22: The case for optimism, with Cardiff Garcia

If you’ve listened to Onward regularly, you know that Fundrise’s CEO Ben Miller has been a perennial contrarian when it comes to assessing the outlook for the economy, especially as markets have overheated and behaved irrationally. So, this latest episode of Onward might surprise you, as Ben gives the floor to co-host Cardiff Garcia, who treats us to a fundamentally different perspective — a full-throated case for economic optimism, as we look ahead to 2024. Ben and Cardiff’s conversation begins with an assessment of the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, where so many of the social, economic, and political upheavals that paved the way for historic inflation also set the stage for fundamentally positive effects on economic productivity, technological adoption, and true cultural change. While the first benefit of these COVID responses was immediate stability, the second boon, our hosts argue, has yet to become fully visible: a new era of growth and productivity.

Have questions or feedback about this episode? Drop us a note at [email protected].

Onward is hosted by Ben Miller, co-founder and CEO of Fundrise, and Cardiff Garcia, co-founder of Bazaar Audio and host of the economics-focused podcast The New Bazaar (after spending many years as the co-creator and co-host of NPR's The Indicator podcast).

Podcast production by The Podcast Consultant. Music by Seaplane Armada.

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