For the Love of Money, Sam Polk
For the Love of Money, Sam Polk
2 Rating(s)
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For the Love of Money
A Memoir

Author: Sam Polk

Narrator: Sam Polk

Unabridged: 8 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/19/2016


Synopsis

“Part coming-of-age story, part recovery memoir, and part exposé of a rotten, money-drenched Wall Street culture” (Salon), Sam Polk’s unflinching account chronicles his fight to overcome the ghosts of his past—and the radical new way he now defines success.

At just thirty years old, Sam Polk was a senior trader for one of the biggest hedge funds on Wall Street, on the verge of making it to the very top. When he was offered an annual bonus of $3.75 million, he grew angry because it was not enough. It was then he knew he had lost himself in his obsessive pursuit of money. And he had come to loathe the culture—the shallowness, the sexism, the crude machismo—and Wall Street’s use of wealth as the sole measure of a person’s worth. He decided to walk away from it all.

For Polk, becoming a Wall Street trader was the fulfillment of his dreams. But in reality it was just the culmination of a life of addictive and self-destructive behaviors, from overeating, to bulimia, to alcohol and drug abuse. His obsessive pursuit of money papered over years of insecurity and emotional abuse. Making money was just the latest attempt to fill the void left by his narcissistic and emotionally unavailable father.

“Vivid, picaresque...riveting” (NewYorker.com), For the Love of Money brings you into the rarefied world of Wall Street trading floors, capturing the modern frustrations of young graduates drawn to Wall Street. Polk’s “raw, honest and intimate take on one man’s journey in and out of the business…really gives readers something to think about” (CNBC.com). It is “compellingly written...unflinchingly honest...about the inner journey Polk undertakes to redefine success” (Forbes).

About Sam Polk

Former hedge fund trader Sam Polk is a writer; cofounder and CEO of Everytable, a social enterprise that sells fresh, delicious meals at prices everyone can afford; and the founder and executive director of Groceryships, a nonprofit that helps low-income families struggling with obesity. Polk graduated from Columbia University in 2002 with a BA in English and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Designation. His writing has been published in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, and CNBC.com. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their daughter. For the Love of Money is his first book.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on July 25, 2016

Couldn't make up my mind on this book. The first half of the book was so depressing that I didn't think I would finish. This is the true story of a fat kid who was bullied as a kid, was verbally abused by his father, was an alcoholic and a drug addict, and addicted to porn all before age 21. Even afte......more

Goodreads review by Rick on June 02, 2022

Not what I expected for something that bills itself as a sort of finance Bro memoir. Surprisingly heartfelt and deep examination of the authors childhood and what it takes to heal from a chaotic upbringing. I think over halfway through we’ve gotten to the author finally getting into college. And whi......more

Goodreads review by Margie on October 13, 2016

This book kept my attention but I'm bothered that the author exposed his family members' dirty laundry and that he seems to think that "seeing the light" when he was 30 excused his extreme jerkiness up until that point in his life.......more

Goodreads review by Deidre on June 03, 2016

An interesting look at the hedge fund world from an outsider perspective. While this was less of an analysis of the industry itself and more of a personal memoir of someone who doesn't fit the typical trader perspective, it's unflinching honest and heart made it a compelling read. The book was a lit......more

Goodreads review by Nic on May 29, 2017

Great memoir, from a guy who left Millions to become a social entrepreneur.......more