One of the perks of writing a daily newsletter is getting to know people I’d never meet otherwise.

Take ex-Blackrock banker and newsletter subscriber Khe Hy.

Khe was one of Blackrock’s youngest ever Managing Directors. He spent 15 years working on Wall Street earning the big bucks before he decided to jack in his job.

When I first heard Khe’s story, I’ll admit I rolled my eyes.

Wall Street honcho rides off into the sunset with his pockets stuffed full of cash? Must be nice!

But the more I found out about Khe’s story, the more intrigued I became.

Turns out Khe didn’t quit his job because he’d won the game. He quit because he realised he was playing the wrong game. And despite all he’d achieved, Khe chose to walk away and wave goodbye to his Wall Street identity and the success which had come with it.

Khe’s carved out his own path since. 

He’s now known as the Oprah for Millennials, which gives you a clue about what he’s up to in the world.

I thought Khe’s story had so much to chew on about status, money and why we work that I asked Khe if he’d be up for a cheeky interview.

Graciously, Khe said yes.

So without further ado, let’s get to it:

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Tom: Could you tell us who you are and what sparked your decision to quit your lucrative Wall Street career?

Khe: I was born in New York City, child of first-generation Cambodian and French immigrants. I majored in computer science at Yale, graduated in 2001, got roped into Wall Street where I did investment banking for a little under two years, then worked in fund of hedge funds for another twelve years.

What sparked my decision to leave? I think it was a few things.

One, I found the job boring. I was very specialised in quantitative hedge funds. It was something I was good at, but I didn’t see where the aliveness would come from in becoming even more specialised there.

Second, I saw an industry that was very zero-sum. Everyone thought someone had to lose for another to win. That brought out bad human behaviour. I don’t believe the world works that way. I wanted to explore the possibility of a more rising-tide-lifts-all-boats approach.

Third, I just wanted to own my time. I don’t mind working hard — I still work hard as an entrepreneur — but I didn’t want to be at the behest of some managing director’s qualms or some client’s demands. The workflows were so disjointed. I just wanted my time to be my time, especially since I'd just had a baby at 35.

Tom: What was your biggest fear when you left Wall Street? Did that fear turn out to be justified?

Khe: I had two. One was that I would run out of money and be nervous financially. The second was that I would fail as an entrepreneur and have to go back to work and embarrass myself.

The second one never happened and I haven’t failed as an entrepreneur. 

In terms of money, I’ve definitely dipped into my savings a decent amount, but I’ve also been a good investor and learned how to make money.

I used to think of money as a scorecard for how I was doing relative to others. When I felt low self-esteem or judged, I’d think, “Well, I have more money than you.” I had to work through that with a lot of help from therapy and different coaches. But the money fear didn’t persist.

In fact, my relationship with money has been the key element to keep me on this path.

Tom: What surprised you most about life after finance? Something you could never have predicted before leaving?

Khe: That work can feel like play.

My mantra is to follow aliveness and see where it takes me. I have a strong work ethic, I’m curious, I have good relationships and good business intuition. If I follow the fun, then I can say, “Well, I need this to make this much money,” and that’s how I’ve lived for the past decade.

If you’d told me back then that I could have fun, make good earnings and have time freedom, I would’ve thought you had to sacrifice one of those.

***

Okay, that’s enough for now.

There’s more where this puppy came from though.

Back tomorrow with part 2 of Khe’s interview…