How He Became a Millionaire in a 9-to-5, Then Got Laid Off | Eric Pan | Connected with Weirong Li

We are taught that building real wealth requires starting a massive company, getting lucky, or having every answer figured out. In the premiere episode of Connected, I sit down with finance creator Eric Pan (@ericnomics). Eric’s story proves that financial freedom is possible without Silicon Valley hype: from folding clothes at his parents' laundromat at 7 years old, to working on Wall Street, to becoming a self-made millionaire working a regular 9-to-5 job. Then, he unexpectedly got laid off. Two years later, his parents know he lost his corporate job, but they still have no idea he makes videos on the internet for a living. Instead of another conversation about spreadsheets and stock picks, we talk about the raw human reality: the shame of trying to explain content creation to immigrant parents, making $0 for four months while starting over, why he publicly admitted to losing $17,000 to a scam, and why soft skills and human connection will always beat technical finance knowledge. In this episode, we cover: • 00:00: Folding clothes in a family laundromat at 7 years old • 04:30: Walking into Wall Street and managing $35 Billion in AUM • 09:15: How he built a million-dollar net worth inside a 9-to-5 • 14:00: Getting laid off and why his parents still don't know what he does • 19:40: The 6-month runway: making $0 while starting from scratch • 26:10: Losing $17,000 to a crypto scam and sharing it publicly • 33:20: The math behind why panic selling ruins long-term returns • 41:15: Real estate vs. index funds: what he would tell his 23-year-old self • 48:30: Why human connection and soft skills will outlast AI Connect with Eric: Instagram:   / ericnomics   TikTok:   / ericnomics   Connect with Weirong: Instagram:   / therealweirongli   Podcast Instagram:   / connectedwithweirongli   LinkedIn:   / weirongli   TikTok:   / globalweirongli   If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe on YouTube, leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend!