Paul Sloate
February 8, 2024, 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
The U.S. Federal Reserve declared Victory on its Mission to slay the beast of Inflation. After tightening in 2022 and 2023 more than in any tightening since the 1973 time frame, the Fed began to lower interest rates in September. Numerous data points indicate there exists a significant slowdown underway in the economy offset by massive fiscal stimulus by the Federal Government. This spending orgy produced the largest fiscal deficits seen since World War II, with Debt to GDP soaring to well over 120%.
Looming over everything, the New Cold War with China continues to escalate, fundamentally undermining the global trading system built over the past 25 years. Geopolitics now invades every economic decision. And this rise of Geopolitics will have long term consequences for the Global Economy. With nations rushing to build their own capacity, economic growth today built on investment will likely become tomorrow’s glut across numerous industries. For countries and companies, hard choices will lie ahead as each country moves to advantage its economy and sphere of influence at the expense of the other in a rivalry that will define the next few decades. Already the rivalry between the US and China forced many companies to choose between them. And while some companies and countries believe they can serve two masters, history would dictate this stands an illusion. These conflicting economic and geopolitical forces will impact the US and Global Economy significantly in 2025 and beyond providing a whirlwind of impacts on interest rates, inflation, economic growth, business, and politics.
Paul Sloate is the CEO and a Founding Partner of WSL Family Office & Private Wealth Management. Paul possesses extensive experience advising successful entrepreneurs, high net worth investors, and ultra high net worth families, as well as managing large pools of capital. Paul’s experience, from investments in numerous private and public companies, provides a unique vantage point on the reality of global competition, technology change, and risk. This creates valuable insights and perspective for entrepreneurs and families, as they manage their private holdings and their liquid assets to achieve their objectives and to position themselves for the future.
Paul is a seasoned advisor with significant exposure to real estate, technology, finance, manufacturing, energy, retail, distribution, and consumer-facing industries. Paul, in addition to his role as CEO of WSL Family Office & Private Wealth Management, currently serves on the Board of Directors of a private company and advises several private companies and organizations. Paul previously served in senior-level positions with Wellington Management and BlackRock Financial Management, where he was involved in overseeing multi-billion-dollar pools of capital. In addition, he was one of the Founders of a successful financial services start-up. Paul attended Cornell University where he received an AB, Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa in History and Economics. He also received an MBA with Distinction from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.