Fireside chat with Bloomberg columnist Matt Levine, moderated by Michael Gatto (July 2025)

On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, Fordham's O'Shea Center of Credit Analysis and Investment hosted a fireside chat with Bloomberg columnist Matt Levine, moderated by Michael Gatto, author of the Credit Investor's Handbook and partner at Silver Point Capital, a $40B credit-focused investment firm.

Description:

"Why would anyone leave Wall Street right when they start to make big bucks to become a writer?" - A Fireside Chat with Matt Levine.

Not since Michael Lewis left Salomon Brothers in 1988 to write Liar's Poker has an ex-Wall Streeter found an almost cult-like following of his writing. In 2010, Matt Levine was a brilliant but completely obscure banker in Goldman Sachs' structured derivatives group.

At the age of 33, right when Matt was on the verge of "making the big money on Wall Street," he quit to write for Dealbreaker, a financial news and gossip blog. He quickly gained popularity for his insightful and extremely humorous commentary on the financial markets. Today, Matt's podcast and his Bloomberg column, Money Stuff, have a fanatical following among Wall Street practitioners.

One of my favorite quotes, which I share with all my students on their last day of class, is, "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." Matt's journey from high-priced corporate lawyer to Goldman Sachs to professional writer exemplifies this quote by Albert Schweitzer, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

Join me for an engaging discussion on Matt Levine's unique career path. We'll delve into the most captivating characters he's encountered on Wall Street, explore his favorite articles and podcasts, and uncover what he finds most intriguing to write about in today's ever-evolving financial markets.

Michael Gatto