Rearden, Poker is far from dead. You might consider attempting to become good enough to regularly beat the current games. I know you don't like live poker for various reasons, but online poker might still be the way to go if you are seeking intellectual stimulation and a real long term challenge. I do agree with other posters, though, that one of the best ways to enhance your life would be to volunteer some of your time and knowledge to help others. There are many ways to do this and just the act of spending time searching for something suitable in this area could prove very rewarding for you. Best of luck!
RM, Given your eloquence, concomitant with your doubtlessly numerous dramatic life experiences, I would also strongly encourage you to formally pen an autobiography. This could take the form of a Marty Schwartz-type "Pit Bull", and would serve the following purposes: 1) give you a wonderful chance to retrospectively consider your life to date; 2) give interested others an equally wonderful chance to see how one highly successful speculator thinks and operates; and 3) surfeit you with work until the next favourable phase of market activity. Just a thought from one of those "interested others" who enjoys reading your posts, particularly when they pertain to pure trading matters.
Not sure if this post is naive, but here goes: I'd follow the trend in social entrepreneurship started by the Grameen Bank (who's founder is a Nobel Prize winner), but apply it to trading. The Grameen Bank gives very small loans ("micro-credit") to women with very small businesses who live in poverty where no loans are available. The bank is profitable and has very high repayment rates. Assuming you don't have kids in school, then if I were you I think I would travel to a developing country (GDP < 2500/person) where at least 50% of people speak English (or any other language you speak well), and where you can get excellent internet (for a price, to be sure). I would open up a trading office and train individuals from that country to trade on a relatively small-scale. Why? 1. If you can train an individual to be a net positive trader there, then the impact is huge. Even low wage salaries by our standards ($20,000) would significantly improve the standard of living for large families/communities, as individuals are otherwise only able to find jobs paying < 5000/year. For the trainees who fail, the increased computer literacy and math/financial skills would be beneficial anyway. 2. With the smaller scale trading, the risk is less for the owner than would be in starting an American firm -- the amount of money likely lost on "blow ups" is relatively small. The start up cost is relatively low (cheap property, cheap wages prior to profitability) 3. There is likely very smart, very hard working, very hungry, untapped talent in these areas, with a lack of opportunities to make money based on merit. 4. The standard of living increase for successful traders/their communities would matter for real. 5. If it works out and the office grows over time, it'd be profitable. 6. If it fails miserably, you just got a first hand look at the actual value of all those dollars you own and installed good internet somewhere without it. Example place to do this: Georgetown, Guyana (it borders Brazil)
"So if one has the kind of mind that excels at activities like trading & poker, and has far more time on his hands than interesting activities to fill it with... what the hell else is there to do?" Can you keep a beat? Live Music! Nothing, with the exception of the warm wet spot, will jazz you like playing music in front of appreciative people. Never too old to learn a new instrument. I play guitar in a old fart 3 piece weekend cover band. Hugh fun and you can only get there with practice. Practice that takes time and energy. Itâs enjoyable and you will eventually meet some very interesting creative people. The only instrument I have taken a complete greenhorn on and had them up and playing live within 9 months is drums. Keys, guitar, etc takes years before anyone will let you stand on their bandstand. But drums â if you can keep a decent meter, donât overplay and have a good attitude will have you gigging in no time (think schlock country gigs, hack blues bands and once a month cover bands.) There is always a âBlues jamâ in some piss hole on Sunday afternoon to help get your chops down and let people know about you. Buy a cheap drum kit and find the best drum teacher within a 100 mile radius and practice day and night. Youâll thank me later.
Speaking of killing time, the best, most popular and most interesting forum on the web is: http://forums.somethingawful.com/ Not for the faint of the heart....