How to Date a Wall Street Sociopath
Professional matchmaker Samantha Daniels has some tips "for the women out there who are dating or would like to be dating a man on Wall Street." And sure, you read what she has to say (tip number five: "Be Sexy")... or you could take the advice of a Wall Street Men themselves.
Over the last few months, I've received a number of emails and text messages forwarded by the current, former, and prospective significant others of brokers, bankers, hedge fund managers and other "Wall Street Men." To better help those of you who want to date sociopaths, I've supplemented Daniels' advice with real quotes from Wall Street pros themselves.
Daniels' Advice: Be prepared to charm him out of talking about work when he first arrives to the date.
Wall Street Man says: "You played with your hair a lot. A woman playing with her hair is a common sign of flirtation. You can even do a google search on it."
Daniels' Advice: Learn a little something about the financial markets and notice if something huge happens on a given day, negative or positive.
Wall Street Man says: "I love my job. It feels like I never left the frat house. Let me tell you about my recent bonus."
Daniels' Advice: While a Wall Street man tends to like a little bit of a challenge when it comes to dating, he still likes things to be convenient and easy for him.
Wall Street Man says: "You said, 'It was nice to meet you.' at the end of our date. A woman could say this statement as a way to show that she isn't interested in seeing a man again or she could mean what she said-that it was nice to meet you. The statement, by itself, is inconclusive. [...] If you don't want to go out again that [sic] I request that you call me and make a sincere apology for leading me on (i.e., giving me mixed signals)."
Daniels' Advice: Tell stories that are short and sweet because the mind of a Wall Street man is always moving so rapidly[.]
Wall Street Man says: "I'm both a right-brain and left-brain man, given that I'm both an investment manager and a philosopher/writer. That's a unique characteristic; most people aren't like that."
Daniels' Advice: Be sexy.
Wall Street Man says: "I like your hair cut! It's a good thing you got it too because I was going to stop dating you if you hadn't."
Daniels' Advice: Don't get upset if he checks his BlackBerry or takes a call during a date; this is very common of a Wall Street man and has nothing to do with whether or not he likes you.
Wall Street Man says: "I will be sure to add you to the list of people who, after receiving an invitation to a second date, require extra time to write back (my internet was down! work was crazy! family business!), and then proceed to inform me of how great I am before insinuating that I have the attractiveness of a toad."
Daniels' Advice: Don't get upset if your Wall Street guy isn't as romantic as you would like him to be.
Wall Street Man says: "[You] performed well during the onboarding process [of our relationship]."
Daniels' Advice: Wall Street men tend to be attracted to women who are in industries other than Wall Street.
Wall Street Man says: "We have a number of things in common. I'll name a few things: First, we've both very intelligent. Second, we both like classical music so much that we go to classical music performances by ourselves. In fact, the number one interest that I would want to have in common with a woman with whom I'm in a relationship is a liking of classical music. I wouldn't be seriously involved with a woman if she didn't like classical music."
Daniels' Advice: When it comes to getting you a gift, a lot of Wall Street men are all about extravagance over thoughtfulness.
Wall Street Man says: "Please keep my number and if u ever fancy a random night out with a nice guy who'll treat u like a princess let me know!! I also have a naughty adventurous side in that I occasionally go to a swingers club of which I am a member & also other organised parties for likeminded singles/couples. If this intrigues u let me know too!!!! :))x"
Daniels' Advice: Don't get upset if your plans get scheduled by his assistant.
Wall Street Man says: "You have to provide the written answers to me if you do so, I will not need to see them ahead of time but I reserve the right to read all of them. The longer you make your answers the better this will be, spend as much time as you need, if you can't get it done by tonight or it will take you a few days that's fine. Sometimes Yes/No answers are OK but make this thing as perfect as one of your college papers."
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