Journey to $600k in Finance & Investing
A female-focused glimpse into different paths to financial success.
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What's your age, location, pronouns?
Late 30s, Miami, FL, she/her
What do you do now?
I co-own a trading firm that trades cryptocurrencies, cryptocurrency derivatives, and crypto-linked securities. We run actively managed strategies on behalf of our own capital and third-party Qualified Purchasers.
We'd love you to walk us through your income journey. How did your earnings progress over time? What were the turning points that led to the most growth/loss? What were some times where you struggled the most?
I graduated from college in 2009 and lost my first job at a hedge fund two days before I was supposed to start working there. I started working for an asset management firm in NY as an analyst, allocating to hedge funds and other private market strategies. My total compensation for my first year of work was about $65k. I worked for two other private equity firms throughout my twenties with peak salary at about $250k. When I was 31, I left private equity to join a start-up in the cryptocurrency sector. My initial salary was $150k with profit sharing interest in the firm. That was then increased quickly to $350k with increased profit sharing (and occasional spot cash bonuses.) I also started investing more in spot cryptocurrencies (bitcoin and ether) at this time. I then went back to work for a bulge bracket bank on their crypto efforts. My target cash compensation was about $600k with some deferred stock. I then left to start a trading firm with a close friend and industry veteran.
At times when you took significant career risks, did you have a safety net?
Depends on how you define safety net. When I left private equity to work in the crypto sector, I had gotten married the year earlier and have a very supportive (and fully-employed) husband. That said, we didn't have a trust fund and have financially supported some of our family members.
Any recent purchases that made you excited or happy?
The Apple Vision Pro.
What’s one of the worst money mistakes you’ve ever made?
Not investing and buying property sooner. Maybe it's because I started my career during the financial crisis, but I've always been over-allocated to cash. Also not listening to my gut at times and assuming that other people are smarter than me.
What’s one of the best financial decisions you’ve ever made?
Because I worked in the cryptocurrency sector, I would use gains to buy property when interest rates were low. This has been a relatively good trade for me. Also I've never regretted buying large cap equity ETFs.
Would you attribute your financial success to luck, timing, and/or hard work?
Fortitude, luck, and having a supportive partner. Also being cognizant enough to understand that every life choice (who you marry, how many kids you have, how many pets you have, where and how you live) is a financial decision. That's not to say anyone's life goal should be achieving the highest return on her capital, but how you you live affects your financial opportunities and your finances affect how you live.
What advice would you give to your younger self? What have been your biggest learnings?
A little bit of stress is good, but don't let it get out of control. And more specifically, don't let anyone you work with take up too much headspace. They'll more likely than not be insignificant to your life within a few years.
What would you want to be if you weren't doing this career?
In my dream scenario, I'd be an astrophysicist studying the cosmos.
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