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Untitled
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Greed is Good
Jonathan Hoenig lives Gekko’s creed to the fullest
by Dana Giuliana
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 Let me tell you about an exciting sport I recently discovered. It's one that's been around for decades and is played around the globe day and night. The game requires stamina, lots of luck, quick reflexes and an enormous trust in oneself. Its athletes are professional risk-takers who put their own well-being on the line. In one move they can lose everything they've ever won. Nothing is sacred: as soon as a point is won, it can easily be taken away. Some players have even committed suicide after losing a game. The plays are fast-paced -- seconds, even split seconds can separate one from victory and defeat. There are no teams; it's every man for himself. The game has the usual stadiums, referees and rules. Winners can take home millions, yet no athlete has ever scored a deal with any shoe company.
This sadly under-noticed sport is called trading. And if Jonathan Hoenig has anything to do with it, he's going to change its face, and the face of the entire investment and financial service industry. In the morning, the 23-year-old Hoenig is a successful trader of bonds and agriculture derivatives at the Chicago Board of Trade. (He has also traded at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and is currently putting together the pieces for his very own mutual fund.) But as lunchtime approaches, he becomes the 'Capitalist Pig,' a pseudonym he uses as a radio personality, columnist, author, speaker, and columnist on the Raging Bull web site (www.ragingbull.com). His niche is not just trading but all matters of money: personal finance, investing and the market.
But this college drop-out is no Lou Dobbs. He's the furthest thing from a stiff in a gray suit moaning about today's numbers. For Hoenig, style is very important. Just one listen to this radio show and it's clear this guy thinks of money in a completely unique way -- as a fun, exciting sport that "doesn't have to suck" and "isn't rocket science."
The Capitalist Pig resonates well with a new breed of investors: recent college grads and young execs who are wondering if their checking account or 401(k) is really the best place to store their dough. He couldn't have come at a better time, as no decade has seen the market rise as it has in the 90s: There are thousands of investment products to choose from. Technology has brought trading within more people's reach, and they want to trade without the help of a broker. Hoenig's mission is to empower people of all ages with an understanding of financial matters so they can begin to make calculated and reasonable risks with their money.
"Money talks," he says, "and if you've got enough of it, you can live your life to the fullest." After spending a day with the Capitalist Pig, I'm convinced that the sport of money has a new (or rather its first) superstar.
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Meet Jonathan Hoenig
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Jonathan Hoenig
;)
