Brian Wesbury

Brian Wesbury Speaker Biography

One of the Nation’s Top Economic Forecasters and Chief Economist for First Trust Advisors

Brian Wesbury is Chief Economist at First Trust Advisors L.P., a financial services firm based in Wheaton, Illinois. Brian is well known for his commentary on Fox, Bloomberg, CNBC and BNN Canada TV. Considered one of the nation’s top economic forecasters, Brian Wesbury is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal and the economics editor of The American Spectator.

Affiliations

Mr. Wesbury was a member of the Academic Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago from 1999-2007 and has been a regular attendee of the Economist Roundtable Luncheon at the Chicago Fed since 2007. In 2012, he was named a Fellow of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, TX where he worked closely with its 4%-Growth Project. In 1995 and 1996, he served as Chief Economist for the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress.

Acclaim

The Wall Street Journal ranked Mr. Wesbury the nation’s #1 U.S. economic forecaster in 2001, and USA Today ranked him as one of the nation’s top 10 forecasters in 2004.

Early Career

Mr. Wesbury began his career in 1982 at the Harris Bank in Chicago. Former positions include Vice President and Economist for the Chicago Corporation and Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for Griffin, Kubik, Stephens, & Thompson.

Education

Mr. Wesbury received an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Montana.

Books

McGraw-Hill published his first book, The New Era of Wealth, in October 1999. His most recent book, It’s Not As Bad As You Think, was published by John Wiley & Sons.

Awards

In 2011, Mr. Wesbury received the University of Montana’s Distinguished Alumni Award. This award honors outstanding alumni who have “brought honor to the University, the state or the nation.” There have been 267 recipients of this award out of a potential pool of 91,000 graduates.

Brian Wesbury Speaking Topics

The Plow Horse Economy Trudges Forward

The traumatic economic upheaval of 2008 caused many analysts and investors to believe that any recovery would be fragile, short-lived and volatile. Instead, while the recovery has been relatively slow, it has been both persistent and consistent. Brian Wesbury, calls it a Plow Horse Economy. It's not going to win any races, but it's not going to keel over and die either. This recovery is not a new normal – something different than we have seen before, but in fact is being driven by new technologies – the same thing that has driven growth in the US for more than two centuries. This does not mean all is well. Large debt, big deficits, bad policy, high government spending and problems in Europe are all things to worry about. But, putting them in perspective is the key to successful investing and business management. Just maybe things aren't as bad as you think. Brian Wesbury, a winner of The Wall Street Journal's annual economic forecasting award, nationally acclaimed speaker and author will help navigate these confusing and volatile times.

It's Not as Bad as You Think

Wesbury shows that the future may be scary to ponder, but it will ultimately be profitable, globally and over the long haul. He reveals the real reasons behind the "Panic of 2008" and why it seems so much more severe than past crises. He uncovers a history of entrepreneurship that you should trust, as well as explains how a V-shaped recovery can take place and how wealth you had thought you lost can be found again.

Inflation, Deleveraging and Recession

The unemployment rate is rising, the auto and housing markets are in shambles. The government is bailing out banks, printing money with abandon and handing out billions in stimulus checks. But is the economy as bad as people think? Is a government rescue going to work? How long and deep will the recession be? Should we fear inflation or deflation? What about excess debt versus de-leveraging? Brian Wesbury, an internationally known economist, will address these questions and more in what should prove to be an entertaining and informative event.