It can seem like major changes appear out of nowhere, but disruptive trends and technologies usually give us warning–if we’re paying attention. Most major advancements begin at the edges, outside of where we’re focused. Sometimes they stay there for decades, as 3D printing and virtual reality did, and sometimes they rapidly accelerate and reset entire…

(Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from an updated version book, 20/20 Foresight: A Futurist Explores the Trends Transforming Tomorrow. This chapter covers trends in the banking and financial services sectors.) By the end of 2013, peer-to-peer lending services had issued $2.4 billion in loans, and it’s estimated that in 2014 the amount lent will more than double…

"That randomness naturally leads to streaks contradicts people's intuition." Leonard Mlodinow As luck (or, perhaps, random chance would have it), I was just in the process of finishing Leonard Mlodinow's excellent book, "The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives," when I came upon this article written by him in today's Wall Street Journal. It…

“We simply do not know what the future holds.” — Peter Bernstein Peter Bernstein, a best-selling author and risk management pioneer, passed away earlier this month. On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal ran a nice remembrance. I especially liked the final paragraph which read: “Asked in 2004 to name the most important lesson he had…

You are about to make an important hiring decision, and it is almost time for the all-important face-to-face interview. If you could only ask one of the following ten questions, which would you choose: 1.      Why should I hire you? 2.      What do you see yourself doing five years from now? 3.      What do you…

Like so many other investors, the past week has my head spinning with the latest news of a massive government bail out of yet another distressed industry. There is, undoubtedly, a great deal of blame to go around but I think most people would agree that at the bottom of the crisis is a boat-load…