| Dear Reader, I hope you watched the video invitation to my Strategic Investment Conference that I sent you yesterday. I wanted to give you a feel for some of the benefits you’ll enjoy when you come. As I mentioned, for the SIC, I work really hard to ensure the speakers are available to the attendees. Most of the speakers hang around for the entire conference to hear what is being said, which means you can meet and talk with them personally—and get answers to the most pressing questions on your mind. The valuable insights you can get from these interactions are almost like another conference itself, within the SIC! Today, I want to tell you about two pretty special panels we have just finalized for the conference. Panel #1: Is the social fabric of the US coming apart? When people ask me, “What keeps you up at night?” my response is, “The fragmentation of society.” With social tensions and polarization at levels we haven’t seen in decades, I want to know where the country is headed. Every aspect of our lives—from our sources of income to the communities we live in—are affected by these social changes. That’s why I had to put together a panel that will focus specifically on the social changes happening in the US. Three gentlemen who are at the forefront of analyzing social change will be on the panel: Neil Howe, author of The Fourth Turning, political pollster Patrick Caddell, and the Heritage Foundation’s Steve Moore. Moderating this panel is going to be fun because all I have to do is throw a little red meat in front of them and then watch them go at it. I had to have Patrick Caddell (who was a consultant in the Carter administration) on this panel as he was one of the first people to foresee Trump’s election victory. Pat’s analysis into the discontent and social anxiety being felt by millions of Americans allowed him to see what was coming. At the SIC, I want to hear what he thinks is coming down the pike. You absolutely want to be in San Diego when my good friend Neil Howe takes the SIC stage. Neil has been thinking about the social changes for a long time. In his 1997 book, The Fourth Turning, he predicted that a Trump-like figure would emerge! With a little arm twisting, Neil has agreed to give us insight into how he sees the social changes unfolding in the next five to ten years. Last but certainly not least is Steve Moore, who was an advisor to President Trump during the campaign. Steve has done some excellent research into the changing nature of employment and the polarization we are witnessing across the country today. It was a real coup to get these three wickedly brilliant individuals to come to the SIC. If you want expert insight into the social changes happening in this country, and what they mean for us, this is a “can’t-miss” event. As I said to Neil when I asked him to be on the panel, “this will be a highlight of our 15-year conference.” Panel #2: Are cryptocurrencies the future, or a fad? The second panel we have just finalized is on cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are a hot topic of discussion almost everywhere I go. Whether it’s private money managers during my recent trip to Switzerland or institutional investors in Hong Kong, I keep hearing the same questions: “Are cryptocurrencies really a viable asset class, and what are the important signals I should be paying attention to?” As my good friend Mark Yusko (who will also be at the SIC) says: “If I hear something once, I remember it. If I hear it twice, I write it down. If I hear it three times, I do something about it.” Following Mark’s rule of thumb, I am doing something about it. This panel will cut through the noise surrounding cryptocurrencies and delve into what investors should be paying attention to. To do that, I have two intellectual powerhouses with deep knowledge of the space: Founder and CIO of Passport Capital, John Burbank, and my good friend George Gilder. John Burbank recently started a cryptocurrency fund—he has real skin in the game. He has been monitoring cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology for some time, so you can be sure he has some pretty unique insights into this world. John doesn’t usually speak at conferences, so it will be a real treat to see him at the SIC. George Gilder, who I featured in my five-part series, was one of the first people I heard talking about cryptocurrencies. He has also been at the forefront of every technological revolution for the past 30 years. So when George talks technology, I listen intently. Better again, this panel will be moderated by my friend and colleague Jared Dillian—who has some strong views on cryptocurrencies. This will be a lively discussion. You have three distinct personalities, none of whom are shy about expressing their views. You’ll want a ringside seat for this no-gloves, steel cage fight over cryptocurrencies. Love them or loathe them, cryptocurrencies are huge right now and they cannot be ignored. At a minimum, every investor should arm themselves with enough insight to understand their potential implications for financial markets and society. I’ll be sitting front-row for this one! That’s all for now, but in the coming days I am going to send you an email highlighting the “SIC experience.” I see it every year: People get together, talk about ideas, share opportunities, and great things happen. This may be the most important year yet to join me at the SIC. I hope you do. Your excited for an intellectually thrilling three days in San Diego analyst,
John Mauldin
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