We all know the economy sucks, but how did we get into this mess? Learn about the $10 trillion world of “shadow banking,” why it went BOOM, and why it’s not going away. Find out how seemingly innocent statistical models became weapons of wealth destruction. Understand leverage: what it is, how it can make you rich, and how it can make you very poor. And for those of you hoping to get some Bay Area real estate for your very own: learn why the government, the banks and your grandma all think you should buy….and why you might be better off renting!

Michael Nierenberg is VP of Analytics for Mill Valley-based Redwood Trust, where he builds models to forecast mortgage performance, home prices and mortgage-backed security valuation. Basically, this means trying to convince otherwise skeptical people that he can predict the future using magical computers made of clouds. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he drank a lot of beer, and occasionally took some classes in economics.