Safeguarding America’s Financial Integrity: A Global Citizen’s Plea
As a retired investment professional who has held licenses in the US, Canada, and the Bahamas—now residing in Toronto—my ties to the US financial system remain strong. Though no longer practicing this year, I stay deeply invested in Americans’ economic well-being and am increasingly troubled by the forces undermining it.
My concern transcends partisan politics. What keeps me awake is the erosion of trust underpinning US markets—a decay with consequences far beyond any single administration. Having built businesses in major American cities and maintained a US securities license for private wealth management until my retirement 14 months ago, I’ve witnessed firsthand how trust fuels the system. My financial writing, recognized by Forbes as “Best of the Web” and “Favorite,” and my SEC committee role reflect a career committed to investor education. Today, that commitment compels me to sound the alarm.
The erosion is systemic and accelerating. Recent policies have prioritized short-term political wins over long-term stability, from reckless deficit spending to weakened regulatory safeguards. The damage isn’t merely economic; it’s institutional. When oversight bodies become politicized or enforcement turns selective, the system doesn’t just bend—it breaks. Markets tolerate volatility, but they collapse without trust.
The world is taking notice. From Toronto to Tokyo, allies and adversaries alike are recalculating their reliance on US leadership. Canada depends on the US not just for trade and security, but for predictability—a currency now in short supply. Erratic policymaking invites skepticism from credit agencies, foreign investors, and central banks. The risk isn’t a temporary GDP dip; it’s a permanent downgrade of America’s role as the global financial anchor.
Solutions demand urgency, not ideology. Congress must enact enforceable reforms: blind trusts for lawmakers, term limits, and depoliticized oversight. Fiscal discipline must outlast administrations; transparency must become nonnegotiable. These aren’t partisan goals—they’re the bare minimum for a system claiming global leadership.
As someone who has long bet on American markets’ resilience, I now call on Congress to prove that bet still holds value.