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Finance doesn’t have to be boring or sugarcoated. It’s time for a show that tells it like it is. The Blunt Dollar is where real conversations meet real finance, hosted by Ignacio Ramírez Moreno, a fixed-income advisor, CFA charterholder, and LinkedIn content creator who isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions.
Each episode brings candid, thought-provoking discussions with investors, traders, analysts, and market thinkers who cut through the noise and get to the truth behind money, markets, and investing.
Whether it’s exposing the myths of the financial world, exploring the hidden forces shaping markets, or breaking down the latest trends in a way that actually makes sense, The Blunt Dollar delivers raw insights, straight talk, and a touch of humor.
New episodes drop every other week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Want to hear a story that needs to be told? Reach out to thebluntdollar@outlook.com, and let’s make it happen.
58 Episodes
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In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, Ignacio sits down with Morgaine Conway-Grim, founder and CEO of Hawks and Doves, a finance education company making investing fundamentals accessible to everyone. Morgaine’s path to finance began not on Wall Street, but at a reception desk, before she went on to work at some of the largest financial institutions in the world. In 2024, she launched Hawks and Doves to cut through jargon and empower both institutions and individuals with capital market...
In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Jonathan Nurick, Co-Founder and CIO of DivGro, a fund built on a bold and simple mission: 30X capital over 30 years. But this is not about chasing hype or predicting the next big thing. It is about mastering behavior, understanding compounding, and learning to listen to the quiet language of dividends. Jonathan grew up in a family deeply rooted in markets, where business ownership was taught through real-world lessons rather than textbooks...
In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, Ignacio sits down with portfolio strategist Vikram Josyula to explore a different way of thinking about macro investing. Instead of trying to predict the business cycle, Vikram focuses on detecting regime shifts early and adapting portfolios before risks compound. Drawing from his experience across engineering, risk management, and quantitative research, he explains why many macro frameworks fail and how machine learning can improve decision-making withou...
What if your bank didn’t just serve you but actually knew you? In this episode, I sit down with Driss Temsamani, Head of Digital at Citi, who’s not just leading a transformation. He’s reimagining what a financial institution can be. Driss has an incredible story. He immigrated to the US from Morocco at 17 with just $ 200 in his pocket and went on to help shape the infrastructure of global banking. Today, he’s pioneering the concept of the agentic bank, a vision for how AI and intelligent sys...
If you still think ETFs are boring, this episode will change your mind. Sefian Kasem, Global Head of ETF and Indexing Investment Specialists at HSBC Asset Management, joins the show to unpack how ETFs have evolved into the real engine room of portfolio construction. With over 100 billion in AUM and a PhD in mathematical finance, Sefian bridges the gap between macro strategy and product design. From the rise of faith-based ETFs to the blurring lines between active and passive, this is a maste...
In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Lucy Walker, fintech founder, former fund researcher, and boardroom powerhouse, for a deep dive into the future of fund research and distribution. Lucy shares the story behind building AM Insights, a sleek mobile-first platform born out of frustration with clunky legacy systems. We talk entrepreneurship, sales effectiveness, and the community she built almost by accident, that’s now 400 plus women strong. 🔹 From managing £1B to founding AM...
In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Phil Rosen, a former Business Insider reporter turned media entrepreneur, whose journey from literary fiction to launching one of the fastest-growing finance newsletters in the game is anything but typical. Phil is the cofounder of Opening Bell Daily, a high-impact financial newsletter read by investors around the world and syndicated by Inc. Magazine and Bloomberg Terminals. He also hosts Full Signal, a show that breaks down market trends...
In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down for the third time with Lucy Baldwin, Global Head of Research at Citi, to unpack what it really takes to lead one of the largest and most influential research platforms in the world. With a career spanning Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Credit Suisse, Lucy offers a candid, thoughtful look at how research, leadership, and markets are evolving in an era defined by AI, information overload, and constant disruption. Together, we e...
John Haslett is not your typical finance COO. As cofounder of Graphite Asset Advisory, John brings a rare blend of risk discipline, storytelling flair, and market intuition that sets him apart in the world of discretionary fund management. Named a Top 10 LinkedIn Voice in South African finance, John has built a firm that has never lost a single client or team member in over a decade. In this episode, we dive deep into how he did it and what it means to truly play the long game in both markets...
Karl Rogers has traded everything from oil calendar spreads to electricity across the US grid and now he's building one of Ireland’s most forward thinking family office investment platforms at Elkstone. In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, we dive deep into how Karl’s prop trading roots shaped his unique investment approach, why he believes most forecasts are useless, and how to build portfolios that are both behaviorally resilient and future proof. 🎯 Built Elkstone’s investment platform fro...
In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, we sit down with Andrew Spence, founder and CEO of Aspen, one of the UK’s fastest-growing model portfolio service (MPS) providers. From his early career in marine engineering to a life-altering health scare that reshaped his outlook, Andrew shares the pivotal moments that led him to build Aspen with a clean slate and a mission to add real value to wealth management. We dive into how Aspen challenges the "me too" nature of the MPS industry, why most risk ...
After four decades in European finance, David Hawa has seen it all, from the birth of the euro to managing €3 billion bond portfolios and leading distribution at firms like Nordea, Fortis, and Robeco. In this episode, David unpacks the evolution of fixed income markets, the critical role of client communication, and how staying calm in a crisis defines great investors. We explore his career arc, from cold-calling at Morgan Stanley to managing sovereign debt portfolios and shaping sustainable...
In this week’s episode of The Blunt Dollar, I’m joined by Spencer Jakab, renowned investment columnist at The Wall Street Journal, author of "Heads I Win, Tails I Win" and "The Revolution That Wasn’t", and the voice behind the widely read "Markets AM" newsletter. Before journalism, Spencer was a top-ranked equity analyst and head of EM research at Credit Suisse. He’s been on both sides of the machine, and now writes to explain why smart investors still make dumb mistakes. This conversation i...
What do a monastery in India, a £50 billion multi-asset franchise, and a fixed income desk have in common? In this episode, we sit down with Mitesh Sheth, former CEO of Redington and CIO at Newton Investment Management, for a deeply human conversation about purpose, reinvention, and what it truly means to lead. An actuary by training and a strategist by conviction, Mitesh has built his career not only around financial alpha—but organizational alpha. From sleeping on a straw mat in a monast...
In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Dr. Henning Stein a strategist, academic, and Chief Innovation Officer at One Business World to unpack the future of investing through the lens of long term thinking, technology, and behavioral insight. Henning brings a rare mix of experience: from insurance and asset management to launching Europe's early blockchain ETFs and shaping strategic intelligence platforms powered by AI. We dive deep into what it really means to build...
After 25 years inside the engine room of global commodity markets, Martijn Bron walked away from his post as Global Head of Cocoa and Chocolate Trading at Cargill to carve his own path and speak more candidly than ever before. In this episode, Martijn joins Ignacio to unpack a career built at the intersection of sharp trading instincts, global supply chains, and raw honesty. From the pressure-cooker of Geneva's trading floors to navigating African supply shocks, Martijn shares the scars, le...
In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, we sit down with Oswaldo Zapata, a string theorist turned quantum finance expert, to unpack one of the most hyped (and misunderstood) forces heading toward Wall Street: quantum computing. Oswaldo holds a PhD in theoretical physics and has conducted research at institutions like the Albert Einstein Institute and the London School of Economics. But today, he’s helping financial professionals demystify the real-world impact of quantum technologies. This is n...
What does it take to go from fixing cars in Brooklyn to managing billions on Wall Street? In this powerful episode, Chris Thompson shares his extraordinary journey from Automotive High School to JP Morgan, and now to leading impact investments and executive coaching with purpose. Chris opens up about growing up in Crown Heights, the painful loss of his mother, and the quiet identity struggles many finance pros face at the top. This is a raw and deeply honest conversation about resilie...
In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, Ignacio sits down with Philippe Gijsels, Chief Strategy Officer at BNP Paribas Fortis and co-author of "The New World Economy in Five Trends". With decades of market experience and a mind shaped by literature, history, psychology, and economics, Philippe brings a truly unique perspective to investing. This conversation is a deep dive into the ideas behind his work, from market cycles to storytelling, strategy to philosophy. 📚 How stories shape markets and...
Craig Coben, former Global Head of Equity Capital Markets and Vice Chairman at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, joins The Blunt Dollar to share insights from a 25-year career at the very top of investment banking. From raising billions in IPOs and rights issues to writing sharp columns for the Financial Times, Craig’s journey is packed with hard-earned lessons on leadership, competition, and reinvention. This episode is a must-watch for anyone curious about how to invest, personal finance, or...
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