Top financier and analyst William H. Gross
A huge number of people deliberately stay where they are, afraid of losing their jobs, the respect of their colleagues, or simply believing in their prejudices.
It’s hard to believe that a simple mechanic, security guard, military man or salesman can suddenly become a successful trader, turning over billions of dollars in his account.
The big names of financiers who have achieved success on the stock exchange, earning billions of dollars, only sound majestic.
In fact, behind them lie ordinary people just like you, who also worked in their profession before coming to this market.
You will become familiar with one of these success stories as you read this article. William H. Gross was born on April 13, 1944 in Middletown, Ohio. He grew up in a very ordinary family with average income.
His mother was an ordinary housewife while his father served as an executive director at a steel mill.
It is worth noting that William H. Gross was a very diligent student, thanks to his efforts he was able to receive a scholarship to study at Duke University.
However, he was far from the financial market and the stock exchange world, since the chosen training profile concerned human psychology and in this profile he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
William H. Gross was a very active student and was even a member of one of the most prestigious fraternities called Phi Kappa Psi.
William H. Gross graduated from Duke University in 1996.
The most interesting thing is that after graduating from university, Gross decided to radically change his life and instead of working in his profile, he went to serve in the US Navy. There he served for three whole years, moreover, he participated in various special operations in the Vietnam War.
However, during his service, he completely changed his worldview, which led to the desire to further study and develop in the field of finance. After leaving the army in 1970, he entered the UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he received an MBA diploma, which predetermined his future career.
At the time of his graduation, William H. Gross was quite a successful and wealthy man. In the early stages, such a gambling card game as blackjack helped him get rich, because Gross played the game so skillfully that he managed to win many professional tournaments in Las Vegas and raise huge money from it.
Trading Career
William H. Gross began his trading career in 1971 as an analyst at Pacific Mutual Life.
William worked there until 1976 and in such a short interval began to manage one of the largest funds based on bond trading.
In many of his interviews, Gross has repeatedly emphasized the fact that the same risk management tactics that he used in the game of blackjack helped him achieve success.
Also, during his work, he received another additional education, completed analyst courses and received the appropriate diploma.
William's historical turning point was his participation in the founding of the world's largest bond fund, Pacific Investment Management.
It is worth noting that Gross was a very strict and strong leader, therefore, on this basis, conflicts repeatedly occurred in the company, which led either to litigation between the founders or to constant changes in management personnel.
Personal life and Charity
William H. Gross, being a billionaire, is actively involved in charity work. So in 2005, he donated more than $25 million to Duke University, where he once received his education.
A year later, Gross donated about $20 million to Doctors Without Borders and also sponsored the construction of a brand new surgical center for more than $20 million.
The main focus of Gross and his family's philanthropy was medicine and education, and his participation included investments in programs aimed at fighting cancer in women, as well as the study of stem cells.
The billionaire's personal life was very eventful, as he had two marriages and a number of high-profile trials regarding the division of property.
One of the most striking stories occurred after his first marriage, when Williams’ wife sued his house. For this, he actually made it uninhabitable by throwing waste into the ventilation system, which led to a terrible smell.
William H. Gross is one of the world's largest collectors, and only he has a complete collection of all US postage stamps. At this stage, the 74-year-old Gross's fortune is estimated at $2.5 billion.