Mass Hysteria Over AIG Obscures Simple Truths: Michael Lewis Last September, the U.S. government began to dole out the first of $173 billion to American International Group. A big chunk of it passed right through to banks that had bought insurance from AIG against mortgage and corporate defaults -- foreign banks such as Deutsche Bank and Societe Generale but also some domestic ones, such as Goldman Sachs and Bank of America.

Man Up! Hedge-Fund Man’s Advice for Wall Street: Michael Lewis Before I quit my job trading bonds for my former Wall Street employer and set up my first hedge fund, I thought long and hard.

Suicide Fails the Test of Taking Responsibility: Michael Lewis Financial people may or may not be more likely than others to kill themselves after they’ve suffered a reversal, but there’s no question that they enjoy a reputation for doing so.

Anthony Thinks It Over, Responds on a Calling: Michael Lewis A young man who took a job with a big Wall Street firm earlier this year, and has been watching both as an industry and a way of life die, recently wrote to me asking for career advice.

Lewis on Wall Street Calling Prompts an Outpouring (Update1) “Real excitement isn’t just in whatever you happen to be doing, but in what you bring to it,” columnist Michael Lewis wrote to young Wall Streeter “Anthony” in this space yesterday.

A Wall Street Job Can’t Match a Calling in Life: Michael Lewis Recently I received a letter from a young employee of a well-known financial firm, who asked that I not mention his full name, his employer or anything else that might give him away. Though a bit short on self-pity and self- dramatization, this letter was otherwise a fine example of a sort I’ve received often these past few months.

Bonus Jackpot Can Be Yours in Five Easy Steps: Michael Lewis It may still take awhile before Wall Street finally accepts that it won't get paid.

This Hedge Fund Manager Tries to Short Himself: Michael Lewis The first time I sensed the alarming change in my soul was when I caught myself, five minutes after the market open, reaching for a reefer.

America Must Rescue the Bonuses at Goldman Sachs: Michael Lewis Anyone who caught even a sliver of yesterday's hearings in the U.S. Senate on the proposed Treasury bailout of the mortgage-backed securities market knows that the current financial crisis is far from over. Suddenly all sorts of previously unthinkable catastrophes seem possible.

Bright Side of a Total Financial Market Collapse: Michael Lewis One of life's rules is that there's bad in good and good in bad. The total collapse of the U.S. financial system is no exception. Even in the midst of the current financial despair we can look around and identify many collateral benefits.