Moving from extreme poverty to wealth via IB
I was wondering how many of you have made the transition from extreme poverty (ghettos, 3rd world countries, homelessness) to a reasonably wealthy life via a good job in finance whether its Asset Management, IB, PE or a Hedge Fund.
I specify extreme poverty because I have a lot of friends that say they came from poverty because they didn't have an overseas trip every summer like others in their boarding school.
My background is, I was born in NY but very quickly taken back to Africa after I was born before moving to South Africa as a young child. There, things for me were as bad as you see in those help Africa commercials literally all my life. It wasn't the kind of poverty where you didn't know you were poor because others were like you, here it was so bad that I very much understood we were in a living hell. I don't want to get into it but imagine the worst life you can apart from being tortured in North Korea.
When I was 19, I moved to Nigeria, where I am from originally to go to University, here I kinda became "refined". If you don't know West Africans are very westernized even the ones who do not have money and are very in tune with pop culture, fashion and other trends despite being poor, we would huddle around and watch the Oscars, the VMAs and discuss the Met Gala for example. Side note: I think this is why a lot of big scammers come from there, they know how to talk the talk and look the look despite their background. It's very hard to discern a Nigerian who grew up poor from one who grew up rich by conversation.
I spent a few years wondering around Nigeria after university working in very shitty back office jobs that meant i still had to sleep on the floor with others then 2020 happened and everything moved online, through this I got a job at a large balance sheet bank in NYC via remote interviews by literally applying online.
I am still kinda in shock due to my rapid upgrade in lifestyle and I feel loyal to my bank even though I know i shouldn't.
In a round about way, I feel like I am as rich as Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, I live in a luxury building even by NYC standards, I can literally do what I want, travel to wherever I want and buy what I want for the most part. Sometimes when I am at a nice hotel or bar by myself I reminisce on the past and wonder if there are any others like me that grew up completely F**ed up and now make low 6 figures and above. I know for some of us thats nothing but to me thats way more than I'll ever need.
Sounds like an amazing story. Congratulations on your success!
good that you appreciate it. i always have to try to remind myself how much privilege i have relative to others in the world, glad you are able to enjoy where you’ve ended up
Make sure you live below your means and save, so you can retire early!
LMAO, I do have 5 figures saved up but it could be way more. I live alone so no one reminds me to save. I actually spend money pretty recklessly, frequently go to miami to rent a bentley and a really nice s class and get all the trappings of a staycation and I think i am over compensating for the first half of my life
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