Humble Student turns one

This blog, Humble Student of the Markets, turns one this weekend.

Even though I now live in Canada, on this US Thanksgiving long weekend I would like to reflect upon my personal journey for the past couple of years and how Humble Student of the Markets came into being.

I left Merrill Lynch in early 2007 after 27 years of involvement in the financial markets. My intention was to spend some time to decompress and enjoy some time with my wife and daughter. In my farewell email to friends and colleagues entitled Cam really is leaving to spend more time with his family, I quoted Todd Harrison of Minyanville:

I'm not going to say that success is insignificant, we know that's not true, but I can tell you, from experience, that if you look for happiness in a bank account, you're missing the bigger trade.

The first few months were great. However, I discovered that I still had a market analysis itch that needed to be scratched. There were too many things that I wanted to say and didn't know who to say it to. The result was this blog. I began to write for myself, with no expectation that anyone would even read it.


On humility
I named this blog Humble Student of the Markets for a couple of reasons. First, we are all mere students of the market, regardless of our experience level. Moreover, if an investor isn't humble - the market will eventually make him that way.

Little did I know what a tumultuous year this would be. This past year has seen upheavals that would be worthy of telling my grandchildren about.

As I began my hiatus from financial services with a Todd Harrison quote, I would like to add another one of Todd Harrison’s pearls of wisdom on the value of humility:

I was giving a lecture at a university this past year and I was asked what my proudest accomplishment was. I paused as I reflected on my professional journey and the gravity of each step. I then said that:

"My failures are what I’m most proud of, as they remind me that I’ve got the resolve to continue and the depth to respond.”

Happy Thanksgiving.