The Long answer: I graduated in 1998 from the University of Akron with a degree in Civil Engineering. Married my wife, also a civil engineer, a week before finals. Started work as a geotechnical engineer the week after finals. That summer I started my own roofing company - I had worked for a contractor since I was 15 years old. I did the work on the weekends and worked as an engineer during the week. I did not spend a single dime of the money I made from the roofing company. The only money I spent was for items needed for the company. I decided to invest all the rest. In late 1999 I started a datek account and put all the money into a mutual fund - Janus global technology. I made over 30% from December to March 2000. In March 2000, a co-worker of mine made over $700,000 when a biotech stock (NERX) shot up to $70 / share. I thought; heck with this piddley mutual fund stuff I’m getting into NERX. NERX came back down to the $20 range and I began to trade it. Biotechs usually release PR's at medical conferences when they present data. I would anticipate this, margin out my account - yes, everything in one stock - and sell after the news was released - regardless of the content of the news. The last time I did it, I bought it on margin, rode it up ten points. The PR came out and I saw that the news did not contain any new information, so I sold it, and then shorted it on... margin. I rode it all the way back down. Then I covered my short position and tried to re-enter at what I thought was the bottom. It wasn't, and I lost over $4,000 in 5 minutes. I sold what I had bought. I had made so much money that the $4,000 didn't even bother me. In July 2000, I pulled all the money I had out (except what was in my Roth IRA) and bought my house. It was perfect timing, because the markets crashed - I was extremely lucky. I played a little with some penny stocks until 2002 when my first daughter was born. My second daughter was born in 2004. I did not trade from 2002 until June of 2006. In early 2006, I learned that I was eligible to get in on the vonage IPO. I requested 100 shares at $17 / share. There was such a demand, that I was allotted zero shares. At the time, I was fuming, but I soon got over it when Vonage opened and quickly tanked. I had the fever again and started to play with the money I had been putting in my Roth IRA. I began a search to find start-up companies that had potential to make it big. So here I am. My absence from trading: In 2002, before my first daughter was born, my wife and I decided that we did not want to go the daycare route with our children. I quit my job as an engineer and sold off the roofing company to stay at home. I wanted to work part time at night or on weekends to help with expenses. I entered the police academy and was hired on as a part time police officer in 2003. These days I usually work one day a week for the department, but work 24/7 for my family. I am a full-time dad and part-time police officer. That is how I identify myself, by my children. They are all that I am - hence the symbolism of my signature picture.
My wife gave birth to our third daughter on Dec. 23, 2006 at 28 weeks. She was only about 2.5 pounds and spent about a month in the hospital. She came home the day before the superbowl and is now 6.5 pounds and doing great.
:-) you got to love them. No, not the Iras, the kids! Thanks for posting I love Roth Iras, and for the music -great tune. I think I may have sent you some posts over at FGFC in the past.
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