Scott is my very close friend and co-author of three books -- The Coming Generational Storm (MIT Press, 2004), Spend ‘Til the End (Simon & Schuster, 2008), and The Clash of Generations (MIT Press 2012). Scott's also the author of Squeeze It Til’ the Eagle Grins (Doubleday, 1972) and Home, Inc.: The Hidden Wealth and Power of the American Household (Doubleday, 1975).
Scott's website, scottburns.com, is a treasure trove of financial advice and commonsense wisdom. Scott has been writing about personal finance for over 40 years for top newspapers and syndications. His articles and columns have appeared in publications as diverse as Vogue and Organic Gardening, as well as Boston, New England Business, Private Clubs, Playboy and Harper’s Bazaar. Scott's longest stint is at his current home -- The Dallas Morning News. Scott wrote for the Morning News for years, took a hiatus for a couple of years running an asset management firm, and is now back with the paper.
Scott has a tremendous following in Texas and across the country for his common sense financial wisdom underscored by his brilliant mind and extensive knowledge about all things financial -- including the long-term fiscal plight of our country (the subject of two of our three books). Scott is an East Coaster and a graduate of MIT, where he studied biology and the humanities. But he has an endearing folksy, dare I say Southern, manner that comes across in all his writings. Most important, Scott cares about real people with real problems -- no matter their supposed station in life. He's also chock full of insights about our global and national economies. Scott is also famous for his Couch Potato Portfolio investment strategy, which he developed decades ago. It's the everyman solution to investing, using index funds rather than managed funds or stock picking to earn high average market returns with essentially full diversification and rock bottom fees.
In this podcast, Alex and I chat up Scott about his career and explore a range of his financial insights. When you listen, you'll hear your grandfather, father, uncle, and brother sharing their wisdom. I learned early on that listening to Scott is a rare treat and a continuing education. This is why I had to virtually beg Scott to co-author with me. I've written with hundreds of people. Doing so with Scott was a pure delight as most discussions included a drawn-out, captivating folk story about actual people with everyday problems -- people that Scott had met and helped during his on-the-road reporting. Scott, you see, is no couch potato. He's the rare, perhaps only financial journalist, who reports from the field, not from the desk.
Economic Matters - The podcast is hosted by Laurence Kotlikoff and moderated by Alex Kotlikoff.
Laurence Kotlikoff is a Boston University Economist, a NY Times Best Selling Author, President of maxifi.com, and Author of Money Magic.
Scott Burns -- America's Premiere Personal Finance Journalist