…there was a Bavarian immigrant’s dry-goods shop in Montgomery, Alabama.

Reading such things makes me wonder: Decades from now, will upstart politicians deliver a variant of John Edwards’ “I Had a Mill” speech, only substituting “investment bank” for “mill”?

My father worked 120 hours a week, fighting his way up the ranks from analyst to associate to VP. Some nights he stayed at work until 2 a.m., straining his eyes over comps and pitchbooks, bolting sandwiches ordered from the online system. With his bonuses he bought a nice car and nice furniture in shades of cream. He taught me the importance of Excel. I will always remember the gusseted duffel bag embroidered with the name of the Firm, and the vacations to Florida.

When my father died my mother gave me his BlackBerry. I had it mounted on a little stand and I keep it on my desk to this day.