A Crisis of Confidence: This Has Happened Before

Alex Johnson
Alex Johnson
September 16, 2026

Welcome back to Fintech Takes. Diehard listeners may remember my first and second audiobook experiments. By popular demand, here’s a third.

I’m turning my recent deep dive, “A Crisis of Confidence: This Has Happened Before,” into a podcast episode for your listening pleasure(s).

I wrote it back in May after attending Emerge, the Financial Health Network’s annual event, where wandering around and talking with people inspired me to wonder whether the U.S. has ever experienced a strong economy and a pessimistic population before?

It has.

The 1970s produced the same split between the data and consumer sentiment, and the closer you look, the more specific the parallels get (people saved and got punished for it, then borrowed when saving stopped working, then gambled once borrowing ran out too).

But there’s one place the two decades don’t rhyme, and it’s the regulatory response.

Stick around after the audio essay. I come back with an updated take on what’s changed since May, plus a new thought about financial bubbles I haven’t written up yet (but plan to soon!).

This episode is brought to you by Ocrolus.

Better lending starts with better intelligence. A borrower’s cash flow only tells half the story, so Ocrolus fills in the rest with behavior signals and industry benchmarking. Visit https://www.ocrolus.com/ for more.

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Alex Johnson
Alex Johnson