Gary Stevenson wrote a book called The Trading Game about how he went from working class kid to Citibank’s most profitable trader, made millions betting against his own community, then had a complete moral breakdown about the whole system.
Half the internet wants to burn him at the stake which is fair. He is definitely a bit of prick and well, Redditors have almost started a pitchfork hunt for the poor lad.
On the other hand. The other half thinks he’s some kind of financial messiah.
But both sides are generally missing the point.
I read the book and even listened to him narrate his book. It was entertaining and educational as hell, even though is voice was a little whiny at points.
Back to why everyone hates him…
He’s telling uncomfortable truths about how money actually works while simultaneously admitting he got rich from a system that screws over regular people. (Go figure lol)
He’s the guy who learned to play the rigged game, won big, then had the audacity to explain exactly how rigged it is.
That pisses off everyone.
The finance bros hate him because he’s exposing their tricks. Regular people hate him because he made money while they struggled. It’s the classic shoot-the-messenger situation.
And I can’t blame anyone tbh.
But here’s what you should actually take from his story. (Go read it or listen to it, or hunt him down with pitchforks in tow and make him read it to you)
The game exists whether you understand it or not. And right now, you probably don’t understand it. I definitely didn’t understand it. I mean I’m just a dude who does tech, slings words for money and dabbled with trading/investing on a whim.
I know, I know.
The last decade of crypto influencers and forex gurus shouting “DIAMOND HANDS” and “BUY THE DIP” while hawking their bullshit courses has made the entire financial education space feel like a carnival run by sociopaths.
(I really should write a massive post on sociopaths. That’s always a fun topic to have around a dinner table too, especially with the state of politics around the world atm)
But we all know those people ruined the conversation.
They turned legitimate financial literacy into a pyramid scheme wrapped in motivational quotes and Lamborghini photos. (Tai Fuckin’ Lopez anyone?)
But ignoring how money actually works because some assholes corrupted the message?
It’ll be like refusing to learn to read because you hate politicians and yes, we all hate politicians.
Stevenson’s book isn’t a get rich quick scheme. It’s not telling you to day trade your rent money or put your life savings into whatever shitcoin is trending. It’s basically a story based explanation of how people with real money think about money.
Which is completely different from how us regular people think about money.
They understand that inflation isn’t some mysterious force. They know how interest rates actually affect asset prices. They recognise market patterns that seem obvious once someone explains them but remain invisible if you never learn to look.
And when the next financial crisis hits…
And it will hit. They’ll be positioned to profit while everyone else gets wiped out.
You don’t have to love capitalism. You don’t even have to like Gary Stevenson. But you should understand how the system works well enough that you’re not completely fucked when it implodes again.
We’re not about having expensive anxiety as artists and creatives. We need to at least make sure we don’t have to resort to crime when the world goes all dystopian/zombie apocalypse on us.
So read the book. Learn how the game actually works. Not so you can become a day trading douche lord, but so you can make informed decisions about your money instead of just hoping for the best.
And as much as I wish I could make art and write words and everything will be cool in Stephen Land. I know I need to rig the creative game in my favour and at least start kicking the market in its dick too.
Stephen Walker.
P.S. Yes, this means understanding concepts that crypto bros butchered and forex gurus weaponised. But letting those assholes ruin financial education for you is like letting flat earthers ruin science. Don’t give them that much power over your future.