Bio: Who is James Hartje

Who I Am

My name is James Hartje I am a Sophomore Finance Major at Arizona State University W. P. Carey School of Business. Along with Finance I am minoring in Psychology and working to get my certificate in both Small Business and Entrepreneurship and International Business. I first began trading when I was thirteen years old when I decided to cash out my McDonalds shares and open up a Brokerage Account with Scottrade. I can still remember my first trade when I bought Google at $250. Since then I have been on a rapid path excelling through the industry and learning step by step along the way. Success and failures have come yet I am confident to say that my losses, not my winning trades, are what have made me the trader I am today. After having a very successful 2007, I felt the same effect as everyone else did in 2008. Since then though I have built a new list of trading principles and have new defined fundamentals to help pick winning stocks and protect myself better from the natural risks associated with the markets. I have implemented these new principles on all my new brokerage accounts and formed my own trading system. Mainly its my passion for finance which has carried me so far. It helped me land internship opportunities at HSBC on their Sales and Trading and Equity Capital Markets Desk and Ameriprise Financial at such a young age and now is pushing me to new limits I could never had expected. For those of you working within the financial field or interested in getting to know me feel free to add me on Linkedin as I am constantly networking to better position myself for the future. Also feel free to talk to me on a daily basis through Twitter and Facebook. Also follow my Facebook Fan Page. The picture is of me with Bill Carey the Billionaire founder of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Personal Background

On a lighter note, my personal background is quite extensive. I was originally born in Hong Kong where I lived eight years before moving to Orange County and starting life up in the United States. Only a year later I moved to Novato, California a suburb north of San Francisco where I have lived the past eight years before departing off to college at Arizona State University. College has been a blast so far and a opportunity for me to showcase what I have to offer in the Investment world. In Spring of 2009, I was 1 of 10 faculty selected students to participate in highly competitive program Investment Banking Industry Scholars program designed to prepare students for careers in investment banking. In fact, the program was recently featured in BusinessWeek. Within the program we attend weekly meetings aimed to improving technical abilities, professionalism skills, and industry communication strategies. I partake in weekly discussions with ASU and non-ASU affiliated investment banking professionals to further understand industry specific expectations and challenges. To add to this we participate in bi-weekly training sessions that introduce excel training, corporate valuations, and financial statement awareness. To add to this I have become an vocal part in ASU’s community joining Sigma Nu Fraternity, Student Government Association, Financial Management Association, Student Economics Association, and Sports Business Administration. To add to this I was one of few selected to teach an introductory business course to incoming Fall 2009 freshmen. Despite my busy life at ASU, my true passions in life our traveling, family, friends, finance, and sports. International travel is an experience I believe everyone should have the opportunity to have. Most recently I traveled to Cape Town, South Africa and it was an eye-opening experience. Truly made me appreciate the capitalistic society we have back at home. To add to this I am a die hard sports fan. Unfortunately I seem to be following losing teams as I am a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Raiders, and Golden State Warriors. I have recently become an avid Arizona State Sun Devil fan yet they aren’t much better. Times are changing though so the winning ways are coming soon.

Passion for Investment Banking and Career Aspirations

I became fascinated with investment banking when I opened my own brokerage account at the age of thirteen. I had no clue as to what part of investment banking I would to pursue. Having grown up in Hong Kong, I had schoolmates whose parents were international investment bankers. All I knew was that it involved various disciplines such as research, sales, managing assets and trading. There is one thing I do know though: I want to work for Goldman Sachs. I’m aware this may seem cliché or unrealistic. I’ve studied the profiles of numerous high-achieving investors and financiers and have observed that a stint at Goldman Sachs is often a common denominator. I focused on expanding my knowledge of investment banking over the past four years and have narrowed my horizon in terms of a career goal. Everything finally clicked when I worked as an intern at HSBC’s London Headquarters on their equity and securities trading floor. The sheer exhilaration was amazing. The constant chatter and trader highs and the lows was something I also wanted to experience. Leaving HSBC that first day on the job, I knew I wanted to be a trader. It also clicked because my favorite hobby is researching investment opportunities and trading within my brokerage account. A key reason I want to be a trader is the responsibility and risk they assume. I have always been decisive and I’m not afraid to take smart risks. That’s what trading gives you, the ability to make the final decision and take responsibility for the results. It is truly is a love/hate profession. When you’re successful, everyone loves you; but one slip and you’re crucified. That’s where self-confidence kicks in. If you truly believe in your abilities and have confidence in your instincts, you will be successful. If you can make money on Wall Street, then you’ll have a job for a lifetime irrespective of temporary pitfalls. I also aspire to become an emerging markets trader. Growing up in Hong Kong, living in the United States, and traveling across Europe and Africa has given me an international perspective I’d like to apply as an emerging market trader. I’ve observed that many people are myopic and limited in their knowledge of global economics and international market dynamics. I believe there is a strong future for internationally oriented investment professionals with an objective grasp of emerging markets and their potential for generating high returns on investments. Trading also offers the potential for financial security, but not without risk. The qualities of a great trader go far beyond anything that can be gleaned from a textbook. I know I have the right mix of qualities, risk orientation and instincts to be an outstanding trader. Sorry to bore you a little but just wanted to update you with who I am and what I plan on becoming. Thanks for reading and hope to talk to you soon.