Richard Thaler

Nobel Prize-winner Richard Thaler is a field-defining pioneer of Behavioral Economics, a field that explores the intersection of economics, finance and psychology. Co-author of the global bestseller Nudge, as well as Misbehaving, Thaler reveals how human traits such as limited cognitive abilities, lack of self-control, and pro-social preference affect economic decision-making as well as market outcomes, ultimately underscoring the human side of economics and its fascinating implications for investors, marketers, policy-makers and consumers.

Thaler's game-changing theories have been behind some of the most effective market strategies and revolutionary government and business policies. As a McKinsey article succinctly stated: "Richard Thaler is the rare academic whose ideas are being translated directly into action." His keynotes reveal groundbreaking takeaways on how to drive desired behaviors and economic outcomes and provide engaging lessons on life (and its many anomalies) in and beyond the field of economics.

"If I had to be trapped in an elevator with any contemporary intellectual,
I’d pick Richard Thaler."

—Malcolm Gladwell

Watch Thaler's speech at the Nobel Banquet [8:05] >>

Watch Thaler's Nobel Lecture "From Cashews to Nudges: The Evolution of Behavioral Economics" [49:44] >>

Nobel Lecture: Richard Thaler, The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences

Thaler's theories have been successfully implemented by top companies and organizations worldwide, and his impressive career accomplishments include:

Thaler was fundamental in popularizing nudge theory and inspiring key policy reforms including automatic enrollment in 401(k) retirement plans. Thaler also developed the notion of automatic escalation to boost how much workers save.
An advisor to David Cameron, Thaler helped set up and run the Behavioural Insights Team (also known as the "Nudge Unit"), the world's first government institution dedicated to the application of behavioral sciences, which helps the UK government make public services more cost-effective and efficient. There are now nearly 200 such units around the world.
As Quartz highlighted in a recent article, General Motors is implementing nudge theory to help retain female employees. The theory's other practical applications were recently highlighted in an article from Valuewalk.

A regular contributor to The New York Times Economic View column, some of Thaler's most influential columns were highlighted in "7 Richard Thaler Columns That Explain How Human Behavior Affects Economics."
A Founding Principal at Fuller & Thaler Asset Management, which runs and sub-advises funds that made headlines for consistently outperforming the S&P and Bloomberg competitors. As Forbes said, "More than an academic, Chicago prof. Richard Thaler turns research into market-beating returns."
Has worked with National Football League teams on their strategy in their annual draft based on his published research on the topic.
Thaler famously appeared alongside Selena Gomez in "The Big Short," to describe the psychology behind the "hot hand theory" and in conjunction the causes of the 2008 financial crisis.

Thaler not only engages with audiences on Twitter (an avid user, he has 118K followers), but keeps them tweeting praise at each event:

Richard Thaler's groundbreaking findings make headlines:

"Predictably Unpredictable: Why We Don't Act Like We Should"- NPR
"Richard Thaler: How to Change Minds and Influence People"- The Financial Times
"Thank Richard Thaler for Your Retirement Savings"- Bloomberg
"12 things you can learn about investing from Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler" - MarketWatch
"The Making of Richard Thaler's Economics Nobel"- The New Yorker
"4 Ways Nobel Prize Winner Richard Thaler's Work Has Improved Your Life"- Forbes

A sample of groups that have hosted Richard Thaler:

Talks at Google
The Aspen Institute
Harvard University
London School of Economics and Political Science
Carnegie Mellon University
92Y
University of California Television
MoneyWeek
British Academy
Commonwealth Club
The University of Chicago
CFA Institute
Morningstar ETF Conference... and more!

A Nobel Prize-winning academic whose work transcends any one field or industry, Richard Thaler provides eye-opening lessons, actionable insights and downright riveting anecdotes at each of his engagements. Celebrated for bringing an engaging, colloquial element to even his most complex theories (as Thaler says, his interest in behavioral ecomomics started with a bowl of cashews at a party), Thaler leaves audiences both entertained and informed.