The sweet taste of a first pay check is one of my fondest memories. To have 200 dollars sitting in a bank account was an absolute dream come true for any 15-year-old. I was no different in that regard.
Frying up chips and making burgers at my local tavern wasn’t what I thought I’d be doing at the ripe old age of 15 but it was the only way I could think of when trying to raise some capital. After endless hours of pleading to my parents I managed to scrounge up another 50 dollars. 250 dollars was not a bad way to start my investment journey, the only problem now was finding something to invest in.
School was no help in my quest for a gargantuan return that the likes of Microsoft, Apple or Amazon provided for a young retail trader such as I. Yet, through my innate ability to bludge off schoolwork in favour of studying market trends and debt numbers in what I thought were undervalued companies (I chose to learn through books instead of teachers), I landed on a small cap mining company specialising in rare earth exploration called Raidon Ltd. The graph shown on the stock exchange was one that resembled that of Mount Everest, and being my naïve self at the time I thought there was no way that would change. People say that you learn the most when you lose. I would have to learn the hard way.
Before I could start investing, I had to navigate one very nagging problem. I wasn’t old enough to register for my own share trading account. Through the lack of my parents understanding, they wouldn’t let me open one in their name. They likened the stock market to the lotto that flashes at the bottom of the screen during evening television shows. “Someone gets lucky enough to make a fortune but it’s never you.” That loser mentality wasn’t something that sits well with me so I went to plan B. My Sister was a freshly 18 teenager who cared for nothing else than celebrity gossip and clothes. Convincing her to open a share account was an easy enough task I thought.
Through an intense battle of me pleading my case and her replying with the ever annoying “N…O” we landed on somewhat of a compromise. I got what I wanted, a share account that I controlled. The cost however was large. She received 50 of my newly earnt dollars for the simple use of her name and details. Just like that, 20 percent of my capital disappeared.
If I thought that was where my losing would end, I was wrong. From the moment that I purchased Raidon stock, my money started disappearing faster than free snags at a voting centre. Newton said that “what comes up must come down”, and boy was he right. In my calculations, I forgot that there were two sides of a mountain. One that went up and one that went down. I so happened to buy stock when the flag got planted at the summit.
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As the red numbers flashed in front of me showing my negative returns I only had one thought. I get paid the next week and I can just do this all over again. I was now the junkie in the ally, and the stock market was now my crack.
***
I thought my heart would beat out of my chest when I sat down opposite my boss Winston. He was never known in the firm as a person of great patience nor humility, yet I respected his authority. After all, he was the one deciding my fate each year.
“As you know Michael, the firm has begun to focus more on the equity market and not on your junk bond department”, he began.
“This means that most of your department will not be here for much longer.” Every word out of his mouth was like a shard of glass piercing my heart. All my hard work would be for nought if I was to be fired. My Wall St dream would be over before it really ever began.
“Lucky for you, you won’t be one of those that will be departing the firm. Lisa speaks highly of your potential, so we’ve decided to keep you.” The sudden feeling of relief washed over me. Lisa was someone that took me under her wing right from the get-go. She was a manager in the firm’s junk bond department, and we bonded over our obsession for books rather than sports. At this moment I could’ve raced down to her desk and gave her a nice big smooch. Not only would I have a job for the time being, but I might even have a decent bonus to welcome me. But as I would find out a second later, I spoke too soon.
“Lisa is heading a new external department. We have decided to open an equity department in Bangladesh, and you will be part of the contingent we are sending down their to establish it.” This was a fate almost worse than a firing. An equity department in a third world country like that is basically the equivalent of investment banking hell.
I could give no other reaction than a nod. I would be lying if I said the thought of quitting didn’t flash around in my head, but I thought better of it. Maybe a fresh start in Bangladesh wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to me.
“We will be compensating you much better than we are currently for the move” Winston continued. “I hope 350 grand a year is enough for you. If it’s not, you can quit…I don’t really give a shit. It’s Lisa that wants you not me.” I quietly agreed and stood up to leave. After all, 350 was already a much larger pay package than my coworkers were on, and more than I could dream of as a junior analyst. I thought to myself that I should take in the hustle and bustle of Wall St one last time before I replace it with the incessant smog, dirty smell and constant horn blaring that my new location would provide.
“What a way to end the year”, I whispered to no one in particular as I walked out of the Boss’s office.