No offense, but you sound like a complete d-bag. Unless you are trying to sell your neighbors something, be yourself. Have a few beers with them in your garage... make friends. Your neighbors seeing you with nice cloths/car/watches/women, does nothing to improve your performance- It probably hampers it. You sound like a materialistic prick.
If anything I enjoy discussing my work as a trader with other people. I get increasingly confused the more I read this thread. Why all the secrecy about one's trading? What's wrong with responding "I am a trader" or similar when asked about one's occupation?
I agree with the guy who said to tell people you're semi-retired. That's what I do, although I don't hesitate to say I'm trading as well. As far as how to fill your time, I don't know if anyone mentioned this but consider teaching something you did in your "former life", or tutoring - something along those lines. If you don't know anything else besides trading, then flip the script ... maybe go back to school yourself or just take one class. It's never a bad thing to broaden your knowledge or skills. Then again, someone else mentioned hunting for new edges when you're done trading for the day ... IMO this is more of what a "professional" trader would do to fill out his afternoons, if that's how you want to think of yourself.
The posting of the inner depths of your soul must have been quite uncomfortable. How sad for you and your wife. I've traveled all over the world and have met some of the most giving and interesting people in my travels. How sad you have such a narrow view of your earth mates. I share my home with many I have met and they offer their hospitality in kind. My children have had the luxury of interacting with many cultures and many inspiration people. They have met some from the other extreme as well but have learned to know the differences, which is important to being mentally and socially balanced. Good luck to you in the future.
thats correct in theory. although yes, some people aprreciate what you do when you tell them and breifly describe the profession of trading and other says, "oh, so you gamble huh?" then you want to slap them. So sometimes you just feel better not getting into something most people could never understand. I've only met 1 non trader that understood what trading was and the probabalistic nature of the profession and how it all works. Most everybody else just looked at me like i was nuts, stupid, a gambler, or whatever the fuck else. It gets annoying so I prefer to just say nothing.
I can only conclude that it comes down to a "glass half full" versus "glass half empty" dichotomy. While I have may have had some misinformed responses to the idea of trading as a career, it doesn't bother me. There have been plenty of neutral or positive reactions, and these are the ones I enjoy. As an aside, what kind of world would it be if everyone (not just traders) approached their responses to the "What do you do for a job?" question with such paranoid fear of people's reactions to the truth?
Yeah, I hear what you're saying. I think ultimately it just depends on the type of person you are and your personality. For me, I'm more a private person and less chatty about my life anyway and so am less likely to get into it.
I have told several people that I take care of problems for people when they have no other options. I'm just waiting for the day when I'm asked to whack somebody, then I can begin my new career