High School Hedgie

So I read a week or two ago that a 17 year old kid on his way to Wharton started his own hedge fund while he was in high school… kudos to the kid. But a couple of weird things:

-The article also said that he’s CURRENTLY studying for his Series 65 exam… don’t you need to pass this first before you can manage money?

-The article intimated his parents don’t have a boatload of money… doesn’t it cost around 100-150k to start up your own fund? Some of this story just doesn’t make sense.

On the practical side, do people think this is a good tack for getting into a target MBA program, or even bagging a key internship? You know, “start a hedge fund,” where performance numbers are private and not accessible, so there’s really no downside -- you convey your passion for (and expertise of) the market, but nobody knows if your picks actually tanked or not?

Is this a good idea to pursue? Or am I just nuts?

2 Comments
 

Unless you really know your shit, and I mean, really know it, I would think making the claim as a teenager that "I started my own hedge fund" would open you up to intense cross-examination from the "pros" who would want to call BS on your claim.

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