Who is Ed Kashmarek?
I grew up in Corcoran, Minnesota and graduated from Rockford High School in 1990. In 1994, I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and in 2008 I completed my MBA at the Carlson School of Management. I currently reside in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. At the present time, I am in career transition and am seeking new opportunities.
I became interested in economics while taking an elective class on macroeconomics in college. Since then, through being an economist with Wells Fargo for 10 years and extensive reading of books, articles, papers and magazines, I have developed a very keen sense of what is going on in today's economy, both here and abroad. I do my very best to keep up with the latest events and trends around the world, which is so important today because things are not only very complex in the wake of the financial crisis, but are also very fluid and interconnected. As I learn what is happening around the world, I often like to share what I learn with others. During my time with Wells Fargo, I learned a lot about monetary policy, interest rates, inflation, international trade, the labor market, the housing market, exchange rates, commodities and so much more. In addition, I covered several countries including Turkey, Poland, India, Russia and the Eurozone, which vastly expanded my knowledge of international economics and politics. I look forward to continuing to use these skills in some capacity as my career progresses. Please visit my Reports page or my Blog for the latest economic updates and my thoughts on the economy.
I have also developed a passion for microfinance, which is giving small loans to poor people so they can start a business, improve their income and work their way out of poverty. I love it because it is capitalism the way it was meant to be. It is not a handout, but a hand up! It is really amazing how far $100 can go in the developing world. In the United States, $100 might get you an expensive dinner, a nice shirt or a night on the town. But in the developing world, $100 can be enough to start a small business, feed a family for a year, build a small house or send a child to school. Leveraging the power of the dollar to help the poor in developing countries is a fantastic way to lend a hand to the less fortunate. If you would like to learn more, visit the Microfinance page. I think my interest in microfinance is what has driven me to learn more about Africa. I have read a few books and watched many documentaries about the continent. Now I'm almost obsessed with Africa! I would certainly love to travel there sometime to experience the music, food and wildlife as well as maybe meet some microfinance clients.
In addition to an intense interest in economics and microfinance, I am also a passionate musician. Over the years, I have been in over 20 bands as a saxophonist and songwriter in genres ranging from funk to jazz to blues to R&B. I was fortunate enough to record two CDs, one of my own music (Breakin' the Ice) and one with the band Rare Medium (That Means You). A few tunes from each CD eventually made it to radio! I was also lucky enough to appear twice on the KARE11 Morning Show, with two different bands. While with Rare Medium, I had the thrill of opening for national recording artist Average White Band and playing in the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. I also had the honor and pleasure of playing blues with Big Walter Smith and the Groove Merchants for two years. I had a lot of fun with this band and met a lot of great people. Unfortunately, Big Walt left us in July 2012 and will certainly be missed by all those who had the privilege to know and play with him. You can order any of these CDs if you'd like by visiting my Music page! In addition to playing and listening to music, I enjoy biking, reading, watching sports, going to church, grilling in the summer, shooting pool, movies, watching informative documentaries, playing poker, dancing, going to the zoo and spending time with family and friends. I also love to learn about and discuss economics, finance, politics, religion, history, science, nature and sports.
I have come to realize a connection: I love jazz and blues, and parts or all of these forms of music started in Africa and came to America, where they were sung in the cotton and tobacco fields by slaves. My interest in helping to reduce poverty also centers on Africa, home to some of the poorest people in the world. Thus, Africa appears to be the common denominator for many of my interests. If I can somehow find a way to mesh my love of music and economics to help the poor, I think I would really be onto something! I once saw a picture of Bono (world-renowned rock star who is very active in African poverty issues) and Jeffrey Sachs (world-renowned economist who has written extensively about poverty) standing next to each other (see below). I envisioned myself standing right between them. My, what a conversation we could have!
I became interested in economics while taking an elective class on macroeconomics in college. Since then, through being an economist with Wells Fargo for 10 years and extensive reading of books, articles, papers and magazines, I have developed a very keen sense of what is going on in today's economy, both here and abroad. I do my very best to keep up with the latest events and trends around the world, which is so important today because things are not only very complex in the wake of the financial crisis, but are also very fluid and interconnected. As I learn what is happening around the world, I often like to share what I learn with others. During my time with Wells Fargo, I learned a lot about monetary policy, interest rates, inflation, international trade, the labor market, the housing market, exchange rates, commodities and so much more. In addition, I covered several countries including Turkey, Poland, India, Russia and the Eurozone, which vastly expanded my knowledge of international economics and politics. I look forward to continuing to use these skills in some capacity as my career progresses. Please visit my Reports page or my Blog for the latest economic updates and my thoughts on the economy.
I have also developed a passion for microfinance, which is giving small loans to poor people so they can start a business, improve their income and work their way out of poverty. I love it because it is capitalism the way it was meant to be. It is not a handout, but a hand up! It is really amazing how far $100 can go in the developing world. In the United States, $100 might get you an expensive dinner, a nice shirt or a night on the town. But in the developing world, $100 can be enough to start a small business, feed a family for a year, build a small house or send a child to school. Leveraging the power of the dollar to help the poor in developing countries is a fantastic way to lend a hand to the less fortunate. If you would like to learn more, visit the Microfinance page. I think my interest in microfinance is what has driven me to learn more about Africa. I have read a few books and watched many documentaries about the continent. Now I'm almost obsessed with Africa! I would certainly love to travel there sometime to experience the music, food and wildlife as well as maybe meet some microfinance clients.
In addition to an intense interest in economics and microfinance, I am also a passionate musician. Over the years, I have been in over 20 bands as a saxophonist and songwriter in genres ranging from funk to jazz to blues to R&B. I was fortunate enough to record two CDs, one of my own music (Breakin' the Ice) and one with the band Rare Medium (That Means You). A few tunes from each CD eventually made it to radio! I was also lucky enough to appear twice on the KARE11 Morning Show, with two different bands. While with Rare Medium, I had the thrill of opening for national recording artist Average White Band and playing in the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. I also had the honor and pleasure of playing blues with Big Walter Smith and the Groove Merchants for two years. I had a lot of fun with this band and met a lot of great people. Unfortunately, Big Walt left us in July 2012 and will certainly be missed by all those who had the privilege to know and play with him. You can order any of these CDs if you'd like by visiting my Music page! In addition to playing and listening to music, I enjoy biking, reading, watching sports, going to church, grilling in the summer, shooting pool, movies, watching informative documentaries, playing poker, dancing, going to the zoo and spending time with family and friends. I also love to learn about and discuss economics, finance, politics, religion, history, science, nature and sports.
I have come to realize a connection: I love jazz and blues, and parts or all of these forms of music started in Africa and came to America, where they were sung in the cotton and tobacco fields by slaves. My interest in helping to reduce poverty also centers on Africa, home to some of the poorest people in the world. Thus, Africa appears to be the common denominator for many of my interests. If I can somehow find a way to mesh my love of music and economics to help the poor, I think I would really be onto something! I once saw a picture of Bono (world-renowned rock star who is very active in African poverty issues) and Jeffrey Sachs (world-renowned economist who has written extensively about poverty) standing next to each other (see below). I envisioned myself standing right between them. My, what a conversation we could have!