So, What Do You Do For A Living?

Earlier this week a member asked me the following question:

"I have recently begun trading full time. On a recent stint in a part-time, temporary job I was asked who I was currently working for. This question came up very frequently both in the social world and the professional world. Although being a trader is a fantastic way to make a living, it does not translate so well into terms that most people would understand. I loathe to label myself “a day trader,” and yet that is the closest description of what I do that most people understand. I have also tried “self-employed” but that seems too close to “unemployed” for comfort. How do you describe what you do in a simple sentence?"

So, after sharing how I typically respond to this question, I then asked readers to submit their own suggestions. Over 500 were received (many of them both helpful and humorous).

Those of us who trade for a living often struggle with answering this question either because people assume you are just a day trading gambler and/or you don't want to be in the position of providing hot stock tips or talk about the market during your off hours. In fact, many of the suggestions I received had nothing to do with the market (i.e. tell them you are a garbage collector, plumber, house husband, drug dealer, you work for the IRS, life insurance salesman, etc.) But, the best responses I received were both truthful and interesting enough that you could avoid the inevitable "so you're a daytrader, right?" response after telling people you trade and invest in the market for your profession.

Here are quite a few of my personal favorites:

• "I buy things, and then I sell them."

• "I manage investments for a private organization."

• "I am self-employed in the field of risk management."

• "I am a silent partner in different publicly traded companies."

• "We have a family business that I'm involved with."

• "I am a market economist."

• "I am in investment manager."

• "I do market research."

• "I'm a supply/demand engineer."

• "I work for my own consulting company."

• "I am a money manager."

• "I am a portfolio manger for private investors."

• "I'm in the finance business - you know, stocks and bonds and things like that."

• "I am in investment business."

• "I buy and sell companies that are undervalued."

• "I am a probabilities analyst."

• "I work in independent capital management."

• "I manage private capital."

• "I am an independent investment analyst."

• "I am an investment manager for a private fund."

• "I work in the investment business."

• "I own my own business."

• "I'm an inventory manager."

• "I do stock market research."

• "I'm a self-employed economic analyst."

• "I run a small private financial company."

• "I manage capital."

• "I study the stock market."

• "I do computer work."

• "I own my own risk management business."

• "I am presently between careers."

• "I run a private hedge fund that is closed to individual investors."

• "I manage my real estate and brokerage accounts."

• "I am a professional investor."

• "I am an independent asset manager."

• "I work in asset management."

• "I buy and sell companies."

• "I'm a capital markets actuary."

• "I'm an equities manager."

• "I'm a retired investor living on a pension."

• "I'm a freelance investor."

• "I develop stock market trading systems."

• "I am an investor."

• "I'm a personal portfolio manager."

• "I am a personal financial specialist."

• "I surf the waves of hope and denial."

• "I'm a retirement enhancement engineer."

• "I collect money for a living."

• "I run my own investment company."

• "I'm a money making machine."

For everyone who participated (and provided email addresses with their response) I'll do a random prize drawing later today and pick out 10 for free gifts that I'll send out next week. A sincere thank you to all who submitted their recommendations.