The Stock Trading Reality Podcast

I welcome back fellow member Ken ("gaingreens" in the chatroom community) to get an update on his trading journey. The last time we spoke was before the world went crazy with covid, so needless to say, much has changed for Ken in his personal life which of course affected his trading. How was his trading affected and what did he learn from it? Even more important, what solutions did he put into place to alleviate the issues that were arising? One of Ken's biggest strengths I observed in listening was his self-awareness where he looked to blame no one but himself. This is powerful because when YOU blame yourself has the problem, YOU are also the solution to the problem. Ken is doing very well right now and he shares with us some of those "fixes" that got him to where he is.

It's time to toughen up! If you want to survive in the financial markets, a "must have" requirement is being able to have thick skin. If you are someone who is easily offended or has an ego so big that as soon as someone says something that pricks it, stay away! My guest from the community, Marcus, is a shining example of exactly why this is the case. He's been through a lot and his journey has spanned several years, but he's hustling and grinding his way not only through trading, but life. From my observation in talking with him, a huge reason why he has been able to "own life" and "make things" happen is due to his thick skin. It has so far and will continue to benefit him in the savage world of the financial markets. In other words, he has a lot to offer to those people that listen with an open mind. Let's get to it!

He's back. Long time member and one of the first five guest I ever talked to on the podcast, Richard (better known as "RDTrader" in the community), is here to update us on his continued journey in the markets. Per usual we go down some deep rabbit holes that I'm confident everyone can benefit from. Even if you have years of experience, there is nothing more powerful than "being reminded" of certain pitfalls in the market, and you'll certainly be reminded! For those of you that are new and just getting started, we talk about several tips and tricks you should consider implementing as a trader in order to give yourself a better chance at success. We also talk about the anatomy of his recent $18,000 in a single month of trading, what he learned from it, and how he made it happen. This will make more sense after listening, but please... if you want to have success and stay consistent: plant your flag!!!

I'll be the first to admit, I had no idea there was such a science to learning. I think most of us realize that learning is important and something that needs to be taken seriously; however, when it comes to "how" to take it seriously, that's where many (myself included) get lost. Whether you are wanting to learn how to trade or build a birdhouse, I think it's safe to assume you want to learn as quickly as possible and adapt to whatever is thrown your way. I did some research on learning and found an article that scientifically cites 10 dynamics that occur within our brains that can either help or hinder us in our learning ambitions. Here's a spoiler... according to the science, watching random and hours upon hours of YouTube videos just is not going to help you much. Let me walk you through some steps and decisions you can make to assist you in your learning ambitions. Article Talked About - see it HERE

What a great discussion this was! If you're looking to pick up some nuggets of wisdom from someone else's experience, look no further. I welcome back fellow member Matt ("msouza" alias in chatroom) to give us an update on his journey. Needless to say, it's been a wild ride of stupidity and pain, but hey... if we're honest with ourselves, we've all been there! Matt has made quite a few changes in his trading but most importantly, he's experienced some "stress testing" of those changes to see just how well his psychology holds up. It's one thing to make money, but it's a whole other thing to lose money within your strategy and see how you react to it. This discussion is filled with candor and honesty and I know for sure, no matter your experience level, there will be something you walk away with that makes you a better prepared trader. Let's go!

Becoming your own boss as you take that step into trading full time is a dream that many people have. Does it need to be the end goal? It does not. In many cases, using trading as a way to diversify your streams of income is more than wise; however, for our fellow community member Johnny, this is what he wanted. He follows the trend of many people in his situation. He never really had the initial goal to "go full time", he just wanted to get involved in trading to create a bit more cash for himself. After jumping in with both feet and putting in the required time and energy of studying and learning, Johnny realized just how much potential the market offers. This potential does not come easy and it does not happen overnight, but it is there and for those who want to make the effort, can be firmly grasped. Let's learn about Johnny and his journey of grasping the freedom trading allows for!

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "when it rains it pours" and that's what happened to our long time member and guest, Pendar. I have nothing but respect for these kinds of people who get slammed in the face with a sledge hammer from life, but keep on grinding. As mentioned, Pendar has been a community member for several years now and reached out to me wanting to be a guest so he could update the community on his situation, but with a twist. He wanted to really focus on all the dumb things he has done and what needs to be avoided. In this day and age of social media and everyone parading around like they have life (trading) figured out, it was a total breath of fresh air to see the more realistic and darker side of trading. Pendar is making no excuses, he's not blaming anyone, he's just doing what he needs to do to make it happen, so I'm confident you'll get some great nuggets of wisdom.

When you see potential in someone, one of the most impolite things you can do is to "beat around the bush" and not be blunt. We have a case of that here with community member Luis. As you'll see, the conversation starts off a bit rough as I questioned him and pressed him on certain areas of his journey. While it may have come across as rough around the edges, it was all being done because Luis has great potential and I didn't want to see one of the typical traps grab him. All in all though, Luis is a great guy and while he certainly still has work to do and things to improve on, he's also doing many things very well! Luis is only 19, so for you younger listeners out there, you'll get that much more motivation and inspiration from his journey.

I love me some science and psychology! I stumbled across an "effect" in the world of psychology and did more research on it... and wow, all I can say is it 100% (probably even more) applies to all of us in the challenging world of trading. In fact, it's a phenomenon where if you are being honest with yourself, it has happened to you or who knows, may be happening right now. To clarity, just because there has been money spent at a university to do research and study a topic does not mean you should blindly accept the results of it; however, given I've been around since 2013 and have interacted with 1,000's of people at this point, I can say with full certainty that this "effect" is alive and well within the financial markets. I learned a ton from it and I'm confident you will too, so let's get to it and talk some science and trading!

If there is one word that I think most new traders can relate to, it would be "randomness". When you are new and don't know what you don't know, everything can quickly become overwhelming because it all feels so random. This of course leads us on a bumpy road filled with twists and turns. This was the exact case for my guest, Andrew ("Kaizen" chatroom alias in community). To his credit, despite all the twists and turns, he stuck with it and then eventually stumbled into his "game changer" moment which has truly shifted his confidence and approach to the markets. As someone with a full time job, he is now able to trade the markets in a way that gives him great flexibility and true control. If you are someone who also works a full time job, but would like to "be a day trader", this episode is definitely for you! Let's get to it.