Gina! Thanks for stopping by to answer some of my questions. You certainly have been in the news lately, my favorite headline, “Belly Dancing Stock Broker Takes Down the Bank!”
Thanks for inviting me to this interview; I am thrilled to have a Chick Lit audience today. And, yes, that was quite an accomplishment on my part. The dust hasn’t settled yet. I have to warn you, you’ve got thirty minutes until the stock market opens for trading. That’s 9:30 AM just in case you didn’t know that. It’s going to be of an interesting trading day, as you might have noticed, the market has been in a downward trend for days and I’m hoping it will level out today so I can start picking off some undervalued stocks. I’ve got a few on my stock watch: Apple, Facebook, Wells Fargo and Qualcomm. Oh, I see that look in your eyes, don’t get any ideas, I’m not giving you any stock tips. These are for my private account.
Got it Gina! Why do you like the stock market and investing so much?
It’s a great equalizer — by that I mean male vs. female. In the money industry it doesn’t much matter what race, sex or orientation you have, if you make money for your clients and have substantial assets under management, you’re golden. It’s a great pecking order. The broker who has the most under management gets first choice of office space, assistants, even down to the number of garbage cans allowed. What I also like is that each day is so different, I never know what will happen on the stock market, and it’s just exciting. I could never work in any industry that doesn’t have this kind of variety. Me — as an accountant or analyst? Boring! Snooze city. The stock market is just plain fun once you figure it out have a investment philosophy.
So, where did you meet your girlfriends in the investment club?
Those crazy gals are my best friends. We are an odd team but, darn it, we got each other’s backs! I’ve known them for over 25 years. We met at the Hofbrahaus in Munich, Germany, for ‘freshman orientation.’ We’re all military brats going to school there and it was initiation night for freshman. We had a room in the back of the beer hall reserved where we’d have chugging contests for the newbies. Chug it or wear it! We were the ones that chugged it and barely made it back to the campus. Everyone crashed in my dorm room. Someone threw up, not me but I won’t tell who, and another one snored so loud we thought there was construction going on in the Kaserne. Let’s just say, we became fast friends.
How did you all end up in the DC area?
Well, like all good military brats, our dad’s were stationed here and we never left. We’d get together for happy hours, parties, and holidays. As our parents moved away and retired, we became each other’s family
I can tell you really care for Vivi, Sarah and Joanie. Tell me more about your girlfriends.
Let’s start with Vivienne, she’s my tarty aged Pamela Lee, that woman has so many things pump up and lipoed that I think one day she will take flight. Vivi’s ready with a mischievous smile, dirty joke and lit cigarette. She came into the investment club kicking and fighting. Scared that she’ll be the dummy in the club, she agreed because she knew that I’d never lead her astray and there’ll be plenty of Bloody Marys with her usual two shots of cheap vodka and two fat olives.
Then there’s Joanie. Don’t mess with her. She’s a towering Amazon Queen who pumps iron and has no inhibitions. She loves embarrassing us with details about her latest sexual conquest. I think she’d probably have sex with a Fed Ex man if he’d agree to a year’s free shipping. She’s wants to a wealthy man from the Forbes 500 list. Cold and calculating, Joanie spends hours plotting where to bump into a sugar daddy that won’t utter the words, “pre-nuptial agreement.” Now, Sarah, is the most annoying but loyal friend. She’s a petite ball of nerves who – I know lusts after my guy Johnny— and wants nothing more than revenge on her ex for cutting her out of high society when she was expelled from The Green Book. Sarah’s like a rusty old gate, still hanging on and doing its job.
You certainly have variety in your posse. They sound like complete opposites.
Oh, that’s an understatement. Even down to the Bloody Marys we drink we’re different. When we party at Gadsby’s historic tavern and drink round after round of Bloody Marys, they all have to be all made to order: Sarah (phobic) chews ice cubes and swirls it with a pickle, Joanie (man-hunter) drinks hers through a straw and uses celery, Vivienne (earthy serial bride) drinks it with cheap vodka garnished with two large olives. And mine: only the finest vodka and garnished with two large shrimps.
Why did you decided start the investment club?
That’s a long painful story. Here’s the quick version, During one of our ‘celebratory’ nights my financially challenged pals pressured me to make them rich too. They were tired of hearing about all the money I made for my clients, I mean, after all, that’s my job! They felt they were being left out and they issued an ultimatum: help us or loose us, after all, friends help friends. I didn’t want to because I’ve seen this so many times, money ruins friendships, so I resisted.
Vivi, Sarah and Joanie were so persistent and I didn’t know what to do. I asked my sage assistant Martha who encouraged me to help my friends, but to do with an investment club. I had to set rules and stick to them. So I can up with two rules: all investment decisions must be unanimous and the money stays until retirement. I wanted to avoid them taking money out of the club profits to subsidize their current lifestyle, the money is for retirement. End of discussion. They agreed, but quite often test me on this.
Let’s move onto your love life. Are you even going to marry Johnny?
How cheeky of you! Well, that’s the plan for the future. As you know, he’s grown on me. And I’ve come to adore him. It wasn’t love at first site by any stretch of the imagination. He’s my tall lanky almost charming, with almost good looks and almost everything. He possesses all the qualities of man you would want to marry. I know I’d feel the most secure with him, or as Johnny says, ‘it would be like living in Ft. Knox.” As you know, we don’t have a lot of the same hobbies. He’s into the Civil War and anything about historic Alexandria and I like belly dancing (which he frowns upon) and really like watching money move on the stock market. The thing I hate most is dressing up as his Martha Washington for the Birth Night ball. I do it for him and him alone. We’ve come to an understanding and I know he’s the man for me. Most importantly, he’s come to appreciate my money skills; after all, I saved his bank that became the target of a ruthless and violent takeover.
I hate to bring this up, but there seemed to be an instant attraction between you and Andrew. You seem like a perfect match.
To tell you the truth, he’s charming, handsome and has the same business savvy that I have. When he walked into my office the first time, he totally got my attention! Meow! A dreamboat Wall Street Stud. He clearly is my mental match and possibly soul mate – except that he’s bad. Once I got to know him, I realized he’s ruthless and has no moral radar. He’d do anything — and I mean anything — for profit. I could never trust a man like this. I’m glad he’s on the run. I have to look over my shoulder and hope that he never shows up on my door step again. I hope he blows all the money he stole from me and ends up broke. Thief! Bastard! I hope he gets what he deserves.
Where did you learn to belly dance?
I became fascinated in belly dancing when I lived in I Turkey where my dad was stationed. It’s a very unique way to get exercise and it’s fun once you get the hang of it. I also like that it’s a very sensual way to work the body. As for performing in public, I’m not doing that ever again. I felt bad that after my Halloween party where I danced, it lead to a fistfight between Andrew and a very drunk Johnny. That wasn’t the reaction that I was going for. Although it was somewhat exciting to have two men fight over me, I wasn’t prepared for the drama at my Halloween party. Johnny hates my dancing and if we get married, we’ll work this out. It did come in handy for getting into the Shareholder’s meeting when they turned me away. It was the performance of a life time. For now, my zayles are put away.
Any regrets?
I have a few, but my main regret is that I wish I hadn’t done all those deals off the books. I was too greedy to make a killer profit. What I’m refereeing to is my illegal finance deals that I did with Slay. We raised venture capital for local businesses and took a commission then sent the profits to an offshore account. At first I thought we were ‘angel investors’ because we lent money to many excellent Alexandria businesses that couldn’t get financing at any of the banks. This part is good but then things took a turn for the worst; I was blackmailed over these secret finance deals. It was pretty awful of Slay and me to change the name on the account to my mother’s maiden name. This whole business venture left me venerable and gave Andrew the upper hand. I won’t do that ever again. From now on, I’ll keep it local and pay taxes!
Do you think you’ve turned out the way your parents expected?
You sure do know how to ask the hard questions. I think in the end, yes, they are proud of me. Although my father is passed away, he did set expectations high and always told me that I could do anything. My mother wanted me to get married and have a family. She pushed a little too hard for me to marry Johnny. I know now that she only wanted the best for me and knew that Johnny’s family fortune would provide a secure future for me. Now that I saved the local bank and I uncovered a stock fraud if such magnitude she is very proud of me.
What’s next for you?
I need to come up with other money making ventures. I hope to bring my mother along for the ride. I’ve come to appreciate and love Johnny, and there’s going to be wedding bells in the future. I’m excited about my next chapter in my life.
Have you learned anything?
Most definitely! My lessons are that friendship is more important than money and doing the right thing, not matter how unpleasant, is the best policy. Also, to look beyond the closing bell.
Speaking of bells, I have to get to work, thanks for the opportunity to speak with you!
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss my journey with you. I hope you enjoy reading The Bloody Mary Club and come away with an appreciation of all things financial!
You can keep up with me by visiting my website: www.DebbieDyke.com, Blog: http://debbiedykebooks.blogspot.com/
Facebook at: DebbieDykeBooks.
Cheers! Debbie Dyke, Author, The Bloody Mary Club!
November 21, 2012
