In our Season 3 finale, we're speaking with Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. We asked Treasurer Goldberg about some of her state's programs to address economic mobility, including the Office of Economic Empowerment, which Treasurer Goldberg founded. We also talked about how financial education is being taught statewide, how the current interest rate environment affects her approach to investing and reserve funds, and of course, we hear about some of the Treasurer's best unclaimed property stories, including one involving a Red Sox legend! In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss a story about efforts in Jackson, Mich. to replace lead pipes, and how states and localities around the country are funding programs like these.

This week, we're joined by Ben Keys, Professor of Real Estate and Finance at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania (and former faculty at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy). We spoke with Ben about a wide variety of issues surrounding the intersection of housing policy, insurance markets, and climate change, including how volatile weather is changing insurer behavior, the role of reinsurance, and what current and future federal policy might mean for state and local markets. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss a pair of stories investigating areas with too-low home insurance prices and how that is leading some insurers to leave markets where the risk of climate-related home damage is particularly acute.

This week, we welcome back Jennifer Johnston, Senior Vice President and Director of Municipal Bond Research at Franklin Templeton. We wanted to get a sense for the causes and conditions behind municipal market volatility, including what affects issuer and investor behavior on both the retail and institutional sides of the market. We also talk about how today's volatility compares historically with times such as the Great Recession and Covid, the role of technology in servicing funds, and what makes the muni market unique in Jennifer's home state of California. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss how current tax reform is sitting with investors and issuers, and how public finance professionals decide when to go to market.

This week, we're joined by David Dubrow, Partner at ArentFox Schiff. With the uncertainty surrounding tariffs in recent weeks, how should issuers prepare for contingencies, and what effects might we expect on prices, trade, and economic growth? David talks to us about all of this and more, including how mutual funds have been impacted, as well as stagflation and which sectors of the muni market are especially vulnerable to this phenomenon. In Ripped from the Headlines, we break down the US trade deficit and why forecasting for imports has become particularly tricky.

This week, we're speaking with Angela Rollins, Director of Financial Empowerment for the City of Rochester, NY. As someone who is working at the intersection of personal finance and public finance, we wanted to ask Angela about how individual-focused financial empowerment programs help both resident economic mobility as well as the overall financial health of the city. We learn about some of the programs in place to help residents attain financial freedom such as the Summer of Opportunity Program and Kiva loans for small businesses, among others. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss a study that surveyed how different generations are feeling about their financial outlooks and levels of financial anxiety.

Climate change is a reality of our world, but are we thinking effectively about addressing our challenges? To find out, we sat down with Spencer Glendon, Founder of Probable Futures. We asked Spencer to tell us about what we often get wrong when thinking about climate adaptation, mitigating financial risk tied to high-risk weather events, and what kinds of public infrastructure investments we should expect to see in the future. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss an article that surveyed Americans about their perceptions and anxiety levels surrounding climate change.

Probable Futures is a non-profit climate literacy initiative that makes climate science accessible and understandable so that everyone, everywhere can think about climate change in practical ways and prepare for what's to come. The goal is for climate considerations to become an integral part of the decisions people make every day—at home, at work, and in their communities. You can read Spencer Glendon's seasonal essays here and can check out the maps that show local climate change impacts here.

To learn more about MMA's "Climate Risk and Municipal Finance" course that we mentioned in today's episode, click here.

When severe weather moves in, having accurate, real-time data is crucial. This extends to the muni market, where up-to-date analytics can help localities understand the exposure risks of their assets to extreme weather events. We sat down this week with Larry Lawrence, Head of ICE Climate, and Phoebe Devries, Senior Manager at ICE Climate, to better understand the methodology and technology behind monitoring and predicting the impact of severe weather on municipals, and how this helps localities conduct better risk management. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss a recent newsletter from our very own Liz Farmer (Long Story Short) that talks about the importance of communication in building trust in local government public finance.

On this week's episode, we're live at the ICMA conference in Milwaukee, Wis., where we spoke to David Schmiedicke, Finance Director for the City of Madison, Wis.; and William Jones, City Administrator of Mequon, Wis. With a conference focus on reimagining local government, we wanted to get Dave and Will's thoughts on financial resilience, building community trust, what the future looks like for local governments, and so much more.