Laurence Kotlikoff: An Economist’s Take on Personal Finance, Taxes, and Retirement Planning

Laurence Kotlikoff

On today’s episode of Framework, Jamie chats with Laurence Kotlikoff, a Professor of Economics at Boston University. 

Laurence is an academic and a politician who champions economic propositions against inequality. Laurence believes his duty as an economist can improve the living standards of the masses.

Additionally, Laurence is a best-selling author who has published columns, articles, and books about personal finance, development policies, taxes, and more. He currently serves as the President of Economics Security Planning.

Laurence talks to Jamie about the massive influence of economists, the challenges of the current system, the ‘retirement spending goal’ myth, and the benefits of political agnosticism.

An economist has an obligation to talk about the major problems whether it be how to fix education, how to fix equality, how to fix banking, how to fix the tax system, how to deal with immigration—with all these issues, we have a whole body of knowledge that says what to do. We have an obligation to tell people about these.” ~ Laurence Kotlikoff

Main Takeaways

  • Keep your ideas and assumptions loosely held. There will always be two sides to every coin, especially in a political atmosphere.  Be autonomous so you can still be neutral and be able to freely lean on your perspective.
  • Leaders need the help of economists. It’s easier to deal with the economic and financial operations when we harness their expertise. Their perspectives on ongoing business—and even national and global—problems are more academically inclined and research-backed.
  • Creating an equal opportunity for everyone to improve future living standards is the ultimate goal. 
  • A distinguished economist should easily change his mind when presented with new information—especially if it rattles his own belief. Fact-finding and analysis should be done first before bringing down the gavel.

Links and Important Mentions

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