But who cares?

Most people don’t give a flying fuck about watching an hour-long video like this. They’d rather waste two hours on some mindless Netflix recommendation than invest time in something that might actually make them think. That’s just the lay of the land, and I’m not just talking about the casual scrollers out there. I’m talking about paying members of this community, too. There’s not much difference, sad to say.

This video? Yeah, it’s boring as hell. It’s not the kind of content that gets your blood boiling like when you flip on Fox News or whatever echo chamber you prefer. This isn’t about cheap outrage or clickbait drama. It’s about the nitty-gritty stuff—fundamental shit that, if you bothered to wrap your head around it, could actually shift how you see the world. I’m talking geopolitics, big markets, commodity markets. That’s where the real fundamentals lie. It’s all tied to trade, to deals, to sanctions—shit that moves the needle on a global scale.

Now, let me introduce someone who knows this game inside and out. Sean, a lifetime member of FreeTheAnimal, is an international banker and a longtime friend of mine. I’m not gonna bore you with a formal résumé, but trust me, this guy’s got the creds. What you’re getting here is an informal convo, straight talk between buddies. If you actually took the time—yeah, I’m repeating myself because most of you won’t—to listen to what Sean’s laying down, to dig into the topics he’s discussing, to inform yourself about shit you don’t already know, you might just get a clearer picture of how the world really works. And if you get that clarity, maybe, just maybe, you’ll do better in this fucked-up world than the 99% of sheep out there.

Let’s be real: 99% of people don’t think for themselves. They’re not asking, “What do I think?” Nah, they’re too busy wondering, “What does the person next to me think?” That’s humanity in a nutshell—herd mentality at its finest. So, are you gonna be part of that 99%, or are you gonna step up, listen, learn, and carve your own damn path? Your call.

Here’s Sean’s Page at Paradigm Press where he writes The Rude Awakening newsletter. He’s worked in international banking in London, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Sean Ring wants to start your day off with a big smile, a bit of entertainment and a heaping dose of information.

He’s the Editor of The Rude Awakening, a free morning e-letter that offers Sean’s snarky take on the markets’ goings-on, shenanigans and tomfoolery he sees every day.

Sean grew up in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, and earned a finance degree with a minor in political science at Villanova. After a stint at Lehman Bros. — before its collapse — he started working at Credit Suisse. That job sent him to London, where he earned a master’s degree in finance from London Business School.

Next he became a futures broker — and loathed it. So he got a job teaching traders how to pass certification exams. The work took him to various countries in Asia, where he settled down for a while. He even started his own EdTech company.

Along the way, he earned several high-level certifications himself… and established connections that would make most Wall Street execs green with envy.

His daily musings will send you on your merry way to go and conquer the world after your first cup of coffee.

That’s enough for now.