The Stock Trading Reality Podcast

We are traveling down under for this week’s episode. For the first time ever I speak with a fellow member who is located in Australia! Ron has been trading Forex for quite some time with many ups and downs. Thanks to his honesty, he offers up many opportunities for us all to learn from the mistakes he has made. While he does have experience in Forex, he is also beginning to expand into other areas of the market which we also talk about. I really enjoyed the conversation with Ron and am confident you’ll walk away with some “nuggets of experience” that he shares. Watch out for kangaroos and poisonous spiders, we’re going to Australia! Let’s get to it!

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say it isn’t necessarily enjoyable to receive criticism of ideas, systems or strategies that you have put time and effort into. Criticism is part of life and in all actuality, should be embraced for all of us as traders. According to Ray Dalio (worth billions of dollars), you should view any type of criticism as an opportunity. Through my own personal experience in life and especially in trading, I can attest to the fact that what Ray Dalio says is definitely true in the real world. Criticism may not be pleasant, but it is a valuable opportunity when you have the right attitude and perspective about it.

How would your life be affected if you could pay for something as big as college with trading profits? Knowledge pays. Putting a plan into motion that allows for you to take full advantage of what the market offers, while not happening overnight, is completely possible! I welcome back long time member, Micah, to update us on his journey in the world of trading. He first appeared on the show three years ago, so needless to say, much has happened in his journey since then. Micah is absolutely tearing it up and serves as a great source of motivation and inspiration in regards to what is possible with hard work and dedication. If you’re in need of some inspiration, then look no further. Let’s go!

I’m pretty sure this week’s guest is a long lost brother. When it comes to hustling and finding ways to make money in order to obtain a larger scale goal, Leon (better known as “Blew” in the community) is a monster. Those who enjoy making excuses for everything in life won’t enjoy Leon and his story, but if you are looking for some motivation and inspiration as you continue to grind in your goals, you’re going to love him. Leon works a full time job, so like many of you, his big goal is to best fit trading into his personal work schedule. If you are someone who wants to trade but also have a full time job, Leon has several insights and strategies that you can potentially use in your situation. He’s a man who doesn’t offer up excuses, but simply grinds things out, and this is what it’s all about. Let’s get to it!

One of the most dreaded rules in all of the markets: the pattern day trader rule (“PDT”). A classic example of government regulations thinking they are helping but in all actuality, creating a massive hassle for people. It is what it is, but there is some good news when it comes to this common issue. We welcome back “Reboot” (chatroom alias) to update us on his journey. A large part of his new journey has been escaping and working around the PDT rule. He takes us through all the adjustments and realizations he has made in order to place himself on a pathway to profitability that works for his account size, personal time schedule and overall goals. If you are someone who has a smaller trading account, then there will for sure be some nuggets of wisdom you will walk away with, so let’s get to it!

Those who succeed diversify. In many cases, people hear the word “diversify” and automatically think about diversifying their stock portfolio. This is certainly important and something you should be doing; however, there is also diversification of income streams. The more directions of income you can create for yourself, the more freedom you will experience. As a business owner, our guest Christopher understands this and is currently grinding away to use trading as another source of income. I was certainly inspired by his journey so far (especially as someone who lives in another country) and I’m confident you will be too. It’s time to get out there and focus on multiple streams of income.

Consistency is the magic pill to trading success and this episode’s guest has found that pill. Long time community member, best known as RDTrader12 (“RD”), has gone through many ups and downs in his journey. He’s shared many of them on previous appearances on the show, but now he’s back to give us an update on where he currently is on his journey. Not only do the markets shift, but so does life in general. Because of this, RD had to do some reworking of trade strategies he uses in order to best fit his life. Overall, RD is a shining example of what is possible when you find and establish consistency within your trading. Him and I go down several interesting rabbit holes of topic, so buckle up… it’s going to be a valuable ride!

I love bringing back previous guests to get updated on their journey. In this episode, Carl (who is very active in the chatroom) comes back to talk trading and share all the new developments in his trading. One of the great things about Carl is his willingness to be an open book of transparency. He shares with us a trade that resulted in a $100,000 plus loss and how it helped to shape and mold his current strategy. Fast forwarding to present day, Carl is seeing some great success due to the time and effort of narrowing down a strategy that works for him. He discovered the unique strategy from other members of the community, but as it should be (and needs to be), he fine tuned it to fit into his personal risk tolerance. We talk about that and much more, so let’s go!

Trading is a massive mind game puzzle that must be figured out in order to establish long term consistency. The first piece of the puzzle is becoming self-aware. If you are not able to do this, then all else will crumble around you. My guest from the community, Lisa, is a great example of what the journey of becoming self-aware looks like. I really enjoyed her perspective on things and how she was totally honest with the mistakes she made and her regrets. I respect here for locking her ego away and shooting straight (pun intended) with me about the things she wish she wouldn’t have done. This is definitely an opportunity to learn (free of charge) from someone else’s mistakes and regrets so you can keep yourself focused on the things that actually matter. So, let’s get to it!

I’m all for physical labor. Sure, it is something you cannot do forever, but if you’re willing to do it while you are able, it’s a great way to give any longer term goals a jumpstart. I realize most people would love to just start sitting in a comfy office chair and never break a sweat, yet still make money, but the reality is, the odds are against that happening. My guest, Marty, is someone who I have nothing but respect for. He is someone who is doing whatever it takes to accomplish his big picture goal of becoming a consistent trader. In fact, in his daily work he is putting himself into situations that many people are not willing to do, which I find extremely inspiring. I know the saying is way overused, but it applies here perfectly… the saying: where there is a will, there is a way. Marty has a will and he’s definitely putting that to use to find a way.

I’m flying solo in this week’s episode as I wanted to focus solely on an issue that I see constantly arising for traders. The business of trading presents a constant struggle of both mind and strategy, but when you are new to the markets, this struggle can feel like climbing Mt. Everest. Thanks to a recent article that is grounded in science and research, we are given some extremely practical insights into why trading can be such a challenge when you are first getting started. I’ll be honest, it was nice to be able to say, “Hey, this is not my opinion, but rather what research has discovered” when explaining how it all pertains to trading. If you find yourself struggling as a trader and not being able to quite reach the consistency that you want, then there are several items in this podcast that will open your eyes and point you in the right direction. Let’s go!

One of the most revealing questions a newer trader can ask is: but WHY? This shows someone’s desire to want to be more than a blind sheep trader. With all due respect, if you believe the markets are as easy as “following hot stock tips”, then your current status is that of a blind sheep. No worries! I started off the same way and it can be corrected, but Step #1 is first just acknowledging you’re a blind sheep. My guest, Aaron, is still pretty new to the community, but he’s taking all the right steps to put himself in the best possible position to succeed. The other things I really like about Aaron is his ability to take “hard” feedback and not get all offended or triggered. Too many times people hear something a bit on the hard side and get all offended, but in Aaron’s case, he took the feedback as it was intended and rolled with it as any adult and serious trader would. I really enjoyed my time with Aaron and I’m sure you will to, so let’s get to it!

Pick up the phone and start dialing for dollars! My guest this week made a living doing this exact same thing as a licensed stock broker. I always enjoy talking with those from the old school way of doing things because it brings such great perspective into today’s online world of making money. Community member, Matt, walks us through his early days in the market as a broker to where he is now, learning how to take full control of his money and grow it through actively trading. While Matt is still in his learning stage, he displays some great mindsets and mentalities that demonstrate what it takes if you are going to give yourself any kind of legitimate chance at success in the markets. We venture down quite a few rabbit holes so there is something for everyone in this week’s episode. Sit back and enjoy the ride (and scribble down some notes as you see fit).

This person’s story is without question Top 3 Most Inspiring since I began the podcast back in 2014. My guest, Diego, has been on the show before and he’s one of those guys who will make you think twice before you begin feeling sorry for yourself or making excuses. Diego is an insanely busy guy, however, he continues to make progress within his trading journey. He’s had some rough patches for sure since his last appearance on the show, but he has also made extreme progress. In fact, he is now profitable and consistent as he works through his current strategy that he shares with us. What I appreciate the most is that even though he has been consistent and profitable, Diego is still well aware of the pitfalls that could arise so he is on guard in a big way. Let’s get to it!

I’m a big believer that the success you have in life is influenced by who you choose to surround yourself with. In this week’s discussion, I talk with someone who truly gives off a positive vibe and I was soaking it all in. My guest, Jerry, got off to a great start in the markets back when people still talked to their broker on the phone, but then….well… things changed a bit. Back to the drawing board Jerry went and thus began his journey towards finding and establishing consistency. I really respect the pathway Jerry has chosen in both life and pertaining to his goals with trading. Sure, it may not be the pathway that creates overnight riches, but it is the proven way to a slow burn that produces results. There is certainly something for everyone to take away from in this discussion so let’s get to it!