Quit & Run

‘In those days and in that time, I felt something was very wrong with the concept of working from before sunrise until utter exhaustion well after sunset, with the only action in between being the ability to get enough sleep to do it all over again.’

To give up a big paycheck is never easy, but that is precisely what Daniel Tabbush did in early 2012 and he has not looked back since. He was Head of Asian Bank Research at CLSA, the number one stockbroker in Asia, for nearly 20 years. But it got to the point where he became more concerned with his work-life balance than anything else.

Quit & Run: My Wake Up Call on Wall Street spans his career success and rise to a high-power job. However, his large salary came at a high price. “I was beholden to an incessant Blackberry, an instant-response industry and the process of socialising a research view endlessly. Working trips, which often spanned 20 cities, across several countries, in less than 20 days, with nearly 100 client meetings, finally took their toll.” Over the years, Daniel’s sought-after role became something much more macabre. The glittering industry he had entered into had moved away from its roots and what he had enjoyed – finding great stock ideas for investors. He decided to get out before it was too late.

“I wanted to show the reality of the dream job, and that it can damage your life. Too many people have too rosy a view of the life of a stock analyst and the finance industry in general. I wrote my book as a huge sigh of relief from finally getting out, and in the hopes that this will inspire positive change in the industry, and a move towards something more healthy for analysts and more helpful for investors,” says Daniel, of his motivation to write the book.

Daniel Tabbush has been analysing Asian banks for 20 years, first making a name for himself during the Thai Baht crisis of 1997, and subsequently with his work on HSBC, Japanese banks and others. Since leaving stockbroking, Daniel has set up his own bank research company, with his product The Tabbush Report.

Daniel Tabbush has been analysing Asian banks for 20 years, first making a name for himself during the Thai Baht crisis of 1997, and subsequently with his work on HSBC, Japanese banks and others. Since leaving stockbroking, Daniel has set up his own bank research company, with his product The Tabbush Report.