People reach out to me all the time. Some are frustrated with their trading. Some want to learn new skills. And some are looking for magic - a special approach or an indicator that will deliver swift untold riches to them.
I've managed a $billion in options strategies in my time so they figure I must know something top secret. I ask them... Do you think trading magic really exists? Look at hedge fund performance. Some firms with dozens of 180 IQ MIT quants on the payroll... result? Nothing special for the most part, and often pretty mediocre.
Newsflash. There is no magic in trading and investing. Sure, there is some embedded edge in options markets that you can target if you know what you're doing. But in the end, only discipline and a consistent sensible approach that aims to reduce emotion and keep you doing more of the good stuff is what it takes.
Because you can either follow rules and guardrails or you can fly by the seat of your pants.
You can trade what you think should be happening or you can trade what is actually happening.
You can trade for excitement or you can trade to make money.
You can keep thinking you're smarter than the market, or you can wait for tailwinds and setups that make sense.
Should you take on risk? Absolutely. Plenty. But sensible and well-thought-out risk is very different from a lot of what I'm seeing out there these days in trading-land.
If you want magic, good luck in your quest. If you want a sensible set of rules combined with volatility-based guardrails that keep you doing more of the right things and less of the crap ones? Reach out. I also may know a card trick or two.
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