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…

I’m in Hong Kong today to deliver the opening keynote presentation at SingTel’s 2012 CIO Days. One message I intend to deliver is that of the “disappearing word.” To better understand the future, I frequently advise my audiences to beware of descriptor phrases that will fade away in time. For example, we no longer say…

Chief Unlearning Officer Jack Uldrich explains uses the stock market explain why all of us might want to say “I don’t know” more often than we do.

(Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, 20/20 Foresight: A Futurist Looks Ahead to the Ten Trends That Will Shape the World of 2020, that I am writing with the able assistance of fellow futurist Simon Anderson, host of www.futur1st.com. This chapter covers how unexpected events and “unknown” unknowns might adversely…

One method of unlearning is to visualize information and data in new ways. For too long, too many economists and statisticians have assumed that everyone appreciates rare numbers the same way they do. This isn’t true.  Just take a look at the following visualizations of data which I pulled from IBM’s very useful Many Eyes…

    “Education is one of the few things a person is willing to pay for and not get.” –William Lowe Bryant     Question: This is a two part question: a) does $50 always equal $50; and b) which amount of money would you prefer to earn over a three year period $110,000 or $150,000?…

   “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.” John Cage     Question: Write the letter “E” on your forehead. (Go ahead, I’ll wait. You may also just trace the letter on your forehead if that’s more comfortable for you). Did you write the letter in…

I have two young children. As a way of imparting financial wisdom on them at an early age, I asked both of them after they lost their first tooth which they would rather receive from the tooth fairy: $1 per tooth or a penny for their first tooth and then double the amount for each…

(Editor’s note: The following article was recently written, along with Kendall Colman, for the Colorado Banking Association.) We both have young daughters. As a way of imparting financial wisdom on them at an early age, we asked both of them after they lost their first tooth which they would rather receive from the tooth fairy:…