Is Musk-Trump's Evisceration of Financial Oversight Sheer Lunacy? Richard Berner, NYU Professor of Finance, Former First Director of the Treasury's Office of Financial Research, and Former Morgan Stanley Chief Economics Sounds the Alarm!I'm delighted to have my long-time friend, Dick (Richard) Berner, on the podcast. Dick is among the most knowledgeable economists in the world when it comes to the workings of U.S. and global financial markets, particularly their risk of collective collapse. Dick is Clinical Professor of Management Practice in the Department of Finance, and, with Professor Robert Engle, Co-Director of the Stern Volatility and Risk Institute. Having served as Chief Economist for Morgan Stanley and the first Director of the U.S. Treasury's Office of Financial Research (OFR) -- our government's financial market watchdog, Dick is perfectly poised to address the risks arising from the Trump Administration's arbitrary termination of top financial-stability officials as well as DOGE data breaches of every American's tax and other financial records. More on Richard BernerProfessor Berner received his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in Economics from Harvard College in 1968, and his PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1976. Berner was counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury from April 2011 to 2013. Professor Berner was a managing director, chief US economist at Morgan Stanley from 1999 to 2011 and co-head of Global Economics from 2008 to 2011. Berner served as executive vice president and chief economist at Mellon Bank. He also was a member of Mellon's Senior Management Committee (1992-99). Previously, he served as a principal and senior economist for Morgan Stanley, as a director and senior economist for Salomon Brothers (1985-91), as economist for Morgan Guaranty Trust Company (1982-85) and as director of the Washington, DC, office of Wharton Econometrics (1980-82).

Professor Berner served on the research staff of the Federal Reserve in Washington (1972-80). He has been an adjunct professor of economics at Carnegie-Mellon University and at George Washington University. He is an advisor to FinRegLab, an innovation center that tests new technologies and data to inform public policy and promote a responsible and inclusive financial marketplace. He is a member of the Milken Fintech initiative, led by former OCC head Tom Curry and former Treasury official Melissa Koide. He is a senior advisor to MacroPolicy Perspectives, an economic consulting firm. He is a member of the Board of Advisors of HData, which helps data companies involved in RegTech and Legal Tech solutions. He is a member of the IMF panel of experts for financial stability. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation.