Menu
Investing
Investing
Best Rates
Online Brokers
Dictionary
All Investing Terms
Investing Articles
Buffett's "Big Four" Sleep-At-Night Portfolio Is This The Ultimate Value Investing Model? The Best Stock To Profit From America's 'New Competitive Advantage' 7 Critical Traits Of The World's Best Investments See More
Investing Calculators
Million Dollar Savings Calculator: How Long Do I Need to Save to Become a Millionaire? Million Dollar Savings Calculator: How Much Do I Need To Save to Become a Millionaire? Simple Savings Calculator: How Much Could I Save Up Over Time? Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) Calculator
Mortgages
Mortgages
Best Rates
30-yr Fixed Refinance 15-yr Fixed
Dictionary
All Mortgages Terms
Mortgages Articles
90,000 Reasons Why You've Got The Wrong Mortgage Your FICO Score: 5 Things You Didn't Know Could Hurt It 5 Secrets to Surviving the Mortgage Process 5 Owner Financing Options for Home Buyers See More
Mortgages Calculators
Amortization Schedule Calculator: What Is the Repayment Schedule for My Mortgage? Mortgage Calculator: What Will My Monthly Principal & Interest Payment Be?
Credit-Cards
Credit-Cards
Best Rates
Dictionary
All Credit-Cards Terms
Credit-Cards Articles
6 Steps to Avoid Late Fees on Your Credit Card Bill -- Forever! 5 Devastating Mistakes That Turn 0% Credit Cards into Nightmares These Magic Words Can Slash Hundreds Off Your Credit Card Bills The Ugly Truth About Credit Card Debt See More
Credit-Cards Calculators
Loans
Loans
Best Rates
Car Loans Personal Loans
Dictionary
All Loans Terms
Loans Articles
Using Leverage and Debt to Juice Your Investment Strategy Good Debt: The 5 Best Reasons to Borrow Money How to Create Your Own Loan Amortization Calculator 5 Key Tips for Leasing a New Car See More
Loans Calculators
72 Month Auto Loan Calculator Car Payment Calculator with Trade In Used Car Loan Calculator Loan Interest Calculator: How Much Interest Will I Pay My Lender?
Banking
Banking
Best Rates
Money Market CD Savings
Dictionary
All Banking Terms
Banking Articles
How to Avoid Paying Bank Fees Once and For All 7 Ways to Hack Proof Your Online Bank Account How To Protect Your Assets When Your Bank Fails Beginner's Guide to Investing in CDs See More
Banking Calculators
Insurance
Insurance
Best Rates
Life Insurance
Dictionary
All Insurance Terms
Insurance Articles
How Much Life Insurance Should You Own? Travel Insurance: Protection from Your Worst Trip Nightmares How to Pick the Right Life Insurance for You The #1 Biggest Mistake Made By Renters See More
Insurance Calculators
More
More
Today's Rates All Articles All Calculators All Definitions About Us
Skip to main content
  • Investing
      Best Rates
      • Online Brokers
      Dictionary
      All Investing Terms
      Investing Articles
      • Buffett's "Big Four" Sleep-At-Night Portfolio
      • Is This The Ultimate Value Investing Model?
      • The Best Stock To Profit From America's 'New Competitive Advantage'
      • 7 Critical Traits Of The World's Best Investments
      • See More
      Investing Calculators
      • Million Dollar Savings Calculator: How Long Do I Need to Save to Become a Millionaire?
      • Million Dollar Savings Calculator: How Much Do I Need To Save to Become a Millionaire?
      • Simple Savings Calculator: How Much Could I Save Up Over Time?
      • Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) Calculator
  • Mortgages
      Best Rates
      • Mortgage Rates
      • 30-yr Fixed
      • 15-yr Fixed
      • Refinance
      Dictionary
      All Mortgage Terms
      Mortgage Articles
      • 90,000 Reasons Why You've Got The Wrong Mortgage
      • Your FICO Score: 5 Things You Didn't Know Could Hurt It
      • 5 Secrets to Surviving the Mortgage Process
      • 5 Owner Financing Options for Home Buyers
      • See More
      Mortgage Calculators
      • Amortization Schedule Calculator: What Is the Repayment Schedule for My Mortgage?
      • Mortgage Calculator: What Will My Monthly Principal & Interest Payment Be?
  • Credit Cards
      Best Rates
      • Bad Credit
      • Business
      • Cash Back
      • Rewards
      Dictionary
      All Credit Cards Terms
      Credit Cards Articles
      • 6 Steps to Avoid Late Fees on Your Credit Card Bill -- Forever!
      • 5 Devastating Mistakes That Turn 0% Credit Cards into Nightmares
      • These Magic Words Can Slash Hundreds Off Your Credit Card Bills
      • The Ugly Truth About Credit Card Debt
      • See More
      Credit Cards Calculators
      • Coming Soon
  • Loans
      Best Rates
      • Personal Loans
      • Car Loans
      Dictionary
      All Loans Terms
      Loans Articles
      • Using Leverage and Debt to Juice Your Investment Strategy
      • Good Debt: The 5 Best Reasons to Borrow Money
      • How to Create Your Own Loan Amortization Calculator
      • 5 Key Tips for Leasing a New Car
      • See More
      Loans Calculators
      • 72 Month Auto Loan Calculator
      • Car Payment Calculator with Trade In
      • Used Car Loan Calculator
      • Loan Interest Calculator: How Much Interest Will I Pay My Lender?
  • Banking
      Best Rates
      • Savings
      • CD
      • Money Market
      Dictionary
      All Banking Terms
      Banking Articles
      • How to Avoid Paying Bank Fees Once and For All
      • 7 Ways to Hack Proof Your Online Bank Account
      • How To Protect Your Assets When Your Bank Fails
      • Beginner's Guide to Investing in CDs
      • See More
      Banking Calculators
      • Coming Soon
  • Insurance
      Best Rates
      • Life Insurance
      Dictionary
      All Insurance Terms
      Insurance Articles
      • How Much Life Insurance Should You Own?
      • Travel Insurance: Protection from Your Worst Trip Nightmares
      • How to Pick the Right Life Insurance for You
      • The #1 Biggest Mistake Made By Renters
      • See More
      Insurance Calculators
      • Coming Soon
  • More
    • Today's Rates
    • All Articles
    • All Calculators
    • All Definitions
    • About Us
What can we help you find today?
posted on 06-06-2019

Gordon Gekko

Updated October 1, 2019

Who is Gordon Gekko?

Gordon Gekko is a character from the 1987 Oliver Stone movie Wall Street and the 2010 sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Michael Douglas played Gordon Gekko in both movies.

Gordon Gekko Background

In the original movie, Gordon Gekko is a high-powered and extremely successful corporate raider. A young, persistent stockbroker, Bud Fox (played by Charlie Sheen), comes under his wing and learns the inner workings of insider trading and corporate raiding. Wanting to get in with Gekko but not realizing that Gekko would eventually use him to make millions, Fox gets Gekko to invest in Blue Star Airlines. Fox’s father is a mechanic at the company, and through him Fox becomes aware of material nonpublic information about the company, which he passes on to Gekko. Gekko then buys the company, which is undervalued, and sells off the assets at a profit, causing the employees to lose their jobs. Fox devises a plan to burn Gekko in retaliation, and Fox meets his own destiny.

Why Does Gordon Gekko Matter?

Gordon Gekko is one of the most famous fictional characters of the finance world. His most famous lines, often debated and repeated to this day, come in a scene when Gekko attends the shareholders meeting of Teldar Paper, which has been grossly mismanaged.

"Mr. Cromwell, Teldar Paper has 33 different vice presidents each earning over two hundred thousand dollars a year. Now, I have spent the last two months analyzing what all these guys do, and I still can't figure it out. One thing I do know is that our paper company lost 110 million dollars last year, and I'll bet that half of that was spent in all the paperwork going back and forth between all these vice presidents. The new law of evolution in corporate America seems to be survival of the unfittest. Well, in my book you either do it right or you get eliminated. In the last seven deals that I've been involved with, there were 2.5 million stockholders who have made a pretax profit of 12 billion dollars. Thank you. I am not a destroyer of companies. I am a liberator of them! The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much."

Gekko’s speech is controversial because it confronts the importance of self-interest in capitalist economies -- an idea that mirrors real-life Adam Smith’s argument in Wealth of Nations: "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker that we can expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest."



Related Terms

raider
stockbroker
insider trading
undervalued
profit
year
Adam Smith
Wealth
5 Credit Cards That Will Pay You Hundreds Just For Signing Up (2019)
by Christian Hudspeth What's even better than earning rewards for spending on your credit cards? Getting paid hundreds of dollars worth in sign-up bonuses in three months or sooner -- just for tr...
The Top 4 Balance Transfer Credit Cards for 2019
by Christian Hudspeth Tired of dragging credit card debt around with you? Taking 15 minutes to transfer your debt to a credit card with generous balance transfer perks could save you thousands in...
The 5 Best Rewards Credit Cards for 2019
by Christian Hudspeth If you're going to spend money anyway, then why not get paid for it?Whether you're looking for credit cards with up to 6% cash back, double flight miles, or even a free hote...
How a CD Ladder Strategy Can Boost Your Income as Interest Rates Rise
by Christian HudspethIn times where interest rates are on the rise, you may start hearing financial advisors and bankers sing the praises of an income strategy called "CD laddering" (short for ce...
Should You Sell Your Own Home or Use a Realtor?
by Susan Campbell Those of us familiar with selling property know real estate agents don't come cheap. With real estate agent commission and fees amounting to as much as 6% of the sel...
6 Secrets to Saving Money On Your Balance Transfer Credit Card
Beverly Harzog is a nationally recognized credit card expert, author, and consumer advocate. She blogs about credit cards at BeverlyHarzog.com. Being in credit card debt is the pits. I've bee...
The 4 Worst Home Refinancing Mistakes People Make (and How to Avoid Them!)
by Christian Hudspeth If you haven't already felt the pressure to refinance your mortgage, you're probably really feeling it now. Mortgage rates are still hovering near historic lows. But ...
Closing on a Mortgage? This Sneaky Lender Trick Could Cost You Thousands
by Christian Hudspeth If you or someone you know is thinking about getting a home mortgage, you may want to know about the thousands of dollars in hidden charges that some lenders are quietly...
Money Market vs Savings: Which Account is Best for You?
by Christian Hudspeth Money market accounts (MMAs) and savings accounts make great places to set aside your emergency fund money and earn some interest income at the same time.Simply put, these s...
4 Situations When a Personal Loan is a Good Idea
by Christian Hudspeth It's true that auto loans and home loans offer attractively-low annual percentage rates (APRs), while credit cards offer borrowing power without the risk of ever seeing the ...
5 Things to Know Before Opening a CD
by Christian HudspethWant to keep your emergency fund safe while earning interest yields that are three to five times higher than a typical savings account? Putting your money into an FDIC-insure...
The Best Way to Start Investing When You're Young
by Christian Hudspeth Question: Hi there. I need your advice. I'm only 19 and I really need to start investing. Where can I start? -- Tirelo M., Gaborone, Botswana Answer: You've defini...
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 06/06/2019 - 06:43
  • Investing
  • Mortgages
  • Credit Cards
  • Loans
  • Banking
  • Insurance
  • More
    • Today's Rates
    • All Articles
    • All Calculators
    • All Definitions
    • About Us

Find the best rates for...

Browse our financial dictionary

#ABCDEFGHIJKLM
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    Follow us

InvestingAnswers is the only financial reference guide you’ll ever need. We provide the most comprehensive and highest quality financial dictionary on the planet, plus thousands of articles, handy calculators, and answers to common financial questions -- all 100% free of charge.
Copyright © 2019. InvestingAnswers, Inc. All Rights Reserved
  • Archive|
  • Advertiser Disclosure|
  • Terms of Use|
  • Privacy Policy|
  • Disclaimer