Submitted Photo Charles Payne, a renown financial expert, has ties to this area. He was an airman stationed at Minot Air Force and attended Minot State University.

MDN: You will be hosting a national town hall on Oct. 27 in regard to how the election can impact viewers’ personal finances. Why did you decide to hold a town hall on this topic one week before the Nov. 3 general election?

PAYNE: There are so many questions about the election and its impact and beyond general curiosities, these questions are attached to rising fear and anxiety. People are worried about their jobs, their incomes and the future of the nation. I have studied the impact of policies on the economy and the stock market and based on the agenda ideas proposed on the campaign, there is no doubt lives will be impacted.

Moreover, we have a brilliant panel that will also discuss culture, policies and investment opportunities including the stock market and super-hot real estate market.

MDN: Will this be a live town hall and if so where held or a virtual town hall?

PAYNE: I will be hosting the town hall from the heart of New York City that is the Fox News/Business headquarters. It airs live from 2-3 p.m. ET.

MDN: Apparently people including our readers can submit questions during the event. How can they go about doing that?

PAYNE: Fox Business prides itself on interacting with our audience and this town hall will be powered by questions from them and folks like your readers. Message Fox Business on Facebook or Instagram or email investedinyou @foxbusiness.com

MDN: What is your view of how this national election will impact North Dakota and/or the Minot area? (As you know, agriculture and energy are this state’s biggest industries.)

PAYNE: North Dakota will be greatly impacted.

Agriculture: just as phase one of the China trade deal is kicking in with record purchases of grains that have their prices soaring, that deal could be scuttled.

Energy: the fracking miracle is under attack and make no mistake while VP Biden has backtracked and claims he will not ban fracking there will be efforts to curb fracking especially new projects. In addition, the demonization of fossil fuels means fewer buyers of oil company stocks on Wall Street and less access to capital for critical projects.

USMCA: the new trade deal gives an extra boost to states that border Canadian and gives a greater slice of the action to American workers. I do not think this will be unraveled initially but there could be efforts down the road.

MDN: You were stationed at Minot AFB – your first assignment – while in the Air Force and also attended Minot State University? Do you have a special memory about Minot AFB and/or Minot you would like to share with our readers?

PAYNE: I loved going to Minot State because I really got to learn even more about the local folks and culture. Listening to the story of a young man getting his first rifle as a young teen and his dad getting sick at the same time – so he went out and filled his tags that season and his dad’s tag, too, were very uplifting. Everything I learned showed that while I lived a different life growing up in Harlem, the core family feature of love and hope and pride as underdogs made me feel a special kinship with local students.

Plus, they threw great parties.

By the way one other story to share. A buddy of mine was driving on the snowy highway and his car spun out of control. His car was stuck and he was desperate. He got out and walked and finally came up on a small house. He broke into the house which was empty.

When the owner came into the house the next day, he found my friend watching television and drinking a beer. Startled, my buddy began to brace for a dangerous encounter but instead the homeowner said he understood and grabbed a beer and they watched TV together.

MDN: How long were you stationed at Minot AFB and how long did you attend Minot State University?

PAYNE: I was at Minot a year and half and went to school the entire time.

MDN: How many years have you been with Fox and how long have you have had your own show?

PAYNE: I became a contributor to Fox News in 2004 and have been a part of Fox Business since its inception. I have hosted my own show, “Making Money with Charles Payne,” for six years.