Goodbye Gordon Gekko

How to live a more productive life by putting a profitable lifestyle ahead of profits

With his standout Wall Street line "Greed is good," Gordon Gekko became pop culture icon for unrestrained greed. But, while greed might be great for one person–especially when that person is fictional–it's not so great for good people living in the real world. In Goodbye Gordon Gekko: How to Find Your Fortune and Not Lose Your Soul, Anthony Scaramucci describes how a better understanding of people, capital, and culture can be used to enrich one's life, financially as well as spiritually. With smart and engaging prose, the book:

• Discusses how the best manifestations of ambition, entrepreneurship and mentoring can lead to a life that not only fulfills financial obligations, but also leaves a lasting legacy
• Describes ways in which Americans and American companies can act to avoid the kind of crisis that crippled the country's economy
• Details how to build a core set of values to discover wealth on one's own terms

Given the turmoil in financial markets over the past few years, many people are reevaluating what it means to be "rich." Goodbye Gordon Gekko shows how it’s possible to be well-off without all the trappings of wealth.

Preface vii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Ambition 7

Ego versus the Egomaniac

Chapter 2 Success and Failure 37

Reaching for Excellence

Chapter 3 Vocation and Meaning 61

Let It All Hang Out

Chapter 4 Capital 85

Real Wealth

Chapter 5 Knowledge 103

Lessons from Unlikely Places

Chapter 6 The Way of the Mentor 123

Looking for a Hero

Chapter 7 Teamwork 145

There’s No “I” in Team

Chapter 8 The People You Meet on the Street 165

You Take the Good, You Take the Bad

Chapter 9 How to Find Your Fortune without Losing Your Soul 187

Further Reading 205

Acknowledgments 207

About the Author 209

Index 211

"This book makes a lively read...we are prudently advised to undertake an 'annual ambition check-up'." (Financial World, September 2010)

"...an interesting read whether you are inside or outside of the banking arena." (The Market, October 2010)

ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, JD, is the founder and co-managing partner of SkyBridge Capital, the global alternative investment manager that invests in hedge funds, digital assets, private equity, and real estate.

PRAISE FOR GOODBYE GORDON GEKKO

“A fun, easy read, with sage advice. Scaramucci is a player, looking under the rocks of corruption in our financial capital, and he survives as an honest soul.”
—OLIVER STONE, Three time Academy Award^® Winner; Director, Wall Street and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

“Scaramucci’s book is a truly insightful read. It introduces us to a moral compass on Wall Street-finding riches by direction of a true north as opposed to insidious Gekko-style greed.”
—JOSH BROLIN, Academy Award^® Nominee; Actor, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; Active Trader

“With extraordinary honesty, grace, clarity, humor, insight, and emotional intelligence, Anthony Scaramucci here masterfully delivers timeless and priceless wisdom and wit that will ennoble and energize parents and children, teachers and students, coaches and athletes, bosses and workers, not to mention all three branches of government.”
—DAVID M. DARST, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Americana Partners

“There is only one Anthony Scaramucci and only the Mooch could have been so entertaining, insightful, and honest while sharing his life with us. Thank you, Anthony, and continue to make a difference.”
—BOBBY VALENTINE, Former Major League Baseball Manager, New York Mets

“Anthony Scaramucci is a unique combination of great entrepreneur and savvy Wall Streeter. His perspective on all things business is invaluable and here for all to read.”
—DAVID FABER, Anchor, CNBC