2008 was one of the most tumultuous years ever for the U.S. economy, but Condé Nast Portfolio readers had fair warning of the disasters before they unfolded.

From the looming threat of credit derivatives—which Warren Buffett famously characterized as "financial weapons of mass destruction"—to the many false dawns promised by bankers to the oil-price spike and crash, the year hammered investors like few others.

The following are a list of Condé Nast Portfolio articles and columns over the last year that presciently warned of these disasters. Reading them now can answer the question that President Bush not long ago plaintively posed on behalf of almost everyone else:

"How did we get here?"

The $300 Trillion Time Bomb

Why credit derivatives will doom the U.S. economy.

A Legend's Bloated Legacy

Citigroup is staggering under its own excessive weight. It's too big to succeed.

Crash Test Economy

Parallel economic conditions in 2007 and 1987 indicate a stock market crash ahead.

Wall Street Requiem

Banks are overleveraged with dangerous amounts of debt; take note—many will fail.

Wall Street's Next Crisis

After the subprime shakeout, another real estate mess looms: commercial property.

The Banker's Bailout

Despite denials, Washington is covertly planning a massive financial rescue for banks.

The Economy of Fear

Why this recession is going to hit harder and last longer than leaders are predicting.

Bank Job

Banks are convincing investors that the worst is over; they couldn't be more wrong.

Angelo's Many "Friends"

The scandal at Countrywide wasn't limited to just subprime loans.

Black Hole

Why the price of oil will drop dramatically.

The $58 Trillion in the Room

The bankers who invented credit derivatives speak.

The End

The author of Liar's Poker returns to Wall Street to chronicle its collapse.

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