Do interest rates even matter to the US economy? We covered the division in access to capital between larger and smaller companies, the looming impact of government deficits, the housing market, and we ended the session with each analyst's favorite sector for investors.

John Mauldin along with Neil Howe, Peter Turchin, and George Friedman discussed important research on geopolitical, economic, and social cycles. All are expecting a period of change and potential crisis in the coming decade. Each shared his thoughts on how wealth concentration among economic elites impacts today’s society, the rise of “counter-elites,” America's ability to adapt during crises, and historical cycles of governance that change every 80 years.

A dynamic discussion on the risks, opportunities, and challenges with China, from shifts in industrial policy, supply chain disruption, and expanding industrial capabilities to the geoeconomic implications of China's tactics in global markets.

Founder of Palantir and managing partner at 8VC, venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale talked about the potential of AI, particularly in the defense sector, AI’s impact on economic productivity, and the different approaches to open source and closed source AI by major companies.

Among the most important cultural issues future generations face is how education is changing before our eyes. John Mauldin interviewed Pano Kanelos, CEO of the newly formed University of Austin, the first-of-its-kind university encouraging a wide range of ideas, challenging the prevailing “mono-think” in most higher education institutions.

Renè Aninao brought a fascinating panel together to discuss the risks of “dual-use” technology. They covered the very real risks of bad actors using sophisticated cyberattacks to generate kinetic results. As we move more and more to an electrified model of defense, energy becomes that much more important, and he believes we have precious little time until we see kinetic tests of our ability to defend our system of government.

Our favorite MD brought an expert panel together to discuss advances in the science of longevity and increasing healthy lifespan. Topics ranged from therapeutic plasma replacement and telomere research to practical lifestyle strategies you can implement today to improve lifespan.

Four real estate professionals debated the state of commercial real estate. While at the right price there is plenty of equity available making one type of asset class very attractive to investors, another sector is a bit more nuanced with its own set of challenges.

Concluding the 20th annual SIC, John and faculty come together for a reflective final panel. A sober discussion on geopolitics that could trigger a financial crisis and an end to US hegemony. While we might be coming out of an “age of plenty” to an “age of scarcity,” one faculty member pointed out the US’s long-term performance noted no viable alternatives for investors. As John Mauldin put it, this panel was “must-see SIC.”