Rerun: Ep17 "Can the Free Market Discourage Fraud?" with Marc Cohodes

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

#Trading #Business #Business School #Business Mistakes #Business Decisions #Decision Making #Leadership #Wharton #University FM #Stanford Graduate School of Business #MBA #Equal #Stanford GSB

1:40:41

Episode Notes [00:00] The Power of Vulnerability [01:57] Meet Ashley Kirsner [03:55] The Impact of Active Listening [05:02] A Transformative Call [06:25] The Magic of Open-Ended Questions [13:28] The Role of Basic Needs in Emotional Well-being [17:10] The Birth of Skip the Small Talk [25:18] The First Skip the Small Talk Event [28:39] The Evolution of Skip the Small Talk [32:56] Online Events During COVID-19 [34:58] Work At An Anxiety Lab [38:08] The Importance of Positive Questions [42:40] The Power of Repeated Questions [45:33] Attending a Skip the Small Talk Event [46:14] The Speed Dating Format [47:21] Encouraging Anxious Participants [48:45] The Power of Sharing Deeply [49:32] Consistent Findings on Vulnerability [50:13] Understanding Oversharing [51:11] Structure and Time Management [52:18] Facilitators and Norms [53:12] Contact Information Norms [55:06] Intentional Iteration and Safety [56:37] The Role of Participants [59:01] Financial Accessibility and Investment [01:00:43] Balancing Accessibility and Compensation [01:01:49] Compensating Facilitators [01:04:39] Physiological Benefits of Deep Conversations [01:07:00] Research on Loneliness and Connection [01:09:02] The Impact of Loneliness on Health [01:10:41] The Role of Sleep in Connection [01:13:42] The Importance of Group Interactions [01:15:10] The Power of Intentional Conversations [01:20:26] Learning from Gathering Experts [01:23:19] Right Now Question & Following Curiosity [01:30:18] Where You Can Find Skip The Small Talk [01:35:45] Takeaway Thoughts & Questions Resources Mentioned Skip The Small Talk Chris Voss Finding Good with Brian Fretwell Dr. Nicholas Epley DBT - Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Brene Brown How We Gather by Priya Parker Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile How We Gather by Dr. Angie Thurston - Harvard Divinity School Death of Rasputin Harvard Graduate School of Education Harvard Wharton Business School MIT GE Aviation Act Blue Beauty Pill Producer Ben Ford Questions Asked When did you first understand the power of questions? How would this possibly work? What are we doing here? How could this possibly be effective? What is it that asking questions actually does for us? In this deep end of the pool, for what you experience as a suicide hotline counselor, what does that look like? How did that impact you? Were there questions that you found most impactful on that end? Are you feeling suicidal right now? Do you have a weapon? Do you have a plan? Do you have any objects to complete that plan with you right now? Are you comfortable being in a different room from it while we're having this conversation? When's the last time you slept? When's the last time you ate? Can we get some food in you? Can we take a walk? Do they know anything you're experiencing right now? If the roles were reversed and it were your partner or your cousin or your parent who were going through something like this, would you want them to tell you about it? Do you think they wanna know if you're going through a tough time? What if we had a space where we were all on the same page? Can you take a moment to go home and be a little more vulnerable with your roommate, partner, family, or neighbors? Can you take that skill with you into the rest of your life? How are you doing right now? How did you decide to do your first skip-the-small-talk event? When's the next one gonna be? Is this even possible? How do you have people switch partners in a way that makes sense online? How do we do this? What do you got for us? How do we do this for like hundreds of people? Can you talk about that story of where you pulled the questions from, and why you chose the different questions that you did? Where do you live? What do you like about where you live? What's the worst thing you've ever experienced? When's the last time you cried? When's the last time you experienced awe? What's something you're proud of that you don't normally get to share with people or that might not be on a resume? Specifically asking what are pieces of yourself that you don't normally get to share? What is a favorite ice cream? What was something that this organization has done right to help you? What do you think it is about the structure that allows for that to happen? What other elements are at play here? Finances would be a barrier, can you help me out? Do you wanna do it for free? Due to your position in society, does it make you more or less likely to go to prison? How can we do subtle things so that you don't have to necessarily out yourself as having an invisible disability, but still get your needs met? How can we make people with marginalized identities feel comfortable opening up? How do we make those spaces feel safer? What is your right now question? What makes an experience awesome? What makes storytelling awesome? Why was this moment so powerful? Why do we dim the lights a little at dinner parties What little things can you do to trick your physiology to be more immersed in an experience? Does doing a new novel activity with someone, trick your brain into being more excited about hanging out with someone? How can you make these memories more tactile? What does the tablecloth feel like? What do the napkins feel like? Can you just do five more of these? Can we do this throughout the year? What assumptions are you making about how much others want to know about your inner world, and how might testing those assumptions change your relationships? How might your community benefit from structured opportunities to practice deeper connection, and what role could you play in creating those spaces? If you treated meaningful conversation as essential to your health, as sleep or exercise, how would that change your daily priorities and choices? Are your questions designed to extract information or to create conditions where others can share the best parts of themselves?…

about a year ago 27:01

MP3•Episode home

This summer break, we'll be taking a pause from uploading new episodes. However, Jules and Jonathan have handpicked some favorite past episodes for new listeners to enjoy and subscribers to revisit!

There’s a negative connotation associated with short selling – the act of betting against a stock to perform well. But is this trading practice truly a bad thing?

In this episode of All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions, hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen build the case for short selling as a dynamic regulating force in the free market. And an incentive for individuals to investigate and expose fraud.

Later in the episode, Jonathan and Jules speak with Marc Cohodes, whose notable short-selling decisions have landed him in hot water with powerful figures all over the world. Cohodes has exposed a series of fraudulent practices – from mortgage lender Novastar to digital finance giant Wirecard, and most recently the cryptocurrency exchange FDX – and shares his view on the role of short sellers to step in where government regulation fails.

Submit your questions to the show here: https://bit.ly/AllElseEqual

Find All Else Equal on the web: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/all-else-equal-making-better-decisions

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of Stanford Graduate School of Business and is produced by University FM.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

82 episodes

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

Rerun: Ep17 "Can the Free Market Discourage Fraud?" with Marc Cohodes

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

30 subscribers

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

This summer break, we'll be taking a pause from uploading new episodes. However, Jules and Jonathan have handpicked some favorite past episodes for new listeners to enjoy and subscribers to revisit!

There’s a negative connotation associated with short selling – the act of betting against a stock to perform well. But is this trading practice truly a bad thing?

Submit your questions to the show here: https://bit.ly/AllElseEqual

Find All Else Equal on the web: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/all-else-equal-making-better-decisions

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of Stanford Graduate School of Business and is produced by University FM.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

82 episodes

#Trading #Business #Business School #Business Mistakes #Business Decisions #Decision Making #Leadership #Wharton #University FM #Stanford Graduate School of Business #MBA #Equal #Stanford GSB

All episodes

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Ep63 “What Explains the Growth of Private Equity? A Different Perspective” with Ludovic Phalippou 35:49

38 minutes ago35:49

35:49

Private markets have taken off in the last couple decades, with more investors opting to invest in private equity and debt instead of public markets. But what caused that shift? And are the private markets really a better bet right now, or is there more to the story? Hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen sit down with private markets expert Ludovic Phalippou, a professor of financial economics at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford and author of Private Equity Laid Bare . In the conversation, they explore what private markets can provide asset owners that public markets can not, the potential tradeoffs of investing in private equity, how performance in private and public markets is measured, and if the return on investment is really worth the high fees that come along with private equity firms. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/allelse/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM.…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Rerun: Ep60 “A Trade Deficit? More Like a Capital Surplus” with John Cochrane 28:26

14 days ago28:26

28:26

For the summer season, All Else Equal will be alternating between new episodes and reruns. In this week’s episode, we’re revisiting our conversation with Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University John Cochrane. What exactly is a trade deficit? And why are so many policymakers fixated on it? Lately, the trade deficit in the U.S. is taking the bulk of the blame for the economic situation we’re in and it’s one of the reasons the Trump administration is pushing for sweeping tariffs. But tariffs are likely not the answer, and a trade deficit might be better referred to as a capital surplus. As a continuation of the tariffs discussion in the last episode, hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen are joined by John Cochrane, an economist at Stanford University and the Hoover Institution. The conversation covers how trade deficits actually work, their implications on global and domestic economies, and how current trade policies may impact economic growth, inflation, and international relations. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/in-the-news/all-else-equal/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM .…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Rerun: Ep59 “Why Tariffs Are Not The Ultimate Trade Weapon” with Dani Rodrik 32:32

28 days ago32:32

32:32

For the summer season, All Else Equal will be alternating between new episodes and reruns. In this week’s episode, we’re revisiting our conversation with Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the author of the book Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy, Dani Rodrik. With President Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China, and other countries now in full swing, what consequences from an economic standpoint could the U.S. be facing? And what was the path that led us here? Hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen put the tariffs question to economist and author Dani Rodrik. Rodrik is the Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the author of the book Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy. Beginning with the historical context and purpose of tariffs, the conversation covers how the political and social dissatisfaction with hyperglobalization opened the door for these extreme tariffs, whether or not they’re an effective tool in modern trade policy, and what alternative strategies exist to rebuild America’s middle class. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/in-the-news/all-else-equal/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM .…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Rerun: Ep55 “The Future Of The MBA: From 3 Top Business Schools” with Madhav Rajan 32:17

6 weeks ago32:17

32:17

For the summer season, All Else Equal will be alternating between new episodes and reruns. In this week’s episode, we’re revisiting our conversation with Madhav Rajan of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. As more and more universities move away from full-time MBA programs, what does the future of business education look like? How should it look? In this episode, hear perspectives from three of the top business schools in the U.S.: Stanford Graduate School of Business, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. Hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen sit down with Chicago Booth’s Madhav Rajan to discuss the state of the MBA programs at their universities and why there seems to be a decline in MBA degrees. The conversation also touches on the need for rigorous education, the value of technical skills versus managerial training, and potential innovations like modular MBA degrees. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/in-the-news/all-else-equal/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM .…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Rerun: Ep54 “The Rise And Fall of Great Societies: Lessons from History” with Victor Davis Hanson 30:14

8 weeks ago30:14

30:14

For the summer season, All Else Equal will be alternating between new episodes and reruns. On this week’s episode, we’re revisiting our conversation with historian Victor Davis Hanson. History shows that as societies rise to greatness, the scales eventually tip back and those societies fall. But what leads to that fall and are we heading toward one? In this episode, hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen speak with historian Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution who specializes in classics and military history. The conversation explores the complexities and fragilities of successful societies like the Mycenaeans, Romans, and Byzantines, how specialization can lead to higher living standards but also increased vulnerability, and our existential worries about the future. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/in-the-news/all-else-equal/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM .…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Rerun: Ep47 “Is the US National Debt Sustainable?” with Mohamed El-Erian 36:09

10 weeks ago36:09

36:09

For the summer season, All Else Equal will be alternating between new episodes and reruns. On this week’s episode, we’re revisiting our conversation with Mohamed El-Erian on the intricacies of national debt and the best ways to measure it. Mohamed, Jonathan, and Jules explore the broader macroeconomic and geopolitical factors at play. They discuss the importance of demographic shifts as well as recent technological advancements (AI) for economic growth and our fiscal future. El-Erian is the former chair of President Obama's Global Development Council and former CEO of PIMCO. He is a Senior Fellow at the Lauder Institute. You can read Jonathan and Jules’ paper on national debt, “Why Care About Debt-to-GDP?” published May 27, 2025, here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5271557 Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/in-the-news/all-else-equal/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM .…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Ep62 “The Cost of Social Compliance: Exploring Preference Falsification" with Timur Kuran 33:37

12 weeks ago33:37

33:37

Is the emperor wearing clothes? Hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen are joined by economist and political scientist Timur Kuran who wrote the book, Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification . This 30-year-old book explains the social phenomenon where people express preferences they do not have. As political and social tensions have risen in the U.S., the freedom to express views that go against the status quo has become more difficult. Jonathan, Jules, and Timur discuss what preference falsification is and why people engage in it, historical and contemporary examples, the implications of this behavior in various domains, including politics, business, and academia, and insights into how societies can counteract it. The conversation also addresses the importance of fostering environments, particularly in universities, where open and honest discourse is encouraged. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/allelse/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM.…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Ep61 “Pursuit for Academic Freedom” with Richard Saller 30:58

14 weeks ago30:58

30:58

If universities believe they should be free from government interference and that students and faculty have the right to freely express whatever viewpoints they hold, then the universities should be held to the same standard, right? Hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen are joined by Richard Saller, an American classist and former interim president of Stanford University, to discuss whether or not the government has the right to intervene in university affairs and the hypocrisy that sometimes surrounds these issues. The conversation covers the recent statement signed by 562 university presidents advocating for academic freedom, examples of academic censorship, and the impact of federal funding on universities. They also raise questions about what true academic freedom means as universities have grown increasingly homogenous, and propose solutions to how universities can live up to their mission of being a place where all viewpoints can be expressed. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/allelse/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM.…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Ep60 “A Trade Deficit? More Like a Capital Surplus” with John Cochrane 28:17

16 weeks ago28:17

28:17

What exactly is a trade deficit? And why are so many policymakers fixated on it? Lately, the trade deficit in the U.S. is taking the bulk of the blame for the economic situation we’re in and it’s one of the reasons the Trump administration is pushing for sweeping tariffs. But tariffs are likely not the answer, and a trade deficit might be better referred to as a capital surplus. As a continuation of the tariffs discussion in the last episode, hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen are joined by John Cochrane, an economist at Stanford University and the Hoover Institution. The conversation covers how trade deficits actually work, their implications on global and domestic economies, and how current trade policies may impact economic growth, inflation, and international relations. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/allelse/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM.…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Ep59 “Why Tariffs Are Not The Ultimate Trade Weapon” with Dani Rodrik 32:16

18 weeks ago32:16

32:16

With President Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China, and other countries now in full swing, what consequences from an economic standpoint could the U.S. be facing? And what was the path that led us here? Hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen put the tariffs question to economist and author Dani Rodrik. Rodrik is the Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the author of the book Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy . Beginning with the historical context and purpose of tariffs, the conversation covers how the political and social dissatisfaction with hyperglobalization opened the door for these extreme tariffs, whether or not they’re an effective tool in modern trade policy, and what alternative strategies exist to rebuild America’s middle class. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/allelse/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM.…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Ep58 How Rich Are The Ivy League Universities, Really? University Endowments Explained 24:36

20 weeks ago24:36

24:36

The recent crackdown on federal spending has universities sweating despite the fact that many of them boast huge billion-dollar endowments. So what gives? Why would less money from the federal government be a cause for concern? Where does all that money go? And could there be more to this budget picture than meets the eye? In this episode, hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen delve into the inner workings of university endowments and how these institutions are balancing their budgets in a way that’s leaving themselves vulnerable to dire financial situations. Read John Cambell, Jeremy Stein, and Alex Wu’s paper, “Economic Budgeting for Endowment-Dependent Universities” here. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/allelse/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM.…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Rerun: Ep36 “Institutional Neutrality: Open Debate and Moral Stands” with John Etchemendy 25:04

22 weeks ago25:04

25:04

All Else Equal is taking a little spring break, so on this episode we’re revisiting a fascinating conversation on what happens when universities step off the sidelines and take a stance on contentious issues. Are they boarding a roller coaster that they can’t ever get off? Hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen chat with John Etchemendy, former Provost of Stanford University, for a discussion about institutional neutrality and the long-term unseen costs of any stance institutions elect to take. Submit your questions to the show here: https://bit.ly/AllElseEqual Find All Else Equal on the web: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/all-else-equal-making-better-decisions All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of Stanford Graduate School of Business and is produced by University FM .…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Ep57 “Effective Communication: Trump vs. Reagan” with Peter Robinson 36:40

24 weeks ago36:40

36:40

One key to effective negotiation is to keep your opponent guessing by randomizing your strategy. And right now, there might not be a more prolific example of this kind of strategy than President Donald Trump’s communication style. In this episode, hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen are joined by Peter Robinson, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan. Together, they examine Trump’s communication style by comparing and contrasting it with Reagan’s. They also discuss the effectiveness of an unpredictable communication strategy, whether Trump’s off-the-cuff remarks are calculated or mere chaos, and Peter shares behind-the-scenes details of the Reagan administration including how Peter came to write the famous line, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/allelse/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM.…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Ep56 “When Should We Lie for the Greater Good?” with John Ioannidis 34:10

26 weeks ago34:10

34:10

Is it acceptable for doctors to lie to their patients, or withhold some of the truth, if it’s in the patient’s best interest? In this episode, hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen welcome back John Ioannidis, professor of medicine at Stanford University, to discuss the ethical implications of concealing the truth in the medical world, even when it’s for the greater good. The conversation touches on the importance of building and maintaining trust in healthcare, cases where that trust has been tested or fractured, the paternalism mindset in medicine, the potential biases in medical research funding, and why building back trust in healthcare is a steep climb. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/allelse/ All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM.…

All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

1
Ep55 “The Future Of The MBA: From 3 Top Business Schools” with Madhav Rajan 32:03

28 weeks ago32:03