Judd Kessler, Ph.D.
Howard Marks Endowed Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School
Corinne Low, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Lucky by Design: The Hidden Economics You Need to Get More of What You Want
BONUS BOOK GIVEAWAY! FAN is giving away copies of Lucky by Design to randomly selected Zoom attendees. Details on the webinar registration page.
“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” Seneca, the ancient Roman philosopher, once said. For many of us, luck feels like pure chance—the result of outcomes blindly doled out by the universe. A coworker scores coveted World Series tickets; a friend finds the love of their life on Tinder; a neighbor’s child gets into the best preschool in town. But what if Seneca was right—and luck is more than chance? What if there are hidden markets all around us—ones we navigate every day in work, education, and life—that dictate who gets what? And what if it’s possible to learn how to sway the odds in our favor?
According to Wharton economist and market designer Judd Kessler, Ph.D., we do have the power to make our own luck. In Lucky by Design: The Hidden Economics You Need to Get More of What You Want, Kessler pulls back the curtain on the hidden markets we routinely encounter, explaining the rules by which they operate and how to make choices that lead to better outcomes. In familiar markets—such as the stock market or your local farmer’s market—what we get depends on how much we’re willing to pay. Hidden markets don’t rely on prices; instead, they follow a different set of rules, and you can’t simply buy your way into a better position.
Kessler shows that the world doesn’t have to work this way. By revealing how hidden markets function and where we go wrong, he offers practical insight into making smarter choices when money, merit, and timing aren’t what determine the outcome.
Kessler is the inaugural Howard Marks Endowed Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. His research and writing have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Scientific American, Harvard Business Review, Politico, NPR, Hidden Brain, Freakonomics, and more.
Kessler will be in conversation with Corinne Low, Ph.D. (FAN ’25), associate professor of business economics and public policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Low is the author of the 2025 book Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours.
This event suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded and available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.
Event Sponsors
- The Avery Coonley School
- Bennett Day School
- Baker Demonstration School
- Beacon Academy
- Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School
- British International School of Chicago
- Catherine Cook School
- Compass Health Center
- Countryside Day School
- Evanston Scholars
- Evanston Township High School D202
- Family Service Center
- The Frances Xavier Warde School
- Francis W. Parker School
- Glenview Public Library
- Gorton Center
- Hyde Park Day School
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- Kenilworth D38
- Lake Bluff D65
- Latin School of Chicago
- Leo Catholic High School
- Libertyville D70
- Lycée Français de Chicago
- North Shore Country Day
- Northwestern University Office of Neighborhood and Community Relations
- Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy
- Pope John XXIII School
- Psychgeist Media
- Regina Dominican College Preparatory High School
- Resurrection College Prep High School
- Rogers Park Montessori School
- Roycemore School
- Santa Clara University School of Law
- Science & Arts Academy
- The Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School
- Stevenson High School D125
- Township High School D113
- Township High School D214
- TrueNorth Educational Cooperative #804
- Wilmette Public Library
- Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart
- Youth & Opportunity United (Y.O.U.)
Upcoming Events
Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose (Event 1 of 2)
Jennifer Breheny Wallace
Award-winning journalist and bestselling author
Robert Waldinger, MD
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, co-director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, and co-founder of the Lifespan Research Foundation
ON ZOOM
Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose (Event 2 of 2)
Jennifer Breheny Wallace
Award-winning journalist and bestselling author
Kelly Corrigan
NYT bestselling author and host of PBS' Tell Me More and the podcast Kelly Corrigan Wonders
ON ZOOM
Lucky by Design: The Hidden Economics You Need to Get More of What You Want
Judd Kessler, Ph.D.
Howard Marks Endowed Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School
Corinne Low, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
ON ZOOM