Gary Weiss facts for kids

Gary Weiss is an American investigative journalist, a writer who looks deeply into important topics. He is also a columnist and author. He writes books that explore how the financial world, especially Wall Street, works and whether it's fair. He used to be an editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. His articles for Businessweek magazine helped show problems like organized crime on Wall Street and a big trading scandal at Salomon Brothers in the 1990s. He also wrote about the 2008 financial crisis and what happened afterward.

Early Life and School

Weiss grew up in New York City. He went to public schools there, including the Bronx High School of Science. He earned degrees from the City College of New York and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Journalism Career

Gary Weiss started his career as a reporter for the Hartford Courant. Later, he wrote for Barron's magazine starting in 1984. In 1986, he joined Business Week magazine.

Investigative Reporting

From 1986 to 2004, Weiss wrote many investigative articles for Business Week. These included cover stories about the early dangers of the Internet. He also wrote about stock fraud and unfair actions by stockbroker companies. His articles showed widespread improper trading at the American Stock Exchange. He also broke the story about a bond trading scandal at Salomon Brothers in 1991.

Weiss also wrote articles that were critical of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other groups that regulate the financial world. In 1995, he wrote a cover story about how people were starting to invest online.

Warren Buffett and Salomon Brothers

In 1991, Warren Buffett, a famous investor, was temporarily in charge of Salomon Brothers. He told a U.S. Senate committee that he learned about the bond trading scandal by reading Weiss's article in Business Week. Buffett said that when the article came out, Salomon Brothers was denying that a scandal was happening. He stated, "I was not that aware personally about the squeeze, not until I did read that Business Week story."

Reporting on Wall Street Crime

In 2000, then-FBI Director Louis Freeh praised Weiss's articles, especially "Mob on Wall Street." Freeh wrote that Gary Weiss had done a great service by reporting on how organized crime was manipulating the stock market. He said that Weiss's articles helped the FBI start investigations in Florida and New York.

Later Work

In 2006, Weiss became a founding member of Project Klebnikov. This was a group of journalists who worked together to investigate the murder of Paul Klebnikov. Paul Klebnikov was the editor of the Russian version of Forbes magazine.

From 2006 to 2008, Weiss wrote columns for Forbes.com. He also contributed to The New York Times and Salon. From 2008 to 2010, Weiss was an editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. After Portfolio closed, he continued to write a weekly column called "The Weiss File" for their website until December 2010.

Books by Gary Weiss

Gary Weiss has written several books that explore different aspects of the financial world and society.

• Born to Steal (2003): This book focuses on a stockbroker named Louis Pasciuto, who had connections to the American Mafia. It also looks at how organized crime got involved with Wall Street firms in the 1990s.

• Wall Street Versus America (2006): This book humorously criticizes the morality of Wall Street, its regulators, and financial journalists. It looks closely at hedge funds and mutual funds. The book also discusses the process for settling disputes on Wall Street.

• Ayn Rand Nation (2012): This book examines the ideas of Ayn Rand and her philosophy called Objectivism. It explores how her ideas have influenced politics and the economy in the United States. George Monbiot, a writer for The Guardian, said that Weiss's book shows how Rand has become a very important figure for a certain political group.