One of close friends has made 71% on a 7 digit trading account since the beginning of the year. He got the capital to trade with from one year of playing poker. Now he has stopped poker and is trading fulltime. He graduated from college last year with a degree in comp sci. He began trading September of 2006. At first he wasn't too successful but the money came in after he developed a mechanical system. He never looks at news or cares what the company do. Sometimes I ask him what he wants to do with his life. He tells me he would like to start a hedge fund but he often wonders if people would give money to someone so young. Would 3 or 4 years of 100%+ returns be enough credit for a young person who has never had a job in his life?