CSI Chat

We are very lucky to be joined on CSI Chat by the reigning 2024 Microsoft Excel World Champion, Michael Jarman. 
We talk to Michael about a number of topics, including: 
What do the "Microsoft Excel World Championships" entail?  How does one prepare themselves for the World Championships?  If somebody was interested in competing, how do they go about qualifying?
What is more important at the Excel World Championships, Speed or Skill?  
What is Michael's favorite Excel function for moderate and advanced users of Excel?
How is the process going for 2025?  Is Michael going "back-to-back"?
I hope everyone enjoys the "CSI Chat" with the top Excel user on the planet Michael Jarman.  

We are joined by "Mr. Excel" himself, Bill Jelen.  There are very few on the planet who know more about Microsoft Excel then Bill Jelen.  Bill started the "Mr. Excel" website in 1998 and since then, has authored over 70 books and runs seminars all over the world on the use of Excel.  He also has several other "special talents", including winning the Grand Prize in a local "Stupid Human Tricks" competition by stopping an electric fan with his tongue!  
We talk to Bill about:
- How did he get started in becoming an "Excel Expert"?  
- What are some of the best tips for beginners and advanced users on Excel?  What is Bill's favorite function in Excel?
- What are the MS Excel World Championships and is it true that Bill was once a commentator?
Bill is a fascinating guy and I hope everyone enjoys the conversation!
 

We are joined on CSI Chat by Guido Palazzo.  Guido is a professor of business ethics at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and a business advisor.  During our "Chat", we talk about Guido's latest book, "The Dark Pattern:  The Hidden Dynamics of Corporate Scandals" whereby Guido reviews several corporate scandals and identifies certain trends and commonalties across each of these.  
During our "Chat" with Guido, we discuss:
The balance between "Human Morality" and "Shareholder Returns/Capitalism". 
Trending of corporate scandals over time and whether the issue has declined.  Guido also discusses a number of case studies in his book.
 The "9 Building Blocks of the Dark Pattern" and how they were evident in each of his case studies.  
I hope everyone enjoys the "Chat"!  

We are joined by business Professors Feng Gu and Baruch Lev to discuss their latest book, "The M&A Failure Trap:  Why Most Mergers and Acquisitions Fail and How the Few Succeed".  
We talk to Professor Gu and Professor Lev about:
The process of analyzing historical acquisitions and how they reached the conclusion that most M&A ends in failure. 
Over time, has the M&A failure rate improved or gotten worse?  The statistics are surprising.   
What are some of the main reasons why M&A ends in failure?  The Professors have also put together a "M&A Checklist" which should help companies in their M&A process.  
It is a very interesting discussion with Professor Gu and Professor Lev and I hope everyone enjoys it!  

We are joined by Pav Gill, formerly of Wirecard and perhaps the most famous whistle-blower on the planet.  Despite serious risk to Pav's physical well-being and his professional reputation, he made the courageous decision to blow the whistle on the issues he was seeing within Wirecard.  
During our "CSI Chat" with Pav, we talk to him about:
- His decision-making process to originally join Wirecard as legal counsel and how long it took him to realize that there may be serious issues within the Company.  
- What were some of the issues he was seeing within Wirecard and why didn't anyone listen to his concerns?  
- At one point, Pav was instructed by his superiors at Wirecard to travel to another country for a "business trip".  Pav later realized that if he decided to hop on the plane, it would be a "one way trip".  Pav explains.  
I hope everyone enjoys the "Chat" with Pav!

We are joined by Dan McCrum, an investigative reporter from the Financial Times who wrote extensively about Wirecard and was the author of the terrific book, "Money Men:  A Hot Start-up, A Billion Dollar Fraud, A Fight for the Truth" which chronicles the story of Wirecard, the large German payment processing company which collapsed. 
During our "CSI Chat" with Dan, we discuss:
-  The role of an investigative reporter and the extensive research which goes into articles produced by the Financial Times.  There is an incredible amount of work involved prior to hitting "Print".  How does Dan sleep the night before a big story?  Dan explains during the chat.  
- Dan outlines how he first crossed path with Wirecard and the early signs he uncovered which indicated there might be a problem.  Dan also outlines his interactions with some of the executives at Wirecard.  
- Dan explains the risk he encountered to both his safety and his professional reputation while pursuing this story.  From Russian poison recipes to plots to plant drugs in the back of Dan's car, this is an example whereby the truth is stranger than fiction!
I hope everyone enjoys our "CSI Chat" with Dan!    

We are joined on “CSI Chat” by retired United States Navy SEAL Drago Dzieran. Drago wrote an terrific book entitled “The Pledge to America: One Man’s Journey from Political Prisoner to U.S. Navy SEAL”.
During our "Chat", Drago and I talk about:
The challenges of growing up in Poland under the Communist rule and how we was able to immigrate to the United States. Drago’s time in Poland included being locked up as a political prisoner under extremely difficult circumstances.
Drago became a US Navy Seal at the age of 31 (which is very old when it comes to a Navy SEAL). Drago talks about surviving the extensive US Navy SEAL training and the notorious “Hell Week”.
I hope everyone enjoys our "CSI Chat" with Drago.  

We are joined on CSI Chat by Crypto Currency expert Jake Ryan to talk about Crypto and his book “Crypto Asset Investing in the Age of Autonomy”. If you were looking for a “Crypto 101 Seminar”, you will find the “Chat” very interesting.
During our "CSI Chat" with Jake, we talk about:
The current state of the “United States Dollar” and how Crypto Currency may play a significant role in the future.
The history of Crypto Currency/Bitcoin and how it was developed by a yet to be identified founder, “Satoshi Nakamoto”.
Crypto 101 basics including the the role of a blockchain and a more fundamental question on how to value the various Crypto Currencies which currently exist on the market place.
I hope everyone enjoys our "CSI Chat" with Jake!  

We are joined by investment expert Chris Mayer to talk about "100 Baggers".  Chris wrote a terrific book entitled "100 Baggers:  Stocks that return 100-to-1 and how to find them".  In the book, Chris analyzes these high performing stocks and tries to find similarities between them.  
During our "Chat" with Chris, we talk about:
- Chris' background and how he transitioned from a corporate lender to a professional investor.  We also talk about Chris' core investment values and how he goes about trying to find the next "100-Bagger".  
- We talk about some of the key characteristics of "100-Bagger" stocks, including high growth expectations and a low PE ratio.  Which is easier to find?  Do you need both to have a "100-Bagger"?
- What are some of the "100-Baggers" which have gone bust?  This would be a great title for Chris' next book!
I hope everyone enjoys the Chat with Chris!

We are joined by Harvard Kennedy School business professors Dan Levy and Richard Zeckhauser to talk about decision making and their latest book, "Maxims for Thinking Analytically".  End of the day, if you can think more analytically, it will enable you to understand the world around you and make better decisions.  
During our Chat with Dan and Richard, we discuss the interesting topic of "Decision Making" and touch on:
How does it help to leverage both extreme cases and simple cases when it comes to decision-making?  How do we need to avoid taking refuge in complexity?  
How should some of these core decision making skills be utilized to make important decisions such as those surrounding tariffs?  How can we use these skills to order dinner at a restaurant?  We look at both ends of the spectrum. 
For the football fans out there, we ask Dan and Richard the critical question which arose from Super Bowl 49 when the Seattle Seahawks famously through a late interception which costed them the game to the New England Patriots... Should Pete Carroll have handed off the ball to star running back Marshawn Lynch?  Alternatively, was the decision to pass perhaps a good decision that resulted in a bad outcome?
I hope everyone enjoys the "CSI Chat" with Dan and Richard.