47. She Predicted a Depression in 2030. Now She’s Doubling Down. w/Economist Lauren Saidel-Baker

 

The next great depression is closer than you think. For years, Lauren Saidel-Baker, economist at ITR Economics, has predicted an almost unavoidable economic depression, specifically for the United States. We last spoke to her about this in January 2025, and now she’s back—but this time, she’s even more convinced of our path to the 2030s great depression. 

 

Major signals are keeping us from swerving this colossal event. The Fed is trapped—lowering rates to save our government budget could trigger inflation, again. Social problems are growing—the wealth gap is widening, and those at the bottom can barely afford necessities. And the final linchpin—an aging baby boomer population that will take massive amounts of resources, without giving much in return.

 

We’ve seen problems like this occur in other countries—France and Japan, to name a couple—but nothing on the size of the American economy. So what’s coming next? Are we back to a 2008-style market selloff where asset prices tank? Can AI step in to save us from some of these dangers that a younger workforce can’t solve, and who wins and loses when the shoe drops?

 

Insights from today’s episode: 

• The road to the next great depression: Why 2030 looks like it’s unavoidable 
• The “linchpin” that could set off the domino effect and massively change the economy 
• How to win in the next great depression and what to do to start preparing now
• The Fed’s “trap” and how they’ll lose control of the economy 
• Why Lauren thinks many people are wrong about AI (and what effect it will really have)

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ITR Economics:  https://hubs.la/Q04h6kdc0 

Check out Lauren's previous podcast episode!-https://www.ajosborne.com/podcasts/aj-osborne-podcast/episodes/2148970950 

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