Going Public: My Adventures Inside the SEC and How to Prevent the Next Devastating Crisis

An insider’s look at the SEC and the changes needed to strengthen America’s financial system

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the U.S. stock market went through seismic ruptures that destroyed businesses and damaged millions of lives. Daily revelations about an overly leveraged investment sector and endless scandal only underlined the vulnerability of the U.S. financial system. Facing its own ineptitude, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had to shape up, but how would that be possible in a dysfunctional agency riddled with bureaucratic bungling, soul-killing work rules, and civil service privileges that defied common sense?

In Going Public, Norm Champ details his time spent as the Director of the Division of Investment Management at the SEC. He offers a rare examination inside a major federal agency during a crisis, and his insights and accounts illuminate conditions in our economy today. His narrative is supported by:

• Explanations on the inner workings of hedge funds, economic policy and politics, investing, and inefficient federal agencies

• Recommendations for policy changes to create healthy, corruption-free markets and help prepare Americans for future crises

• First-hand account of how players such as Ben Bernanke and Elizabeth Warren battled to shape Wall Street and financial reform

• Exploration of a string of narrowly averted financial disasters that were hidden from the world—including one that has never been made public

Though there are signals that we are recreating prime conditions for another crisis, Champ shows how policymakers can avoid triggering these events, strengthen America’s financial system, and through commonsense regulation and increased financial literacy, make the U.S. the world’s most vibrant market.