The Stigma of Daytrading Lives

Quote from Arthur Deco:

Now that I am retire-ded (be careful how you say that, boy!), I don't give a shit what anyone thinks of me. Else, why would I post in this din of inequity? Anyway, when people ask me what I do now, and I tell them "I'm retired," and they ask hoping to embarrass me "So what do you do useful in retirement?" I reply with great relish and mustard "I daytrade!" End of conversation. Downcast eyes. Torso turned slightly away. Awkward pause. I am thinking of adding "Yes, but I am thinking of importing underage Asian girls in sealed containers." Or "I go to the range every day to improve my self-defense shooting skills." Or "I just got my concealed handgun license!" The latter probably would be better than saying I daytrade. But both together would clearly mark me as a looney to scream and run from. "Ya wanna come to my house when my wife's at work and watch me daytrade naked with my guns strapped on?"
More...

You cant just say 'day trader' because 95% of day traders are losers.

If your success is not obvious from your lifestyle or possessions, (you just bought a shiny new expensive car, or went on a expensive holiday).

Therefore you have to say something like 'day trader and making a good living' (assuming you are profitable).

Then people will ask just how profitable you are. It is best to answer by comparing to your last full time job.

'Lets just say i make at least as much as i did when i was a xxxxx'.

However your lifestyle does need reflect your success to some degree otherwise no one will believe you are in the top 1% who make big money (unless you show them your account statements).

when people ask about what contribution you make to society as a day trader tell them how much taxes you pay. I got a 100K tax bill that needs to be paid later this year :(
 
Quote from southall:

You cant just say 'day trader' because 95% of day traders are losers...
More...
Should it really matter what other people think? Trading for your own account is one of the few occupations that allow you to prosper irrespective of the goodwill of others. That's not a small thing. It can also occasionally identify who your friends are.
 
Quote from stophunter:

recently when asked what I do, I have responded that I am a "speculator"
More...

you sound young. you are a gambler.

“When I was young, people called me a gambler. As the scale of my operations increased I became known as a speculator. Now I am called a banker. But I have been doing the same thing all the time.” .
 
You can call yourself an investment specialist, I tell people I work in market intelligence. When they ask me more info I tell them it is classified.
 
Just say you are a Quantitative Financial Engineer/Analyst. Unless you trade on luck alone or by strategies you purchased, you did technical work to be successful as a trader.
 
Quote from Traveler:

Tell them you manage your investments. You don't have to use the word daytrading.
More...

Likewise, my reply is that "I work on my investments."

The fact that most of my investments last for a few hours is no business of theirs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top