In 1939 Charles E. Merrill and Winthrop H. Smith came up with a radical idea for investing: democratize the stock marketing and bring Wall Street to Main Street. Together they created a company that would earn the trust of small investors by putting their clients interest first. To achieve this they set down a series of guidelines for employees that came to be known as the Principles. While the rest of Wall Street scoffed, Merrill and Smith put their idea into action. Merrill Lynch expanded capital markets and fueled the growth of the American economy after World War II. In 1974, Winthrop H. Smith Jr. came to work for the company that his late father had co-led for 21 years, starting in the bull pen as an entry-level investment banking associate. He rose steadily, working not only in investment banking but also in marketing, human resources, finance, and sales management. But in 2001, Smith chose to end his successful Wall Street career in its 28th year for one simple