Broker Suicides
I have heard about 3 Brokers taking their own lives in the last month. One at Merrill Lynch Fifth Avenue, One at Merrill Lynch Short Hills, and now another broker from Smith Barney who apparebtly walked in front of a truck on the highway in upstate NY.
Does anyone know if this is true?I don’t know if it’s true, but I have a few that I’d like to nominate.
Thats tragic. A lot of stress on people in this biz right now. Loss of money, marriages, careers. God help us.
That one idiot on the WS retention thread claiming and pillow biting that there will be no retention. I nominate that cheesedick.
The one at ML 5th Ave is true
My career is on the skids right now but I’m not going to walk in front of a train because of it. think of the stories we can tell our grandkids. We were brokers during the Great Crash of 2008. This is the stuff that makes for interesting history.
Suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem.
Were there any re-assigns?
[quote=Sell High]Were there any re-assigns?
[/quote]Is that some kind of suicide lingo?
yes to the short hills fa. i only responded because it is a fact that people in our busines should know. no matter how tough things are, suicide is always the wrong answer.
[quote=tmoney47]
yes to the short hills fa. i only responded because it is a fact that people in our busines should know. no matter how tough things are, suicide is always the wrong answer.
[/quote]It was the right answer for George Hennard and others like him.
Wonder why brokers do it? guilt of losing people money? fear about their financial situation? but think many guys in this job measure their whole identity or self worth with this profession so guess I can see how it happens..what is the worst thing that could happen? All your clients leave? or if you cant take the stress anymore just walk into managers office and say I quit, I cant handle it anymore, even if you are on a deal under that situation they will never ask for the money back.
Wonder why brokers do it? guilt of losing people money? fear about their financial situation? but think many guys in this job measure their whole identity or self worth with this profession so guess I can see how it happens…what is the worst thing that could happen? All your clients leave? or if you cant take the stress anymore just walk into managers office and say I quit, I cant handle it anymore, even if you are on a deal under that situation they will never ask for the money back.
Why don't you try it and report back to us how it went.
[quote=Baller] [quote=fritz]
Wonder why brokers do it? guilt of losing people money? fear about their financial situation? but think many guys in this job measure their whole identity or self worth with this profession so guess I can see how it happens..what is the worst thing that could happen? All your clients leave? or if you cant take the stress anymore just walk into managers office and say I quit, I cant handle it anymore, even if you are on a deal under that situation they will never ask for the money back.
[/quote]Why don't you try it and report back to us how it went.[/quote] If I felt depressed about it I would walk in and quit..I do not take this that serious.
I think if my broker killed himself (which I suppose would be me), I’d be more angry for that than him losing my money. Unless his last name was Madoff maybe…
Real courage lies in honesty and truth and picking yourself up again when you’re down. Leaving a spouse, kids, clients in the lurch, a truck driver with nightmares seeing you roll under his truck… how can any of that be a good solution? I have to think these guys were perhaps a bit crooked and that is the guilt that killed.
Losing my clients’ money sucks, but I sleep at night repeating the famous words of Nick Murray - “This market is not my fault.”
This business isn’t that great that I’m going to kill myself over it. Sometimes my old profession of construction actually seems preferable. Nice honest work and zero head trips.
What jumped out at me is about half the current conversations on the board are either about people leaving, missing hurdles, or worrying about retention packages. That certainly isn’t a good sign.
I miss the old days of complaining about a point or two on the grid.
I really believe that anyone who kills themselves and happens to be in our job, didnt do it just because of the job. They were unstable to begin with and maybe the job, the market, losing clients money, was just the catalyst, the straw that broke the camels back.
[quote=Sportsfreakbob]I really believe that anyone who kills themselves and happens to be in our job, didnt do it just because of the job. They were unstable to begin with and maybe the job, the market, losing clients money, was just the catalyst, the straw that broke the camels back.
[/quote]
Fascinating.
Seriously, in that situation you need to get help.
I'm too simple to be depressed (not to say it couldn't every happen). However, I understand it. Years ago I had a girlfriend that had issues - she started acting crazy - she was as normal as could be but one day it was like someone flipped a switch - she started acting nuts. Eventually she saw someone and got medicine for it - and, like hitting a reset switch, three weeks after she got medicine she was back to normal. What amazed me was the speed at which she went back from crazy depressed back to normal. Another guy I know about killed himself over a girl. A cousin who I never really knew just killed himself over stress in his 20's. You think "what the hell happened, this is absolutely nuts - what happened" but.. there's a reason. Every day negative thoughts pervade your thinking for whatever reason and that eventually changes brain chemistry. As an example Marlon Brando's daughter killed herself even though she had her own island and millions to spend. Your situation good or bad has nothing to do with it. You can be depressed no matter how much you have or how good things are. You'll focus on negative things for too long of a time and that eventually causes a drop into a chemical inbalance. From there it's like trying to positive think your way out of pneumonia - you've got to get medicine, that's all there is to it. When my old girlfriend started taking medicine, she was a mess. The doctor explained the whole thing to me and, sure enough, three weeks later she was back to normal. So after going through this with the girlfriend years ago I thought I'd throw my two cents in.If I was so inclined. I would take a bunch with me, not to mention names.
[quote=Hank Moody]
[quote=Sell High]Were there any re-assigns?
handing out the dead guys accounts. he was trying to make a joke…
(i was just wondering if any guys are that bummed in my office…?)
prior to this biz, i worked in healthcare. the chemical imbalance linked to depression is a lack of seratonin, which is your brain's happy drug. the usual meds are called seratonin re-uptake inhibitors. they fool your brain into believing it hasn't produced enough seratonin, then it produces more. more seratonin = more happiness.
maybe we should toss a few prosac into the candy jar on our desk. it could help both us and our clients...then again the lifesavers are all i really need...uconn #1 in the country this week
[quote=go_huskies]
prior to this biz, i worked in healthcare. the chemical imbalance linked to depression is a lack of seratonin, which is your brain’s happy drug. the usual meds are called seratonin re-uptake inhibitors. they fool your brain into believing it hasn’t produced enough seratonin, then it produces more. more seratonin = more happiness.
maybe we should toss a few prosac into the candy jar on our desk. it could help both us and our clients...then again the lifesavers are all i really need...uconn #1 in the country this week[/quote]
Do these meds work better than saying affirmations in the mirror every morning?
They’re nowhere near as fun as plain old chocolate ice cream. Eating ice cream produces the same seratonins that those drugs are getting your brain to think it needs. The same can be said for chocolate candy too. So, instead of getting your doc to give you a script for some re-uptake inhibitor, why not get him to write you a script for some Cherry Garcia and buy it at WAG so you can use your HSA card. Problem solved. Everytime I hear the word suicide I can’t help but whistle the MASH theme song.
It is painless, after all...They’re nowhere near as fun as plain old chocolate ice cream. Eating ice cream produces the same seratonins that those drugs are getting your brain to think it needs. The same can be said for chocolate candy too. So, instead of getting your doc to give you a script for some re-uptake inhibitor, why not get him to write you a script for some Cherry Garcia and buy it at WAG so you can use your HSA card. Problem solved. Everytime I hear the word suicide I can’t help but whistle the MASH theme song.
[quote=Spaceman Spiff]They’re nowhere near as fun as plain old chocolate ice cream. Eating ice cream produces the same seratonins that those drugs are getting your brain to think it needs. The same can be said for chocolate candy too. So, instead of getting your doc to give you a script for some re-uptake inhibitor, why not get him to write you a script for some Cherry Garcia and buy it at WAG so you can use your HSA card. Problem solved. Everytime I hear the word suicide I can’t help but whistle the MASH theme song. [/quote]
I think I need to start eating chocolate for breakfast on Monday morning…
As a Calvin and Hobbes afficionado, I’d suggest Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs. Heck, why wait until Monday, there’s got to be a grocery store in town. You can have some for lunch today.
I had some chocolate over lunch. Much happier now, might have something to do with the market finishing up. Wonder if I have some for lunch tomorrow it will have the same effect if the market goes down. I will be running a study tomorrow on the effects of chocolate, I might extend this the whole week.
the hardiest thing is looking at performance of relatives investments
I know of 2 definite suicides one of them being a murder suicide. One in 2000 and 1 recently. Both in Fla. Sad, especially when you leave kids behind.
1st week in Jan '09 - SB broker in Houston jumped off parking garage
this is depressing i dont want to hear anymore about people killing themselves. if i wanted to hear about that i would just watch the local news for my daily dose of depression
Has this been posted yet? I laughed my ass off at it every time.
Video
I know of 2 definite suicides one of them being a murder suicide. One in 2000 and 1 recently. Both in Fla. Sad, especially when you leave kids behind.
If you are going to do it, do it right. Buy lots and lots of life insurance. Wait 2 years and then kill yourself.what happens when you uninsurable???
LOL! Thanks for sharing that.Has this been posted yet? I laughed my ass off at it every time.
Video
what happens when you uninsurable???
You'll die soon anyway, so it doesn't matter.They’re nowhere near as fun as plain old chocolate ice cream. Eating ice cream produces the same seratonins that those drugs are getting your brain to think it needs. The same can be said for chocolate candy too. So, instead of getting your doc to give you a script for some re-uptake inhibitor, why not get him to write you a script for some Cherry Garcia and buy it at WAG so you can use your HSA card. Problem solved. Everytime I hear the word suicide I can’t help but whistle the MASH theme song.
Personally I prefer SEX to calm my nerves and relax my body. This always seems to make me feel better. You guys should try that.
Miss J
[quote=Spaceman Spiff] They’re nowhere near as fun as plain old chocolate ice cream. Eating ice cream produces the same seratonins that those drugs are getting your brain to think it needs. The same can be said for chocolate candy too. So, instead of getting your doc to give you a script for some re-uptake inhibitor, why not get him to write you a script for some Cherry Garcia and buy it at WAG so you can use your HSA card. Problem solved. Everytime I hear the word suicide I can’t help but whistle the MASH theme song.
Personally I prefer SEX to calm my nerves and relax my body. This always seems to make me feel better. You guys should try that.
Miss J[/quote]
I'd be willing to have sex with you, if you think it would be helpful. As long as your promise not to fall in love with me.
OK...if you insist, I'll try it. Beats what I did last week. I decided to end it all and jump off the roof of the credit union and my ankle still hurts. I felt like such an idiot.Personally I prefer SEX to calm my nerves and relax my body. This always seems to make me feel better. You guys should try that.
Miss J
What’s this SEX company that you speak of? Is it publically traded?
See, now if you combine my thought of chocolate ice cream with Miss J's SEX idea, then perhaps you can find few minutes of nirvana (the emotional state, not the band).[quote=Hank Moody]
[quote=MISS JONES] [quote=Spaceman Spiff] They’re nowhere near as fun as plain old chocolate ice cream. Eating ice cream produces the same seratonins that those drugs are getting your brain to think it needs. The same can be said for chocolate candy too. So, instead of getting your doc to give you a script for some re-uptake inhibitor, why not get him to write you a script for some Cherry Garcia and buy it at WAG so you can use your HSA card. Problem solved. Everytime I hear the word suicide I can’t help but whistle the MASH theme song. [/quote]
Personally I prefer SEX to calm my nerves and relax my body. This always seems to make me feel better. You guys should try that.
Miss J[/quote]I’d be willing to have sex with you, if you think it would be helpful. As long as your promise not to fall in love with me.[/quote]
Isn’t that funny I am normally the one asking men not to fall in love with me! As many of you know I am taken I was just trying to give you a good stress reliever idea. I used it and it works.
Miss J
It is a sensitive subject (understandably) because we are talking about human life here. I’d like to find out if there is any fresh information about the alleged suicides of brokers in recent months. Any new cases? Some previous cases were reported in the media. As I recall, there seemed a clear link between the difficult market conditions and work pressure and these assumed suicides. Also, have firms’ made any comments and taken steps on these cases – and how are families and clients of the deceased coping?
And so is selling out of equities at these prices.
Suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem.
... and your wife/kids are not getting the life insurance money. chickens*** way out IMHO.My career is on the skids right now but I’m not going to walk in front of a train because of it. think of the stories we can tell our grandkids. We were brokers during the Great Crash of 2008. This is the stuff that makes for interesting history.
Suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem.
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