Hedge fund manager Ben Shoval, wearing a Giorgio Armani suit, grabbed the microphone last week at New York's Broadway Comedy Club to riff on his day job.
"A hedge fund is like a mutual fund on steroids," said Shoval, who manages $260 million (R2 billion) for Ambit Funding. "It's like the Barry Bonds of investments. Barry goes to Mexico for his juice. We go to the Cayman Islands."
The line drew a smattering of laughs from the audience, highlighting the challenge Shoval faces delivering hedge fund humour to a crowd used to wisecracks about sex and race.
The 31-year-old hedge fund manager started his stand-up career in January, taking private and group lessons that have cost about $3500 (R27 000).
By humbling himself at open-mike shows, Shoval said, he hoped he'd learn to perform at industry conferences.
Hedge fund managers may need comic relief. The industry is composed of unregulated investment pools that typically charge 2 percent in fees and reap 20 percent of profits.
Hedge funds suffered their worst interim performance in almost two decades, according to Hedge Fund Research.
"When things are bad, like they are now, we seem to be a scapegoat for absolutely everything," Shoval said.
"That's what's neat about the hedge fund manager routine that I'm doing, because there are so many misunderstandings."
Tim Davis, Shoval's comedy teacher, said: "Comedy attracts executives and lawyers who want to try something new or improve public speaking skills.
"Once you've succeeded at one field, you want to succeed at the most difficult job there is - getting up on stage and making people laugh."
The hedge fund routine might work out, said Chris Grimes, a lawyer and Shoval's classmate.
"I find audiences are really smart, and they eventually get it. There's a moment when the audience clicks."
Shoval opened his August 5 act with a joke making light of the US housing market collapse. "Chrysler announced they're no longer going to be offering leases," he said. "This is horrible. Millions of Americans are losing their houses, and now they're not even going to have cars to sleep in."
The best part of being a comedian was "that feeling when you got the audience laughing and you're telling a joke that you've written ... and you really got them", Shoval said.