May 16, 2025
On Thursday, May 22nd, I’m hosting what promises to be a really enjoyable reception to thank the speakers and sponsors that have been instrumental in helping the MacroMinds Foundation support student education. Across our four symposiums, we have had 56 world class speakers and 18 moderators. All told, our more than 60 sponsors have helped us raise $1.7 million on behalf of 12 education-focused charitable organizations. I am truly grateful for the generosity of those that have made this result possible.
Always Aiming at Alliteration
I’m hopelessly drawn to finding acronyms and using alliteration. When Covid hit, I thought of the word, “MESS”, Massive Economic Sudden Stop, to describe the market risk. More recently, when options on the TLT started printing in good size and tight prices, I suggested the ticker meant “Tradeable, Liquid, Transparent.” And I love alliteration as well. For the MacroMinds symposium, I have described our efforts as focused on “Causes, Content and Collaboration.”
I’d like to talk a little bit about the “Causes” component of why I founded MacroMinds.
Quite a Resume!
Wikipedia tells us that Ben Franklin was a polymath, writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Is that all? I’m guessing he probably ran a 6-minute mile as well. He is also responsible for some wonderful quotes. One of them is on the power of compound interest. He said, “money makes money; and the money money makes, makes more money.” A second quote of his is also related to compounding, but with respect to education. He said, “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
The Rule of 72…
What do we know about compound interest? The trusted “Rule of 72” tells us that, at 4% interest, 100 dollars becomes 200 in approximately 18 years. Some might consider that a long time to double your money. But at just 1%, it will take 72 years. Now, that is definitely a long time! What can we conclude about the Rule of 72? Time matters for compounding, there’s no way around it. But the rate matters a great deal as well.
It’s Not Just the Fed that Can Raise Rates!
What happens when we combine the Rule of 72 with Ben Franklin’s quotes on compound interest and education? If he is right – and by all counts his spectacular resume suggests he must surely be – the investment in knowledge pays the best interest. I propose that, working together as a community of finance professionals, we can have a real impact on students by definitively raising the interest rate paid on education. Our work together via the MacroMinds Symposiums– through this higher rate and the power of compounding – can yield remarkable results over time for the younger generation. We all win in the process.
Twelve Partner Beneficiaries…And a Very Special Woman
How do we “raise rates” on the investment in education? We invest! Our efforts to date at MacroMinds have supported schools, funded scholarships and internships, refurbished treatment rooms and contributed to after-school programs. Our process has been to find specialized and effective organizations expanding educational opportunities for students in the NY tri-state area.
One of the best parts of the project has been in contemplating new causes to support. We often cold call them! For the 2024 event, my colleague Kathy and wife Frances had the idea of seeing if we could support a charity focused on dyslexia, a condition that impacts an estimated 10-20% of children in the US. Our outreach led us to Jane Ross, the founder of Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities. Jane launched this Connecticut-based organization 25 years ago based on the challenges she had experienced as a parent in advocating for her bright 10-year-old son, who suffered from dyslexia. Determined to assist other parents in navigating the complicated process by helping them access the resources available, Jane launched Smart Kids. This is an amazing story. Jane Ross, not Jerome Powell, has raised interest rates!
MacroMinds 2026…
Our reception next week allows us to take some time to express our gratitude to our speakers and sponsors at a really cool venue, the Glass House Chelsea. There will surely be some markets talk (“how about those swap spreads?”) amidst great food and drink. A major priority is going to be laughter, which, according to Pablo Neruda, is the “language of the soul.”
And I cannot help but be thinking already about our 2026 Symposium and getting excited about bringing the investment community together to engage on behalf of students. I am committed to making this our most impactful yet on all three fronts – “Content, Causes and Collaboration”. I appreciate your interest and help in our efforts to support student education.
Sincerely, Dean
Founder, MacroMinds Foundation