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3 Lessons From The Great Recession

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Banksy Follow Your Dreams Cancelled
By Banksy

“We learn from history that we do not learn from history.”
— Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Making and losing money during the Great Recession

In 2007-08, the stock market dove. We entered a massive “Great Recession.” I had a measly amount in an investment account and sold every stock. I couldn’t afford to lose any more. The panic was great and I followed it.

I held mostly cash, but bought a dangerous ETF that shorts stocks at 2X investment. For every dollar down in the market, I’d make two. Although, for every dollar up in the market, I’d lose two. By buying the ETF, my future would be tied to the demise of the global markets. It felt sick, but I was making money seemingly every day in the tough bear market. As others clambered to secure positions, I was profiting. The demise of other’s portfolios meant I was in the minority, making money.

At the time, I kept telling my mom to sell out of a large, inherited position in AIG. The major insurance company was spiraling out of control, and the public would soon realize how much debt the company hid. I wasn’t prescient, but dead set on her selling much of the position. The wealth was directly tied to the most risky industry.

Her financial advisor asked her to sit still. His sentiment was simple: don’t worry, don’t panic, and everything will be alright. I remember urging her over the phone, “Mom, you’ve got to sell at least a bit. The portfolio isn’t diversified and could be destroyed by this market.” She followed the trusted advisor’s approach and held on to the position. She stayed with the stock until it was a small fraction of the inheritance, and AIG was unrecognizable to its predecessor — what it used to be.

A reminder of the Great Depression

My grandparents had their own economic tumult: the Great Depression. They were a product of a time when food was scarce, fortunes changed, and many suffered. Both my grandmothers — at separate times — would talk about this time of disparity. They seemed weathered and changed by this period.

The Depression had a lasting impact. In their adult lives, they saved nearly everything, invested, and were constantly frugal. Eating out was a privilege — a true rarity even when they had wealth. They got creative with meals, celebrations, and travel. They learned to travel with and for less.

Not everyone suffered, though. A select few — the richest elite — continued to enjoy the spoils of wealth. Robber barons, corporate titans in the 30s and 40s, held disparate levels of wealth. They suffered, but not like most of society.

It wasn’t until President Roosevelt, his new deal, and World War II that the economic despair lifted. A vision for the future came into the picture. My grandparents served bravely, and were able to cultivate a middle class life afterwards. They were never “rich,” but always well. Their goals weren’t for mass consumption, but for peace and calm.

Lessons from a time of scarcity

Just like my grandparents before me, this generation’s financial calamity changed me. The Great Recession permanently shifted my life and that of my parents. The following are a few lessons learned along the way:

1. Who you know counts, but gratitude is greater

I left high school at the height of the Recession, and graduated college in 2011, as things began to look brighter. Still, I applied to countless jobs and found nothing. I submitted applications to Starbucks, Target, Wells Fargo, and a host of smaller companies. No one answered. The jobs were scarce, and money was tight. Everyone — including companies — became more conservative with their money.

A dean changed my life and gave me a chance. She gave me a paid opportunity to study and prep for graduate school in counseling psychology. I considered the offer, realized I had nowhere else to go, and embraced the opportunity. I’m forever indebted to her offer and help.

Without that helping hand, I’m not sure where I’d be, how much I’d be making, or if I would be the man I am today. An age-old lesson for business people is to network unmercilessly, but for me, I learned about gratitude. It’s vital that we remember who helped us succeed.

2. Modest living matters, skip the material mementos

I saw countless Americans lose everything material in the Great Recession. Crying families on TV and in documentaries exclaimed how they had lost everything. They were leaving houses — foreclosed on by banks that “afforded” them way more house than is necessary.

Those with modest means and mindsets braced through the economic tumult, but usually were able to maintain their lives. Those whose lifestyles were paycheck to paycheck or near their means suffered greatly.

Living through this time cemented a new ideal towards minimalism and reduction of material worth. Now when I travel, I try to avoid “collecting” and taking physical mementos. When I get something new (to me or the world), I research everything about it and try to buy based on value.

Last year I was interviewed by USAToday on the topic of buying homes. I might be a kook, but I don’t believe I want to buy a house unless I have all the cash necessary to do so. This Great Recession taught me to distrust debt and mortgages.

3. Save like it’s the last day on the job

In struggling to find work and seeing others do the same, I’m uncertain about my ability to hold one consistent job in life. Employers don’t necessarily have the incentive that they once had for employee sustainability. Everybody seems to be replaceable in this new, globalized economy.

While the unemployment rate has recovered from the depths of the Great Recession, salaries have stagnated or decreased. People are employed now, but they aren’t making what they once made.

Whatever reaches my pocket today, I’ll fiercely protect. But protection cannot mean selfishness.

Despite the economic uncertainty that will forever be a hallmark of my adolescence, I refuse to believe that we cannot continue to help each other. Whether that means serving and giving your time, or scrounging for a few dollars to give to charity, it’s still important to give selflessly.

Debt Is The Illusion Of Success

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Lamborghini on Rodeo Drive
Lamborghini on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, CA. Photo: John Beagle/Flickr

I’ve never had an empty bank account without some support from others. I’ve never hit zero dollars, and then decided what I need to sell to make ends meet. I’ve never run out of money, and been unable to make a co-pay or buy food. This is a privilege of my social class, but it’s also a consequence of this country’s acceptance of debt.

When I turned 18, I immediately applied for my first credit card. I researched and found the ultimate cash back card for my beginning credit line. At the time, that meant a $50 bonus for opening the account, and a check every time I hit $50 in rewards. The bonuses weren’t much, but they were a taste of the good life.

Even before I was accepted into graduate school, I started spending more. A computer sound system — that was amazing! A beautiful road bike. New smartphones whenever I wanted. Life was good, but it was all an illusion. It was all charged to credit cards, and my poor spending habits only descended as my academic career continued.

Eventually, I needed to take out a balance transfer, and opened a new credit card that allowed me to transfer and put off my debt. When I finally started getting student loans, I needed more to pay off the credit debt. This is the classic “robbing Peter to pay Paul” concept of debt payments. I constantly owed one bank something or another. Frankly, this life was stressful and full of unknowns. I constantly questioned, “Will I have enough to pay off this debt?”

But that was all behind the scenes. On the surface, I was a brimming success. Look at the materialistic items I was able to purchase — the “things” I had amassed! I could scan around my room and provide details about the latest purchase — all without addressing a gaping hole in my story.

Everything was purchased with debt. My things were the banks’ things.

Debt prevents us from seeing how little we actually have. It’s a scary psychological trick that banks prop up for us. Why should anyone be able to spend more than they have? Why must we finance our vehicles, homes, and dreams? If we do not have the actual money, why should we be enabled and empowered to spend?

I’m not sure that, as humans, we’ve evolved rapidly enough to adapt to taking out and handling debt properly. And yet, our system pushes people to adapt or perish in bills and debt collectors. The victims of this systemic problem are blamed and tarnished — left to bankruptcies (unless it’s student loan debt — you must die to rid yourself of that) and court proceedings.

We need to reevaluate both success and reality. In reality, the life I lead is a modest one where I cannot afford that European vacation I desperately want. But my credit card and possible student loan access says otherwise. In reality, I cannot afford to own a nice car I want. But my bank keeps offering me car loans at 2% interest APR.

Where can I find the middle path? Where can I compromise and meet my budgetary reality? The simplest answer I’ve found is realizing that I don’t need much. In fact, most everything I ever purchased served an unnecessary status function in my life. The only way I’ve been able to stay afloat these days is by realizing how little I “need” and how much can be thrown away as “wants” — some of which are extrinsically motivated.

When I want to spend more than I have because I can, I constantly remind myself about the stress and unknown feelings surrounding debt. There was such powerful shame because I couldn’t “control myself.” We need to take responsibility where we can, while also recognizing that we live in a system that ushers out goodies to perpetuate and encourage spending — then blames you for participating. The best we can do is remove the credit card chicanery and unveil the truth: debt is the illusion of success.

Become A Corrupt Banker, Avoid Prison

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Flickr Photo Alcatraz Island Prison
Photo: Alcatraz | Credit: Jonas Bengtsson

Drug trafficking involves “cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale” of illicit substances. Money laundering practices are utilized to fund terrorist regimes, evade taxes, and circumvent regulatory bodies. Nuclear proliferation occurs when fissionable materials, weapons, and/or knowledge is transferred to another country. If I committed any of these atrocities, I’d be jailed for life, killed, or on death row. If I assisted these assaults on democracy as a banker, I’d be enjoying a little vacation and bonus check.

In 2007-08, we entered a massive recession and crisis due in part to mortgage manipulation and banking maleficence. Last year, JPMorgan settled with the federal government for $13 billion. Attorney General Eric Holder suggested that their investigation showed that the company’s “conduct” was largely responsible for the mortgage crisis.

A few years ago, LIBOR was heavily manipulated. It’s a $360 trillion market responsible for setting borrowing rates around the globe. In 2012, Barclays Bank paid the U.S. $453 million to settle over severe market manipulation. The government found that the bank “manipulated key interest rates.” Later that year, UBS was fined $1.5 billion for similar charges over LIBOR.

In July 2013, JPMorgan paid $410 million for manipulating energy prices through the Midwest and California. JPMorgan didn’t even need to admit guilt in this claim:

“The bank neither admitted nor denied the violations, but said it would work with outside counsel to review its policies and practices in the power business.”

The Sinaloa Cartel, considered the most powerful drug trafficking cartel in the world, is known for brutal beheadings and murders. For years, they banked through their friendly HSBC branch — transferring hundreds of millions in blood money. For these classic money laundering practices, HSBC was forced to pay up:

“The Department of Justice levied penalties and forfeitures of $1.9 billion on the bank. Of course, with $2.6 trillion in assets, for HSBC this represented a man with a hundred dollars in his pocket paying a fine of seven cents.”

In May 2014, Credit Suisse, was fined $2.6 billion dollars for their involvement in helping Americans evade taxes.

“Credit Suisse bankers aided thousands of wealthy Americans in concealing their money from U.S. authorities, the Department of Justice said. The bank helped American clients set up shell accounts to shuttle their money overseas and then solicited false IRS documents to make the accounts seem legitimate.”

In regards to these fines and penalties, Attorney General Eric Holder was quoted saying, “This …shows that no financial institution, no matter its size or global reach, is above the law.” Even though Holder suggests that financial institutions aren’t above the law, these penalties rarely phase the companies and personally responsible parties walk freely. It’s setting a frightening example.

On June 30, 2014, BNP Paribas, a French bank, was fined $8.9 billion. The case asserted that BNP helped blacklisted countries like Iran and Sudan bring money to the States. As the New York Times reports, “not one BNP employee was criminally charged.” The company said this would not hurt their core businesses and they had enough to pay the fine. Effectively, a profit speedbump — merely a cost of doing illicit business. Their stock was up after the verdict.

We are failing to properly police some of the worst among us. Most bankers and executives that are closely linked and responsible for these laundering and racketeering charges won’t see the inside of a prison cell. They should. Bankers shouldn’t get a pass when they are guilty of laundering money for blacklisted governments and cartels.

The government is modeling a dangerous example for future bankers and companies. If you’d like to commit wire fraud, launder money, and make millions of untouchable, evaded dollars, enter the financial industry. Instead of jailing these atrocious members of society, the U.S. government is the mafia boss looking for their cut. If you have enough money to pay up, you won’t go to prison. Once the federal government gets their blood money, the banking game of roulette continues.

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