Freeman Conversation

Many of us were taught to see risk as something to avoid. In her new book, Worth the Risk: The Seven Myths That Keep Us from Taking the Chances We Need to Take (Yale University Press), economist Allison Schrager argues the opposite. She says fear of risk is holding us back at a time when taking chances may pay off more than ever.

Schrager uses economic history and behavioral science to take apart common myths. Among them: that the world has become too dangerous, that investing is only for the rich, and that risk is all or nothing. Along the way, she profiles unconventional risk-takers and shows how anyone can weigh uncertainty more clearly, make better decisions, and come out ahead.

Join The Freeman for an evening of drinks and conversation as Editor Katrina Gulliver talks with Allison about the book, the economics of uncertainty, and why a freer, more prosperous society depends on people willing to take chances.

Evening Schedule

• 5:30 PM – Doors open, drinks and mingling before the conversation
• 6:00 PM – A Freeman Conversation
• 7:00 PM – Audience Q&A

Speakers

Allison Schrager is an economist, author, and FEE Visiting Fellow. She is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, contributing editor at City Journal, and a columnist at Bloomberg Opinion. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in economics from Columbia University. 

Katrina Gulliver is Editorial Director at FEE. A historian by training, she holds a PhD from Cambridge University and has held faculty positions at universities in Germany, Britain, and Australia. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2021. Her writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Reason, National Review, The American Conservative, and The New Criterion.