Change Is Constant

I have never liked that expression, though I thrive on change. The phrase makes change sound overwhelming or at least too consistent to be manageable.

When former Editor Gil Weinreich told me recently of his plans to move overseas and start life anew, I was speechless (which takes a lot in my case). Of course, I was thrilled for him. But I was also concerned about all the adjustments he would have to make — and that I would have to make, too, if I were to take his place.

As my transition to the editor role continues, I’ve taken a bit of time (but not too much, since the to-do list is double its previous size) to reflect back on my career and life. I planned to become a journalist after finishing a master’s in economics and international affairs and after moving to Japan.

One day in 1991, I went off to downtown Osaka to do some networking. I got lost and wandered into the Osaka Stock Exchange to ask directions. Twenty-four years later, I’m still enjoying work as a financial writer and editor.

I’ll never forget one executive I interviewed from Continental Bank in Tokyo. Before I could ask him about the bank, he launched into a soliloquy about how he had always dreamed of being a writer.

I was in Osaka interviewing some of the Barings futures traders when their colleague in Singapore, Nick Leeson, began bringing down the house. The rogue trader has since turned his life around and, a few years ago, discussed his views on higher ethical standards and better training in the financial industry in Research.

As for my life in the 2000s, like many others these days, I juggle the twin duties of supporting kids and taking care of an aging parent. My membership in the “sandwich generation” — which we discuss in a feature story this month — means I have to take calls from my mom’s doctors and nurses. I’ve had to apologize to executives from firms like Wells Fargo Advisors and Cetera Financial Group, for instance, when interviews have been interrupted by such calls.