I recently spoke with Khe Hy, who spent 15 years on Wall Street and became one of the youngest Managing Directors at BlackRock at just 31. He earned up to $2 million a year—then he quit!

His journey mirrors mine in many ways, though he earned significantly more. I thought it would be fascinating to understand why he chose to walk away from such wealth and how he rose up so quickly in the first place.
Could you give up $1-2 million a year in your mid-to-late 30s? I don't think I could. But then again, I sometimes forget just how miserable and unhealthy I felt working on Wall Street. Khe could have probably gotten to the $20 million net worth threshold before age 50 if he stayed in his job, but he chose to live better today.
Khe now spends time with his family, writing his Radreads newsletter, recording The Examined Life podcast, and career coaching. I've been a subscriber to his newsletter for years and really enjoy the content.
A Conversation With Khe Hy, Ex-Wall Street Managing Banker
In this discussion you'll learn about:
- How Khe was promoted to Managing Director at the young age of 31
- His compensation at BlackRock and the reasons behind his decision to leave
- Career progression after Yale, starting from Broadview (Jefferies) onward
- The financial power of business development and sales rolesInsights into the fund of funds business
- The role of luck in career advancement and wealth building
- The concept of “battlefield promotions”His disciplined approach to saving—living off his salary (peaking at $350,000) and spending his bonus
- Investment strategy: What he’s invested 80%+ of his net worth in since his teens
- His life and activities after leaving BlackRock
- The critical question he asked himself: “How can I earn less money and still live the lifestyle I want?”
- The net worth he had when he left Wall Street and how it was structured
- Monthly family expenses and how he allocates his net worth
- New income opportunities that emerged after leaving Wall Street
- His goal: To achieve complete peace of mind
- His work in career coaching, focusing on people in the “post-financial, post-achievement” and “pre-financial” stages
- How a high achiever thinks about the potential achievements of his children
- The trade-offs of success and whether they’re worth it
- How long it took for the stress and teeth grinding to finally leave his body after quitting
- The significance of emotional resilience
If you enjoyed this conversation, I'd love a share and a positive review. Every review counts!
You can also go to my Apple or Spotify channels to listen.
Regards,
Sam
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