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Secrets of the investment world I wish I learned sooner
Not an investment post, per say, but these are lessons I've learned from working in the investment world for investment companies.
1/ Unlimited paid time off is a scam.
Your company just doesn't want to carry your vacation on their balance sheet,
and they know you won't abuse it due to social pressures.
2/ Pick either black or brown shoes and a matching belt for your business trip.
You don't need to pack both.
3/ Watch how your future managers talk to wait staff at restaurants.
It's the ceiling for how they'll treat you someday.
4/ Learn the excel shortcuts and use them live in a meeting with someone over 50.
They'll think you know sorcery.
5/ If you need to come into work with a black eye, don't blame it on an elbow in pickup basketball.
That excuse has been overplayed.
6/ If you run out of things to talk to your boss about at dinner
Ask them what's the best concert they've ever been to...
There's a Grateful Dead or Britney Spears fan in there somewhere.
7/ Most companies that pay for carbon offsets
Also pay for private jets.
8/ Flying on a private jet is not what you'd think.
It's 10x cooler.
9/ There are earned secrets you get from doing projects that suck...
You just don't know it in the moment.
10/ When you unpack your stuff in the hotel room, turn the shower on really hot and hang your shirts up with the door closed to get all the wrinkles out.
11/ A CEO's #1 job is sales.
A hedgefund manager's #1 job is sales.
A Big 4 Accounting partner's #1 job is sales.
12/ In ten years you'll never remember the project you were stressed about before your brother or sister's wedding...
But you will remember the wedding.
13/ If you're traveling with execs, never check a bag,
It will be the longest, most embarrassing 28 minutes at baggage claim of your life.
14/ Most decisions should be made with 70% of the data you wish you had.
If you wait for 90%, the opportunity will have passed.
15/ Sometimes you have to let the silence do the talking in a negotiation.
16/ You can use all the stats you want to make a decision,
But remember -
Billy Beane never won a World Series.
17/ Accepting a counter offer from the company you are leaving is like getting back together with an ex-girlfriend...
It will never work out long term.
18/ Don't drive a nicer car than your boss.
Unless your boss drives 2004 Toyota Corolla.
Then that's his problem.
19/ It's easier to get what you want if you give people a menu (of things you want) for them to choose from.
Shift their thinking from
"What is wrong with one option" to
"Which option is better for me"
20/ They already said yes, dude.
Know when to shut up and stop selling.
21/ Double down on good luck, and don't let bad luck sit with you.
22/ Avoiding stupidity is easier than seeking brilliance.
23/ Sometimes the opportunity leads to something better than the opportunity itself.
Say yes.
24/ There are seasons in life where you should say yes to almost everything.
There are seasons in life when you should say no to almost everything..
Know which season you're in.
25/ There's no such thing as plagiarism when it comes to PowerPoint slides.
In fact, you SHOULD copy the good ones.
26/ Contrary to popular belief,
There's no grown-up in charge at the top of the financial system.
There's no wizard of oz behind the curtain.
27/ Making an asymmetric bet is supposed to feel scary -
like working for a startup
or investing in a bear market
Otherwise there wouldn't be the potential for outsized rewards.
28/ Creating distractions can be another form of quitting.
Don't fool yourself with distractions when there's a project you need to finish.
29/ Life hack: You can schedule the email to your boss for 11:15PM
Even if you stopped working on the presentation for tomorrow at 7:15PM.
This eliminates the opportunity for more corrections tonight.
30/ Don't worry so much
Everyone's literally making it up as they go.
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