Next week at Orcas Center nationally recognized financial analyst Ned Brines will present a unique, globally-informed perspective on the current economy.

“My presentation is geared toward anyone who has any type of interest, whether financial or intellectual, in how the economy of the financial markets work,” said Brines. “I’ll start with how we got into the crisis, [then discuss] what it looked like during the crisis, the actions we’ve been taking to get out of the crisis, and what are the likely outcomes.” He said the information is applicable for anyone who invests, is employed, operates a business or is considering doing so.

Brines, who has achieved Chartered Financial Analyst designation, blogs weekly about the intersection of global financial markets with economics and business environments, using data from public and proprietary sources developed over 25 years of financial management.

He covers a host of financial issues; a recent post touched on the effects of Qaddafi’s actions on Libyan oil exports, why the US Chamber of Commerce believes that state labor and employment laws are costing the country over 700,000 jobs, NFL collective bargaining agreements and more. His readers include research analysts, economists, Wall Street strategists, investment bankers and C-level executives.

“I’m a big-picture guy,” he said. “What I’m trying to do is make money for my clients.” Brines employs that data in his work as the chief investment officer of Montelena Asset Management, managing money for one of the wealthiest families in California.

Brines’ talk, the first in the spring Crossroads lecture series, is titled, “The Economy: How Are We Going to Get Out of this Mess?” He will address the questions: “How does the current US financial condition compare with historical crises?” and “What options exist to help us exit this combination of deficit and embedded debt?”

In the past Brines has worked as an investment banker, managed the Provident Small Cap fund, and prior to that, managed Aggressive Growth, Focused Growth and Private Client business at Roger Engemann and Associates. He earned his MBA at the University of Southern California, is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma national honor society and serves on various non-profit boards and organizations.

Crossroads organizers are eager to welcome Brines to Orcas.

“We have discovered in the last several years that we are not as isolated as we expected from the worldwide economy,” said Crossroads founder Steve Garrison. “We are suffering just as much as people are in major urban areas. Given that fact, it is important to discover how the FED might be able to get the economy back on track.”

Garrison said that much of the U.S. stimulus funds has been invested overseas, causing inflation in other countries.

“We have seen our prices for food and energy go through the roof, since everyone is competing for limited production,” he said. While the recovery strategy appears to be working, he said continuing to print and dole out cash through Q2, Q3 and Q4 could soon begin to cause high rates of inflation in the US; on the other hand, an abrupt halt to the practice “could dramatically affect the stock markets and people’s perceptions regarding the end of easy money.”

“What is [Federal Reserve Chairman Ben] Bernanke’s exit strategy?” he asked. “How are we going to end the easy money without falling back into recession?” Brines’ talk will include his thoughts on the issue.

The lecture is on Friday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 each or $30 for all four Crossroads lectures, purchased together. They are available at Darvill’s Bookstore, the Orcas Island Public Library, or at the door. For those who could not otherwise attend, a limited number of complimentary tickets are available in advance through the Orcas Island Public Library and Orcas Senior Center. For more information, visit www.orcascrossroads.org.