by Ralph Broadwater, MD, CFP®, AIF®

If you are like me, you are fatigued and emotionally drained by the continuous back and forth between the media and our current administration. All of the news is negative, and the level of societal discourse has deteriorated so much that it seems as if we are living in a world that is spinning out of control.  If you are still watching the nightly news and following politics, I have two suggestions that will reduce your angst and create a more positive and productive outlook:

1. Turn off the television and quit following the news.
2. Spend some time learning about Futurism.

We are living in exciting times. The changes that we will see in the next 10-20 years will be truly transformative- like nothing we or the world has ever seen before. Some of these new developments to explore:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Virtual and Augmented Reality
• Robotics
• Autonomous Driving
• 3-D Printing
• Longevity
• Brain-Computer Interface
• Renewable Energy
• Space Development
• Ubiquitous Connectivity
• Nano Medicine

Some Suggestions to Get You Started

Here are a few websites and videos to help you start exploring Futurism.

SU Global Summit Peter Diamandis video

This excellent video from the Singularity Institute 2017 Global Summit, held in San Francisco August 13-15) summarizes the reasons the world is changing rapidly, for the better. The entire three presentations are excellent, but Dr. Diamandis’s talk starts at around the 43 minute mark (if you want to fast forward).

All of the presentations from this Global Summit are available on the Singularity University Facebook page.

SingularityHub (www.singularityhub.com)

An excellent site that also has a weekly email blog of timely articles and news related to all things related to futurism.

Singularity University (http://su.org/)

Links to their outstanding Exponential conferences and Global Summit. They have the videos of all of these presentations for free, and through their Facebook page. (A great service and value since conference registration fees are $8000 for a 3 day conference)

Futurism(http://futurism.com/)

Similar to Singularity Hub, an excellent summary site.

Kurzweil Accelerating Intelligence (http://www.kurzweilai.net/)

Ray Kurzweil website and blog.  Currently Director of Engineering at Google. Inventor, futurist, cofounder of Singularity University.

Here are four books I recommend:

Abundance – The Future is Better than You Think, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler

The Singularity is Near, Ray Kurzweil

The Inevitable, Kevin Kelly

The Fourth Transformation, Robert Scoble and Shel Israel

In the next few quarterly newsletters I plan to cover some of these important and exciting topics in more detail. For now, I hope you’ll consider my advice to quit following the news and spend some time exploring the rapidly advancing developments that will make our world a much better place. You will find that your day will be brighter, you will have more energy, and your current angst will recede.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION

Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by The Arkansas Financial Group, Inc.-“AFG”), or any non-investment related content, made reference to directly or indirectly in this blog will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this blog serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from AFG. Please remember that if you are a AFG client, it remains your responsibility to advise AFG, in writing, if there are any changes in your personal/financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our previous recommendations and/or services, or if you would like to impose, add, or to modify any reasonable restrictions to our investment advisory services. To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of his/her choosing. AFG is neither a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm and no portion of the blog content should be construed as legal or accounting advice. A copy of the AFG’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available for review upon request. Please Note: AFG does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to AFG’s web site or blog or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility for any such content. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.