Turney Duff's Blog, page 8
April 29, 2015
Snitch… or Go to Prison?
I know guys on their way to prison, currently in prison, out of prison and a lot who never got caught.
Four years ago, my former boss, Raj Rajaratnam, received 11 years, which, at the time, was the longest sentence ever handed down for violating insider-trading laws. But the people serving the longest sentences are those who cooperated with the FBI.
On the streets, it’s called a snitch. Downtown, they call it an informant.
And when the FBI decides they want you, they pounce quickly. They sneak up behind you while you’re in line at Starbucks and wait until it’s your turn to order. And then, when the cashier asks you how you take your coffee, they’ll answer for you: “Two sugars and cream… Can you come with us?” It’s a common tactic used by the authorities. Personally I know four people this has happened to — two at Starbucks, one at Dunkin Donuts and one at a Subway sandwich shop. And none of them had any idea it was coming.
April 27, 2015
Think White Collar Prison is Club Fed? It’s not…
“I don’t want to go to jail,” is a statement often heard on a trading desk. Sometimes it’s said jokingly, but other times it has more merit. The fear of doing hard time bounces from the conscious to the subconscious for an aggressive trader. It never goes away.
And who wants to go to prison? Not a Wall Street executive. I don’t think penny loafers and sweater vests go over very well down in the yard. And a front-row ticket to the Jay Z & Eminem concert last spring doesn’t buy you street cred on the inside. It’s a scary thought.
Even when you do things by the book; there’s always a level of fear on Wall Street.
April 23, 2015
April 16, 2015
10 Movies That Shaped My Youth – and hopefully my daughter’s too
When I was growing up in the 1980s, I loved watching movies. Still do. My 9-year-old daughter likes it OK. But when we do cozy up on the couch, we usually pop some popcorn, search for candy in all my secret spots and top it all off with some soda. (You can tell I’m up for Father of the Year.) Then we turn off all of the lights and press play. Although we don’t talk much during the film, it’s a bonding moment. I usually get stuck rubbing her feet at some point. And rubbing tiny little toes counts as bonding. Sometimes I like to take a peek at her while she’s watching. I love seeing whatever particular emotion is beaming from her face.
In the first 9 years of my daughter’s life, I usually didn’t get to pick the title. My recommendations weren’t considered—but that’s been changing slightly over the last six months, ever since I let her watch Pitch Perfect on cable. That’s when she started taking my endorsements a bit more seriously because, though I may have rushed the age appropriateness for that film, she loved it. And we are sooooooooooooo going to see Pitch Perfect 2 together when it comes out in theaters this May. We’ll just keep it as our little secret.
April 2, 2015
8 Things I’m Getting Too Old to Tolerate
As parents we try to teach our children tolerance. We want them to grow up to be respectful and kind to others. It makes sense. And one of the best ways to do that is to “show,” not “tell,” our children how to act. But now that I’m in my 40s—45½ on April 3, to be exact—it’s becoming increasingly difficult to be easygoing about certain things. Here are 8 things we 40-somethings shouldn’t have to put up with anymore.
Wasting My Time
No, I don’t want to watch your wedding video. Do you remember seven years ago when I bought a plane ticket to fly across the country, paid for three nights in a hotel and got you a gift? Yeah? Well, I do. And I promise if I want to relive that night I will ask to watch your wedding video.
April 1, 2015
9 Things We Won’t Tell Mom
It’s girls’ night out, or maybe mom is working late. Whatever the case may be, the kids know that tonight will be a little different: Daddy is on duty. The thought conjures up images of a father pacing back and forth in the kitchen, flour spread out all over the floor—oh, and the children’s faces too. A frozen pizza is burning in the oven, and the dog has just peed on little Tommy’s jacket. And that’s when the smoke from the burning oven sets off the fire alarm.
Perhaps a bit cliché, but sometimes it’s not that far off. And moms don’t need to know that.
“Maybe we should keep this our little secret,” a dad will say to his kids. “Let’s not tell mom about this.”
March 26, 2015
LIFE AFTER WALL STREET
“You can only leave Morgan Stanley once.”
That’s what my former boss said when I told her I was leaving the bank in 1999. I wonder if CFO Ruth Porat heard the same thing when she announced she was heading to Google?
Would she even care?
That kind of Wall Street scare tactic used to send a ripple of fear through anyone thinking of leaving the high-pressure, high-paying job. But recently, we’ve seen more and more finance people chasing their entrepreneurial spirit — and you never hear about them going back.
March 6, 2015
Diet Coke Addiction
Hi. My name is Turney and I’m a Diet Coke addict. I have been for years. Countless times I’ve hopped in my car upon waking up, clad in my pajamas and not showered, and driven to the closest gas station to get my early morning fix. The craving for that diet soda high is just too much to bear. I need it. But once I hand over my $2 and have those 20 oz. in my sweet little hands—I know everything will be all right.
I can’t be alone. There must be others out there just like me. People who hear that Diet Coke talking to them. The faint whispers in the ear and the visions of dancing plastic bottles in the mind. But truth be told the diet soda addiction is just like crack—minus the dangers of imminent death, of course.
February 26, 2015
A Good Night Skype – Tucking your Kids in from Miles Away
On the disciplines of a rigid bedtime routine; I’m probably a below average parent.
Another way of saying it is: I’m soft. I don’t get upset by the 15 minute extension entreaty, the Hail Mary request for a glass of water and I always succumb to the pressures of, “Please… just one more story.” Maybe it’d be different if I wasn’t co-parenting, but I don’t think so.
Top 10 Lies told by Wall Street
We’ve seen a lot of fibbers outed recently. And when it’s a trusted newsman like Brian Williams or a military veteran like Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald, we feel betrayed to learn that they’ve been lying to us. But if I told you someone on Wall Street was caught lying, you’d probably shrug it off and say, “That’s what we call Tuesday.”
