Insights from Washington DC
Program
12:00pm
RESERVATIONS
by Friday, September 10th
You will be sent a return email confirmation.
Once the handout for this program has been made available to us, you will be able to access it here.
About the program
Join Michael Townsend, Managing Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for Charles Schwab & Co., for a timely and entertaining discussion of how policy and political developments in the nation’s capital are affecting markets and individual investors. Mike helps investors cut through the noise of Washington and figure out what matters most to the markets. You can expect to hear about:
- The latest legislation that could affect the economy, taxes, retirement savings; regulatory proposals; and more
- Geopolitical developments and what policymakers may do next
- How the political configuration of Washington has affected markets over time
About Michael T. Townsend
Managing Director of the Office of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, Michael T. Townsend is Charles Schwab’s Washington-based political analyst. He speaks regularly at events around the country on how policy and politics affect investors and is the host of Schwab’s newest podcast, “WashingtonWise Investor,” which debuted in September 2019 and is available on your favorite podcast app or at www.schwab.com/washingtonwise.
Townsend brings more than 28 years of Washington experience as he analyzes legislative and regulatory proposals to determine how they would affect individual investors, retirement plan participants and investment advisers. As an advocate for individual investors, he then develops and executes strategies to communicate their interests to lawmakers, the media, employees and clients. Townsend is a featured speaker at dozens of employee, client, adviser and industry events each year,
where he discusses the impact of the political and policy environment in Washington on investors and the capital markets. He also contributes political analysis articles to a variety of company publications, including regular updates to the “Washington Watch” section of Insights & Ideas on Schwab’s public website at www.schwab.com/insights. Mike also shares his thoughts on Twitter: @MikeTownsendCS
He joined Schwab in April 2000 after nearly three years at Powell Tate, Inc., a Washington, D.C., public affairs firm, where he headed the Financial Services Legislative and Regulatory Issues group. He previously served as press secretary and legislative assistant to Senator Susan M. Collins (R-Maine), and was Collins’ spokesperson during her successful 1996 campaign for the Senate. From 1993-1996,
Townsend was an aide to Senator William S. Cohen (R-Maine), serving as assistant press secretary and later as press secretary to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which Cohen chaired. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and a Master of Arts degree in English from George Mason University. He lives in Falls Church, Virginia, with his wife and three children.
