RSQuote from Error 404:
Virtually all these guys have worked very hard as retail brokers. Knowing how the game is played is essential to playing it. It is impossible for anyone to do what a Steve Cohen does without knowing the business inside out and from every angle.
Quote from mdl060374:
Do you mean to tell me that they started off cold calling and pitching stocks to joe public? You can probably learn the ins and outs without doing this..
I am not saying you are wron, jus that it is totally the opposite of what I thought...
Quote from mdl060374:
Do you mean to tell me that they started off cold calling and pitching stocks to joe public? You can probably learn the ins and outs without doing this..
I am not saying you are wron, jus that it is totally the opposite of what I thought...

RSQuote from mdl060374:
Do you mean to tell me that they started off cold calling and pitching stocks to joe public? You can probably learn the ins and outs without doing this..
I am not saying you are wron, jus that it is totally the opposite of what I thought...

Quote from Error 404:
Yes, that is essentially what I am saying. Some brokers have an edge. A rich kid from Great Neck may have started with a good book and not had to do much cold calling. I know one guy from Great Neck who had only his father's account to start. The day he passed his series 7, he was given the largest office in the local branch of one of the biggest wire house firms (Hutton). His father's company was (and still is) listed on the NYSE.
This particular guy was not a broker for very long. He had enough money to go to Hollywood and become a motion picture producer. But he is not unique. Not all retail brokers have to start by pounding the phones and cold calling 12 hours a day.
But yeah.....basically these guys DO come from a retail background. It is how you learn the rules. Like I said in the last post....it is very hard to play any game without knowing the rules. From baseball to trading.
Can any of us Americans expect to step onto a Cricket field (or whatever it's called) and play the game successfully? Could a kid from Budapest play baseball? Knowing the rules of the games is even more important than having 19 inch biceps
On a personal note....I was a retail broker at one of the big firms many years ago. After two years I moved over to another one of the big firms. I had to go through a two or three day "new affiliates training" thing in NYC. A presentation was done for all of us by the head of each department. When we were given the presentation by the syndicate (new issue) guy, he mentioned my best customer by name. Whether or not he knew there was someone in the room from the city I worked in (where my customer happened to live, but only did a small % of his business), I don't know. I just kept my mouth shut. They "officially" did not want my customer's business. And I "officially" did not have an account with him. We played within the rules. If we did not KNOW the rules, we could not have done business together. Knowing the rules, and playing by them enabled us to do a LOT of business together. With no problems, and without breaking any rules at all.
Peace,
RS