Dear SIC Enthusiast,

Almost 16 years ago, we held our first Strategic Investment Conference in San Diego.

It went so well that as I walked up to do the final presentation (after two days of a very successful conference), one of my partners came up to me and whispered into my ear, “Enjoy this. It will never get any better than this. Don’t ‘mess’ it up.” He didn’t actually say mess, but you get the point. We were all amazed at the quality of the conference and how much the attendees enjoyed it.

That’s why I vowed he would be wrong. As I finished that final presentation, I knew I would make the next year even better.

And wouldn’t you know it? For 15 years I and what is now the considerable team of people who work with me have done just that. Each year the conference has been better than the last. So much so that I worry at the end of each conference how I can do it better next year.

My worrying always comes to nothing, it seems. Because somehow, we seem to be able to do exactly that: make each conference better than the one that came before.

A great deal of the reason the Strategic Investment Conference has been so successful is the formula I used for the very first event: I invite speakers and design a conference I want to attend. So often, I’m invited to speak at a conference where there are one or two “headliners” while the rest of the conference features people who typically pay to be on the stage. They sometimes have great content but there’s a certain lack of consistency. That’s just the way it is. Those sponsors pay for the conference and are where the profit for the typical event really is.

The Strategic Investment Conference doesn’t work that way.

The SIC is different on multiple levels. No one pays to get on my stage, for starters. Sometimes I’ll invite a speaker who asks if they can sponsor. However, I put content before anything else. And it shows in the quality of the speakers and the satisfaction of the attendees. I consistently hear from everyone that it’s the best conference they’ve ever been to.

In fact, the real ‘proof’ is that over 65% of the attendees return from previous years. Even better, more than a few will have attended more than 10 previous SICs. That’s why almost all my prior conferences have been completely sold out.

I expect the same this year. In fact, there will be a hard cutoff due to one special speaker this time around. If you want to guarantee your attendance, don’t wait until the last minute. No procrastination, sign up now.

So what else is special about the SIC?

As it turns out, conferences are my personal artform. I don’t just throw speakers on the stage. Even very interesting ones. There’s an intellectual flow to the Strategic Investment Conference you just don’t get elsewhere.

At most conferences, you’ll see empty seats for most of the sessions. Not at the SIC.

One of the features of my conference is that nearly everybody attends every session. Including me. Every speaker has something you don’t want to miss. And each session builds on the previous sessions. Like I said, it’s an art form. The reason I spend considerable time talking with each speaker prior to the conference is to get a feel for what they’ll be presenting and then deciding how I will “stage” them in the flow of the conference. And I make a point of having a moderator, typically another speaker, who will push them on their ideas. The point is to prompt a lively debate and have each idea tested in the crucible of Q&A.

I can tell you with full sincerity that the 2019 Strategic Investment Conference is simply going to be the best conference we’ve ever done. You’re not going to want to miss this one. And you certainly want to register now and get the early priority pricing.

This year we’re going to focus on two major themes.

Firstly, unique investment opportunities that offer the potential for accelerating returns for your portfolio. We’ll also dive into what I believe will be an unfolding debt crisis and potential recession/bear market. What part of the cycle are we in and when can we expect it to reach its peak (or bottom)? And how do we profit from that? When you see the lineup of speakers below, you’ll understand there’s no other conference anywhere that’s as well designed to give you the answers to those very questions.

Let me just give you a few of the names who have already committed. Plus some of the topics we’ll be covering:

For the last half of the conference but particularly on the final morning, we’ll be talking about debt cycles and debt crises. That final morning will feature Carmen Reinhart, co-author of the book This Time Is Different, the definitive book on historical governmental debt crises. She’s clearly the expert on that topic. The next speaker will be Felix Zulauf, legendary fund manager from Switzerland and a member of the Barron’s Roundtable for over 20 years. One of Felix’s many claims to fame is that he’s avoided all the major casualties in the financial markets since 1974. He’s a master of cycles.

Finally, I’m extraordinarily happy that Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital, a $120 billion+ hedge fund generally focusing on debt, and author of the absolutely must-read blockbuster book Mastering the Market Cycle, has agreed to come to the conference. We’ve been reading his quarterly letters for years, but this is a very rare special occasion to hear him live. The conference will close with them as a panel talking about debt and credit crises. Wow! And of course, they’ll be discussing how they’re structuring their portfolios to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves in a credit crisis.

Of course, David Rosenberg is my leadoff hitter. In his inimitable style, David will talk about the markets and where we’re headed in the next six months. As always, he’ll get into specific investment ideas and themes. After the above names, the schedule is somewhat fluid and won’t be set in stone until a month or so before the conference. But let’s talk about who else will be somewhere in the lineup.

I’m pairing Lakshman Achuthan, the head of the Economic Cycle Research Institute with Dr. Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research (his latest book is about predicting dozens of markets and focuses on cycles). They’ll make presentations and then discuss where we are right now in terms of cycles and what’s likely to happen over the next year. There are no two better people at this than Lakshman and Ed.

And since housing is such a big part of the US economy, I want to devote a full session to it. John Burns is my go-to expert when it comes to new housing. In my opinion, he’s the best in the country. John will be joined by Barry Habib of MBS Highway and Zillow’s #1 housing expert (as well as a successful Broadway producer too). They’ll talk the housing markets, mortgages, and what to expect in the future.

Of course, conference favorite Louis Gave of Gavekal will be there to give us his latest outlook on global markets and China in particular. His Q&A sessions are very highly rated. Then for a special treat we’ll have noted British entrepreneur Jim Mellon on the stage. He’s redeploying some of his considerable net worth into cutting-edge technology companies. Jim will talk about those companies and why he thinks the future holds so much opportunity.

Tuesday evening is going to be one of the all-time best highlights in my conference history. Former president George W. Bush has agreed to come down the tollway for a special evening session. What many may not know is that he has a government policy think tank called the Bush Institute. The Institute is focused on seven different initiatives. His economic group is engaged with government debt in particular. I’ve been holding conversations with the head of that initiative and we share much of the same concerns. Many of you may remember that President Bush tried to deal with Social Security in his final term. He got absolutely zero help from Congress even though his proposals were simple, common sense ways to fund Social Security for many decades into the future. Given that experience, what does he think it’s going to take to get Congress to act on our own unfunded liabilities? What does he think about them and what does he believe will happen? Will it take a crisis and if so, how will Congress respond?

I know there are a lot of things people would like to ask the former president, of course. But I want to focus on debt and specifically government debt. The Bush Institute will be prominently featured on our last morning and the head of his economic initiative will be the panel moderator.

It almost goes without saying that George Friedman will be there to talk about the latest in geopolitics. Grant Williams, of Things That Make You Go Hmmm fame (and consistently one of our highest-rated speakers for the last four years) will take us on a tour of the world. Mark Yusko, who made the news recently by predicting a recession in 2019, will give us his latest forecasts and join many of the speakers for panels and moderating their Q&A. Dr. Mike Roizen and Pat Cox are going to talk about the latest innovations in healthcare and antiaging research. I suspect that legendary investor Jim Mellon will join them on the stage at some point. This session might be the one that makes the biggest personal impact on your life. I know Mike and Pat have done that for me.

You can’t come to Dallas without thinking about energy. But we’re going to look at energy from a different perspective than the crowd. Marin Katusa and Amir Adnani are two of the most successful natural resource and energy investors I know. They’ll be joined by former US energy secretary Spencer Abraham (confirmation expected) for a wide-ranging discussion on the present and future of energy investments.

And there’s more.

I think one of my favorite sessions is going to be Dr. Lacy Hunt and William White (former Bank of International Settlements Chief Economist and currently chairman of the economics committee for the OECD). They’re going to talk about central bank policy and global debt. Seriously, what could be better? Just about my favorite economist anywhere and certainly my favorite central banker dissecting central banks of the future. I live for sessions like this.

Plus Mauldin Economics rising star Jared Dillian is putting together his own session complete with speakers he wants to hear. Which means I want to hear them too.

Meanwhile we’re still finalizing several very well-known speakers (all major keynote headliners for any conference they speak at) to focus on very specific investment opportunities. But don’t wait until I finalize my last speakers.

That’s because some of them literally wait until a month or so out. And by that time the conference will either be completely sold out or all the discounts will be gone. You want to make your reservation today to get the best early priority discounts. Trust me, there are no “fill-ins” for my conference. The SIC features nothing but the highest A-rated speakers.

Meanwhile you might be wondering what we do when someone’s not on the stage.

As we did three years ago in Dallas, we’ll take everybody to Gilley’s Wednesday night for a Texas-style party. (For those of you not familiar with Gilley’s, think of the extraordinarily large Texas bar featured in the movie Urban Cowboy.) A wide variety of Texas food and an open bar. Can it get any better?

You see, the SIC is more than just a series of speakers. The interaction among attendees is quite extraordinary. We use the latest networking technology to make sure you get to meet attendees who will not only become lifelong friends but also business partners and philosophical running mates too. I hear over and over again, and it certainly fits my experience, that attendees at the SIC simply make up the best “crowd” at any conference anywhere.

Part of the reason the SIC works so well is that we have a team that’s been functioning together for a very long time. Attendees note how well organized the conference is, how everything seems to flow and happens on time. There are plenty of staff to take care of your special needs. We work hard to make this the absolute best experience you’ve ever had—not just the speakers, but also the food, the breaks, the networking, and the technology. The staging is elaborate and the equal of any conference anywhere. If you walk behind the curtain, it looks like we’re trying to launch a man (or woman!) to the moon.

What’s more, we make a point of ensuring that speakers are available at the breaks and I’m always amazed at how well they cooperate with us. I really do try to make sure you get an opportunity to talk one-on-one with as many of them as you possibly can. And—I probably shouldn’t say this yet, but can’t resist—let’s just say there may be a few surprise guests here and there.

This is a conference where you’ll be going over your notes and reviewing the audio and transcripts for months and months. But there’s nothing like the experience of being at a Strategic Investment Conference personally, hearing a powerful presentation and then talking with fellow attendees about what you heard. You simply have to be in the room.

So what’s next?

Make sure you really are in the room by clicking here and signing up today. Get the early priority price and save $1,000 from the last-minute walkup price (if there are any seats left, that is).

As I write this, there are literally less than four months between now and the conference opening. And even though there’s still a lot of work to do, I really wish it was starting next week. I can’t tell you how the anticipation builds, not only for me, but for all the attendees who will be coming.

This is a truly special, once-a-year event. You don’t want to miss it.

Your host and fellow SIC attendee analyst,

John Mauldin
Chairman, Mauldin Economics