I decided to become an economist at age 16, but I also started reading my grandmother’s used copies of Forbes. After degrees including a Ph.D. from Duke and three years as a professor, I found my calling in the business world. I began as a corporate economist (PG&E, Nerco, First Interstate Bank) and then entered consulting, helping business leaders connect the dots between the economy and business decisions. I wrote "Businomics: From the Headlines to Your Bottom Line—How to Profit in Any Economic Cycle" to help corporate executives and small business owners understand how the economy impacts their companies. Side trips on this journey include co-authoring a high school economics curriculum, "Thinking Economics," and earning the CFA designation (though I’m not an active charter-holder). I’m the longest-tenured member of the Oregon Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, chairman of the board of Cascade Policy Institute and senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis. My friends and fans love their monthly fix of economic charts, a 60-second scan of the economy. The latest edition is always up at http://www.conerlyconsulting.com/charts.php, and notice the link to subscribe for free on that page.