Miss Catherine,
It is a pleasure to be introduced to you. I have been on Solari.com and read many of your papers. Your Narco Dollars series was particularly interesting/upsetting. I never realized how drug money helps run corporate America. With that, I want to tell you a little bit about myself. I grew up in mid-Missouri on a farm with three brothers and very supportive parents. I’m currently a business student at the [A University in the Heartland] with an emphasis in Econ, Finance, and Real Estate. I once believed that our government was there to protect us and had our interests at heart. I thought that the FDIC was an excellent idea to protect against bank runs and that the movie ‘Enemy of the State’ was a work of fiction that didn’t happen in real life. Through reading books that [Your colleague] has recommended and reading websites, including your story, I am beginning to realize how far from the truth my previous conceptions were.
I believe that [Your colleague] has had such an impact on my life because of a void in my education. While sitting through class in college the first year, I always had questions that were never answered and concerns that few understood. I would sit there thinking that something sounded wrong. Thanks to his mentoring, I have begun to read between the lines and understand what is really happening in the world of big business. To the question at hand, I want to get an internship on Wall Street and with the Banking and Finance committee of the House/Senate. Growing up on a Midwest farm, I don’t have any big city connections, only appreciation for a hard day’s work. If you have any suggestions about how to achieve this, or to better understand what is happening around me, I would greatly appreciate it. There are many more questions I’d like to ask, but I know that you are a busy person. Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail.
Sincerely,
Student in the Heartland
. . . and Catherine’s response
Hey, Student in the Heartland:
Step one is to build your resumé. If you send me a copy of your current one, I will make some suggestions.
Step two is to simulate investment portfolios, either alone or with an investment club at school. You might want to focus on food and commodities as that is a growing area without much capacity in Wall Street or Washington, relative to what it will need over the next decade or two. Stick with portfolios that have a positive total economic return as much as possible.
Step three is to develop strong connections with your existing resources. Start with your current Congressional office and Senatorial offices. They all have internships and some real persistence can open them up to anyone. Study the history of the principals and staff and see what relationships you can build, including someone who might mentor you. Then try the placement office at the University. See what avenues they can provide . . . including to the commodities markets in Chicago. Commodities have more opportunities now than Wall Street. Best to move initially in things that are going up in value rather than down. For that reason, being on some of the Canadian exchanges or markets or Asian, Latin American or European exchanges or markets may be a better place than Wall Street. Washington and Wall Street with be in workout, clean up mode for a while. There are things to learn, but not as powerful as with people who are rising in creative and build mode.
Step four is not to believe anyone who tells you that you have to do things that you are uncomfortable with personally or professionally. You may suffer an occasional setback, however excellence is what is desired and will fuel your success. So be excellent and do not be persuaded otherwise by people who are not excellent and subsidize their lack of it by compromising you.
If I could recommend reading materials to you that would help on long run fundamentals, it would be our Solari Report archives, including audio seminars and links on the Solari Report resource page.
Remember, in a flood it is best to be on higher ground. The trick is to understand where that is and have a process to continuously get you and keep you there.
Keep me posted on what you find.
In “cahoots,”
Catherine
