In the U.S. alone, debt currently stands at three and a half times GDP. Globally, the situation is even worse. Debt levels around the world are at historical highs. Reasons include years of low interest rates, the persistent popularity of “junk” debt, and investors’ apparently insatiable appetite for risk. So what must companies do to mitigate the risk of being crushed by this global debt load? On this episode, we get answers from Jerry Flum, founder and chief executive officer of CreditRiskMonitor, a web-based publisher of financial information. He explains just what debt is, when it’s a good thing for the economy and when it’s not, and how it got out of control. He stresses that lenders should be as concerned about the debt crisis as borrowers. And he offers some rules for surviving the next economic meltdown, which is likely to involve a massive loss of wealth due to the widescale devaluation of securities. Hosted by Bob Bowman, Managing Editor of SupplyChainBrain.

Look for a new episode of the podcast, which can be downloaded or streamed, every Friday on the SupplyChainBrain website and iTunes.

Show notes:

A webinar on corporate debt hosted by Jerry Flum and Edward Altman, professor of finance, emeritus at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

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