This is Howard.
I am an Economics, Politics & Philosophy graduate living, working and learning in Toronto.
University of Toronto alum.
Currently at Brookfield Asset Management (Private Equity) working capital markets and treasury.
A frequent adventurer, A finance enthusiast, Always a student.
This is where you will find the many parts that sum up me.
My research, my economic models, my financial poetry, my philosophies, my political analysis, my epiphanies, and sometimes my adventures.
These are my passions. And who are we, but our passions?
Education
University of Toronto
Economics Major, Focus on Corporate Finance.
Politics Minor, Focus on Banking Regulation and Europe.
Philosophy Minor, Applied Focus on Business Ethics and Markets.
Brookfield Asset Management
Financial Analyst, Treasury Sep 2025 – Present
Government of Ontario, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Account Manager July 2025 – Sep 2025
Finance and Policy Analyst Intern May 2025 – July 2025
Current Pursuits
I’m always working on something.
Currently modeling correlation between financial literacy rates and economic productivity in OECD countries; researching Anglo-American vs. Continental Europe models of corporate governance and financing by comparing efficiencies and political institutions; furthering research and modeling on Eurozone Crisis effects on monetary policy, banking regulation, fiscal balance sheets, political support for EU, Brexit, and Greece; analyzing philosophical theories on the morality of taxation and welfare; preparing for the CFA Level I exam, and more.
Also planning my next adventure to Patagonia in the very near future, mastering French classics in the kitchen, and sharpening my German.
Interests
•International macroeconomics •Portfolio mathematics •CAPM •Savings and investment modeling •FOREX modeling •Bond valuation •Options pricing •Political economy •Eurozone Crisis •Geopolitical risk •Electoral systems •Brexit •Market morality •John Rawls •Principal-agent relations •Pricing systems (philosophy) •Determinism and free will •Human nature •Philosophy of emotions, and more.
My Work
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![Illustration of a multi-level organization chart with yellow, red, and blue icons representing people.]()
The Cooperative: A Theory of Ownership
MARKET PHILOSOPHY
What is a firm? Who makes up a firm? Where does the firm end? Should a firm hire or contract? To consider these questions, I look towards Henry B. Hansmann’s theory of the firm encapsulating capital structures, corporate governance, principal-agent problems, and information asymmetry. On the way, we answer the age old question: why are firms overwhelmingly owned by their investors?
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The Euro Disaster: An Economic Union in Disunion
EUROPEAN POLITICAL ECONOMY
As economic crisis and political chaos once again descended upon the Continent in 2009, Europeans, like each time before, rose to the occasion and pointed fingers amongst each other and across the pond. I point out that the crisis was a result of institutional failures within the EU–a bureaucratic failure within the world’s biggest bureaucracy.
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![View of the Statue of Liberty emerging through fog, with the statue holding a torch in her right hand and a book in her left hand, set against a cloudy sky.]()
Retreat from Globalism: A Domestic Diagnosis
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
Trump may have sparked America’s retreat from globalism, but make no mistake: this was no means a sudden shift. Drawing on historical parallels, I argue that internal forces within America, such as economic inequality and working class discontent, that uniquely shape its foreign economic policy all but ensured its modern day retreat from the global order it built.
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![Neon sign for the Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris at night, with red and pink lights, advertising 'Féerie' show, and Paris city lights in the background.]()
Legal Prostitution: An Economic Analysis
ECONOMICS & LAW
Should prostitution be legal? Can we put a price on morality? Who stands to lose or gain from legalising sex work? And how much? To answer these questions, I draw on economic conceptions of efficiency to make a case for legal frameworks that neither encourage nor discourage sex work, but uphold efficient and sufficient institutions to encourage negotiation and societal welfare.
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![Is America a democracy?]()
Elections and Fair Fights in America: An Institutional Account
ELECTIONS & CONSTITUTION
When Trump secured the White House despite losing the popular vote, Democrats cried foul. If America is a democracy, how could its President rise to it highest office in such an undemocratic fashion? Drawing on the Constitution’s provisions and institutions, and the Founding Father’s competing tension between democratic and republican values, I seek to provide an institutional account of why the Republican Party of today enjoys an electoral advantage over the Democratic Party.
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![A collage of three prominent political figures, with a background featuring the colors of the Russian flag.]()
Ostpolitik: Europe in Hindsight, Europe of Foresight
GEOPOLITICS
Read article ⎋
Gambles, choices, risks, and dilemmas. The Europe of today is certainly facing no easy reality as it confronts an unstable Russia to the East. In this commentary, I provide a short history and analysis of how Europe’s choices of the past has come back to haunt the Europe of today’s already fragile peace. For the first time since the Great Wars, the stakes have never been higher, and the costs are only growing by the day.
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![A black and white illustration of a hand holding a small umbrella, with three larger umbrellas above it, set against an orange background.]()
Taxation and Redistribution: A Moral Critique of Welfarism
TAXATION & MORALITY
In the words of Ben Franklin, two things in life are inevitable: death and taxes. While most may be habituated to the taxation of wealth in the pursuit of redistributing equal opportunities, perhaps society should more closely scrutinise the Taxman. In this philosophical critique of welfarism, I challenge the assumption that equality necessary equates to justice by reimagining conceptions of property rights.
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![A repeated pattern of a woman in a classroom, wearing glasses and an orange sweater, working at a desk with a laptop, with colorful chairs around.]()
Sweatshop Labor: A Moral Critique of Economic Reasoning
ETHICS & LABOR
Opponents of sweatshop labor believe they are championing justice, but their activism often strips the most vulnerable workers of their best available opportunities. If banning sweatshops leads to greater poverty and suffering, can we still call it moral? This analysis builds on ethical and economic reasoning to argue that until critics present a viable alternative that improves worker welfare without destroying jobs, the economic case for sweatshops remains the moral case.
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![Canadian and American flags hanging on a clothesline against a blue sky.]()
Canadian Economy ‘Held Hostage’ by Oil, U.S.
NEWS ARTICLE
Canada’s economy is on the brink as President-elect Trump threatens crushing tariffs, exposing the nation’s dangerous reliance on U.S. oil exports. With Prime Minister Trudeau’s shocking resignation and political leaders scrambling for a response, tensions are boiling over. Some see a chance for bold economic reform—but will Canada seize the moment or sink deeper into crisis?
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![A scatter plot with blue data points forming a parabolic shape, overlaid with a smooth red curve, on a grid background.]()
Portfolio Optimization: Risk, Returns, and Constraints
FINANCIAL MODELING
This project analyzes various portfolio allocation strategies, focusing on optimizing risk and return through expected returns, standard deviations, and covariance matrices. By evaluating the optimal risky portfolio, global minimum variance portfolio, and the impact of short-selling constraints, it explores how different financial conditions influence investment decisions. The findings highlight key trade-offs in constructing efficient portfolios, emphasizing the role of diversification, interest rates, and regulatory constraints in shaping financial strategies.
