These experiences were far different from the lessons I learned growing up. My father’s attitude toward investing was conservative. He always said to buy blue chips—buy them and hold them. In the long run, he told me, that’s how you make consistent returns. So when I looked to start a career in finance, I didn’t stray outside the realm of traditional investing. I took an internship at a major firm in Greenwich , Conn.
But even before I started, my perspective had begun to change. I have always had a contrarian streak, and I had traveled abroad and read much about the history of other cultures. Increasingly, I began to doubt the prevailing wisdom that a patient investor is rewarded over time.
