The Lara-Murphy Report

Bob and Carlos discuss a recent Mercatus Policy Brief that documents how rising interest rates have caused the Fed to lose a trillion dollars in the value of its assets, and is now technically insolvent. Does it matter? Mentioned in this episode and other links of interest: The Mercatus report explaining how the Fed lost a trillion…

Prompted by an email, Bob and Carlos acknowledge that yes, things look pretty bleak right now, both financially and culturally. But there is still cause for hope. The worst thing to do right now would be to give up. Mentioned in this episode and other links of interest: Bob’s recent Mises University presentation on inflation under…

Bob and Carlos discuss the oddities in the official numbers, which show low unemployment but also low labor participation, and how the statistics don’t match their personal observations. Mentioned in this episode and other links of interest: Scott Sumner’s blog post on whether US entered a recession in 1q 2022. A CNBC article explaining the surprisingly…

Bob and Carlos discuss a recent article in The Hill, which explains that rising interest rates have rendered the Fed technically insolvent. Mentioned in this episode and other links of interest: The Hill article on Fed losses. David R. Henderson quoting Hummel on whether the Fed will go bankrupt. Bob’s new book on Understanding Money Mechanics….

Bob asks Carlos to recount his own financial struggles as a young businessman in the late 1970s, when price inflation and interest rates skyrocketed. This painful episode ultimately led Carlos to discover Austrian economics. Mentioned in this episode and other links of interest: Bob’s article on oil price controls in 1970s. His new book on…

Carlos and Bob discuss the views of some prominent economists on whether a recession is baked into the cake. Contrary to even free-market members of the Chicago School, the Austrians know it’s not just a matter of money supply growth. During the boom, there were real malinvestments, and these must be liquidated in a bust….

Carlos and Bob discuss inflation and whether it spells the doom of life insurance, and thereby ruins the case for IBC. They conclude that rising interest rates per se don’t adversely impact life carriers, because of asset-liability matching. Moreover, when you practice IBC, you’re not “investing in life insurance.” Mentioned in this episode and other links of…

Carlos and Bob revisit their September 2016 video presentation in which they lay out a 3-prong strategy to protect your household from economic calamity. Mentioned in this episode and other links of interest: Bob and Carlos’ presentation, “How to Weather the Coming Financial Storms.” Episode 74, in which Carlos talks about his stroke. Their book with Nelson,…

After a long hiatus, the Lara-Murphy Show is back! Bob and Carlos relay what’s been happening in their personal lives and the world of IBC, and discuss the spiritual war that is currently ramping up. Mentioned in this episode and other links of interest: Carlos’ LMR article, “Who Runs the World?” Bob’s podcast series on…