How Countries Go Broke identifies five major forces shaping the big debt cycle: Debt, Civil War, International War, Acts of Nature, and Technology. The book traces the current cycle back to 1945, when a new monetary and geopolitical order emerged post–World War II. Drawing on decades of experience as co-founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, Dalio offers grounded insights into today’s economic landscape.

Morgan Housel is a partner at the Collaborative Fund. He was previously a columnist at The Wall Street Journal. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, the New York Times Sidney Award, and a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business Writing. Barry Ritholtz, a host of Bloomberg Radio’s Masters in Business, names Morgan Housel as the most popular writer in finance today.