Chapter 15 - Greg’s Secret Brokerage
Greg did not have a gambling addiction.
That would have given us a tidy diagnosis.
He had an ego problem.
He was good with numbers.
Worked around executives.
Read financial newsletters.
Made a few profitable trades.
Then began believing he could outperform everyone.
The first year:
Up $18,000.
Second:
Down $11,000.
Then he chased recovery.
Not with leveraged house.
Not with children’s money initially.
His own account.
But losses embarrassed him.
He hid statements.
Used my “mortgage” payments to restore cash.
Then lost more.
Why not stop?
Because stopping makes loss real.
Anyone who has chased a bad decision understands without needing casino.
By the time I discovered everything:
Net realized losses around $74,000.
Remaining brokerage balance:
$21,000.
No secret fortune.
No offshore account.
Just a man trying to look financially competent while quietly becoming less so.
He said:
“I thought I could fix it before anyone noticed.”
The sentence connected every problem.
UTMA.
Mortgage lie.
Chloe necklace.
“I thought I could fix it before anyone noticed.”
May you like
Marriage cannot survive indefinitely on future corrections.
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