Plenty of Dayton-area folks couldn’t tell you where tiny Alpha, Ohio is. It includes about six blocks of Beavercreek between 35 and Dayton-Xenia Road, and has a population of less than 200 people.

But a financial investing firm based there for 40 years has the top-performing Small-Cap Fund in the nation, and its fund family now manages just over $3 billion. Alpha’s James Investment Research firm is thriving in markets that haven’t seen such bad times since the Great Depression. And the team’s annual economic predictions have been spot on for years.

Why should you care? Because even if you have no interest in finance and think investing is only for evil corporate bankers (a surprisingly popular myth that I believe prevents us “commoners” from directing money to better purposes), the insights shared in Economic Outlook 2012 are worth knowing.*

The annual presentation and Q&A isn’t about what stocks to invest in and what bond markets to avoid. It’s an objective, insider perspective on the state of the world and our collective future, based on thousands of hours of proprietary research.

And it’s free.

The 45-minute Outlook covers the state of the economy and how it got here, as well as where it’s likely to go. JIR staff review the effects of government intervention, the European debt crisis, political & social turmoil at home, and Americans’ shifting attitudes toward debt, energy and employment. It’s global context for what we will literally see right here on Main Street in the months to come.

Fair warning: JIR’s conclusions and recommendations are firmly on the conservative side of the spectrum, and Mayan calendar interpretations aren’t included in this year’s report. But whether or not you have investments of your own, you’ll benefit from having an advance understanding of the major political and financial changes in the year to come.

*Disclosure: I am a friend of the James family, which is why a freelance writer & three-time Burning Man participant like me even knows about something like an Economic Outlook.

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To attend

Economic Outlook 2012, presented by James Investment Research

RSVP: By Jan. 3 at 937-426-7640.

When: Tuesday, Jan. 10. Doors open at 6:30 pm, presentation begins at 7 pm

Where: Schuster Performing Arts Center, 109 N. Main St., Dayton

Tips: Business attire recommended. Complimentary parking in the Arts Garage at 2nd and Ludlow. Bring tickets for validation.