Need and Love the Rat Race
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Lasting Lessons from the Corner Office: Essential Wisdom from the Twentieth Century’s Greatest Entrepreneurs
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New Ideas from Dead CEOs: Lasting Lessons from the Corner Office
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The Castro Gene
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Bringing the Jobs Home: How the Left Created the Outsourcing Crisis and How We Can Fix It
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Market Shock: 9 Economic and Social Upheavals That Will Shake Your Financial Future–and What to Do about Them
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New Ideas from Dead Economists
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From Here to Economy: A Shortcut to Economic Literacy
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I honestly can not say enough good things. Todd stole the show and people raved about him.

- | IMB DB2 Information Management Software


Todd Buchholz was incredible and his speech was informative, educational, factual and funny. He engaged the crowd, made people laugh – but he also made us think as well.

- | Salem Communications

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Recent Books

The Price of Prosperity: Why Rich Nations Fail and How to Renew Them
Purchase Book
Rush: Why You Need and Love the Rat Race
Purchase Book

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