Officially I wear business casual but have to keep a suit handy.

Unofficially I lost the shoes that went with the suit last month, and I am not in a hurry to get a replacement, and I am somewhat closer to casual than business...

I hear you about ties. Studies of pilots found tight ties resulted in measurable vision loss due to reduced blood supply, and I believe FAA regulations say they have to loosen (or remove) their ties before takeoff. I own, but do not wear, ties.

Other than disliking ties, I am not religious about being casual. However anywhere near finance in NYC tends to be fairly formal.