Extreme Measures

On the surface, things may look pretty much the same on the street where you live. But take a closer look. Neighbor Bob now rushes home to day trade his burgeoning stock portfolio. That nice old Mr. Phillips on the next block? Haven't seen him much lately? He's holed up trading foreign currencies-having fun and making a good buck, too. The busy soccer mom across the way? She trades stock options for two hours every day after she puts her kids on the school bus in the morning. And she's turned a $5,000 savings account into a $35,000 war chest in just five months.

These ordinary, extraordinary people have stepped up the pace, broadened horizons and made success and adventure a new hobby. While many continue to plow discretionary income into old standbys like savings accounts, insurance policies, conventional bonds and traditional real estate, others roam worldwide and cybersearch new continents seeking brand-new investment niches and opportunities.

They are a new breed. All of them are Extreme Investors in their own right. Are you willing to risk a little more in making a jump to the next level of your financial freedom? Do you want to make ordinary, mundane investment routines an exhilarating and lucrative hobby? Should you become an Extreme Investor in your own right? Maybe.

This article was originally published in the November 2000 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Extreme Measures.