Nouriel Roubini is one of the world’s most respected economists. He is widely acknowledged for predicting the credit crunch and a “once-in-a-lifetime housing bust” in autumn 2006, despite being dismissed as “Dr Doom” at the time.

He received his doctorate at Harvard, and taught at Yale before working at the International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve, World Bank and Bank of Israel. He is currently a professor of economics at the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Roubini, 50, was born in Istanbul to Iranian Jewish parents who moved to Tehran when he was two. He attended college in Israel and Italy before moving to the US to study at Harvard. He is now chairman of Roubini Global Economics, a consultancy that recently opened offices in London. He has never married and lives alone in Manhattan.

How much money do you have in your wallet?

About $200. I use cards for things that are a little more expensive.

What credit cards do you use?

I have an American Express, a Mastercard and a Visa. When travelling abroad I use the American Express more. You get Air Miles and a bunch of other services like discounts and preferential treatment when reserving flights. I pay off my bills in full each month.

Are you a saver or a spender?

I regularly save about 30% of my income. Apart from my mortgage, I don’t have any other debts. The credit crunch hasn’t affected me much. I moved most of my portfolio into cash at the end of 2006 so avoided some of the worst effects. I also have a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. Long-term mortgages are quite common in the US. I took it out seven years ago when I bought the apartment in which I live now. It’s at 5.75%, so higher than you could get now, but I like the stability. I’m also worried that in the medium term, the Federal Reserve will have to raise interest rates to combat higher inflation.

How much did you earn last year?

It’s not a million dollars but you can say six figures. Most of my income is from my work as a professor. I also do a few speaking engagements. My fees are quite flexible. It may be free for a student seminar but I can charge a few thousand for a corporate event.

Have you ever been really hard up?