So, What Do You Do For A Living?

For this week's mailbag I received an interesting question from a fellow member:

"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?"

As my wife would be the first to testify, I've long struggled answering the same exact question. Truthfully, my answer varies depending on the person who asks. For example, if I'm on vacation and I'd rather not be asked for stock tips by strangers and/or spend my vacation time talking about the market (my usual preference), I'll often say I'm retired. In previous years, I'd get some odd looks due to my age (I'm only 37), but strangely I'm finding that when I say that to people now they don't give me the same weird looks as before. :)

In other contexts where I feel somewhat obligated to actually tell people who don't know me what I do for a living, I usually just say that "I trade stocks for a living." The typical response I receive is about the same as when I tell people I'm retired (i.e. I get some strange looks and odd questions in response). For example, a couple of weeks ago my friend and I were playing golf with two guys we hadn't met before and when I told them that I trade for a living they responded by asking me me the typical question - "You can make a living doing that?" I usually smile and say, "At least so far, but you never know."

So, the question of the day for those of who you trade for a living, what do you tell others in a social & professional context what you do for a living?

Take This Survey

I'd like to collect your responses and share them in a future post to help all of us who struggle with responding to this question. For the five most creative suggestions I receive, I'll even send out a small gift in appreciation to those who send them in. So, put on your thinking cap and come up with some creative responses to this question that those of us who trade for a living must frequently answer. I can't wait to see what you come up with!