Gretchen Morgenson: The Plunderers Now Run Our Economy

When we talk about the "markets", most people immediately think of publicly traded financial assets: the S&P and Nasdaq indices, stocks of popular companies like Microsoft & Nvidia, their corporate bonds, etc. We can see the prices of these assets, and how they change minute-by-minute, on the public exchanges. We receive audited financial statements from these companies, as well as quarterly updates on their operating results & forecasts from their executive management. But there's also a massive amount of capital invested in private companies, where there is FAR less transparency, and many would claim, oversight. Today's guest expert, Pulitizer-prize winning & NYTimes best-selling investigative journalist Gretchen Morgenson, along with her co-author Joshua Rosner, has shined much-needed daylight into these private markets through their recent book: "These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs―and Wrecks―America" I spoke to her last year when the book first came out. We discussed its central claim that a small cohort of elite financiers -- and their government enablers -- use excessive debt and dubious practices to undermine our nation’s economy for their own enrichment. Today we sit down with her for an update. Has anything changed, for the worse or the better, since her book came out? Follow Gretchen at nbcnews.com WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com #privateequity #privatecredit #leveragedbuyouts