Picture shows many fingers pointing at guilty trader

You Should Feel Guilty Making Money as a Trader

“You should feel guilty making money as a trader.” Many traders who come to me as clients or students have a voice inside their head that says something similar to this sentence. It can come from their

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Image of evil shadow out to sabotage man running in fear

They Are Sabotaging My Success

“My wife doesn’t support me. After every trading session she looks at me with critical eyes.” “My parents want me to get a real job. They believe trading is just like gambling and I’m addicted.” “All

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Rich brushing up on trading psychology in the Nevada desert

Combat Trading: How combat training teaches trading psychology

A lesson in Combat TradingHow does a boot camp that teaches small arms combat, help traders develop a master trader’s mindset?I just spent four days in the Nevada desert in an intense small arms combat

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The illusion of control can affect your trading decisions

Does Your “Control” Illusion Create Trading Losses?

The mind trap we’re going to look at today is “Control Illusion.” This means that if your subconscious mind believes that it is in control, as a trader, you ascribe more value than is actually there. This

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Are you smaller than your money?

Are You Smaller Than Your Money?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.” – Marianne Williamson First,

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Do you have a trading addiction?

Do you have a Trading Addiction?

How do you know if you’re addicted to trading? Signs of a trading addiction Some of my clients are addicted to trading. Yes, addicted. Addicted in the same sense as alcohol, gambling, sex or nicotine

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Image of a hammer about to tap a nail into a brain - does state of mind really mtter in trading?

The Trader’s State of Mind – Does it Matter?

Does the Trader’s State of Mind really matter?I have heard this argued both ways. It is been argued that the trader’s state of mind, or more formally, the psychology of a trader, is less critical

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Is your money thermostat set too low

Is Your Success Thermostat Set Too Low?

It never occurs to most traders that they may have a big problem with success. I have never had a new private client tell me that one of their biggest issues was handling financial success and wealth as

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Image: controlling emotion

The Path to Emotional Control

Traders have a major problem. After over two decades of trading on the floors in Chicago and San Francisco, building my own options and equity trading firm, training traders to trade my own capital, coaching

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Impulse trading is not what you think

Impulse Trading Isn’t What You Think

It feels so sudden. It feels like it is out of our control. It feels like something just took over. It feels so persistent. It feels so irrational. We start with good intentions and make a vow. Before

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Image showing chart proving the issue of handling trading losses is always at the top of the list.

Our Trading Brain and Trading Loss

A slow motion, step by step playbook. Why is trading loss the biggest pain point for traders? In a survey of over 1000 traders, the issue of handling trading losses is always at the top of the list.

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Image of signposts: December is trading psychology month

December is Trading Psychology Month!

December is Trading Psychology Month, and we have some items planned for you to make sure you start 2019 from a better trading mindset! Every day you have a choice. You can choose to continue the trading

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Shred your personal stories

Shred Your Stories

“The mind has a job. And that’s to give us all the stories that prove that what it thinks is true.” Byron Katie The world comes at us with a seemingly infinite amount of data every day.

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The more you care the worse you fare

Trading Psychology: The More We Care, The Worse We Fare

I remember going to a student’s office where he was an active day trader. At one point, the trader was short a large number of futures contracts and as it approached his stop he started tapping

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Pithy Trading Psychology Precepts

Pithy Precepts of Trading Psychology

Over the years I have created and collected the following pithy “precepts.” These precepts are trading and investing guidelines that give a compass heading to trading integrity. I offer them

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Pathways to Progress: Your Compass to consistent Profits

Pathways to Progress: Your Guide to Steady, Consistent Results

For over 25 years, I have watched both independent and professional traders flounder. It is the source of one of my biggest frustrations to see capable, intelligent and skillful traders spend thousands

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Learning to trade - from the start right up to your success

Learning to Trade: From Start to Success

Learning to Trade From Start to Success Most of us traders are hoping for that magical “breakthrough” that will give us confidence in our trading and bring us to immediate, consistent profits. We look

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Trading Mastery is Often Sabotaged by Subconscious Emotions

The Path to Trading Mastery is Often Sabotaged by Subconscious Emotions

Traders have a major problem. After over two decades of trading on the floors in Chicago and San Francisco, building my own options and equity trading firm, training traders to trade my own capital, coaching

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How to build new neural networks for more effective trading

Building New Neural Networks

  An Introduction to Mind Muscles™ The markets are the markets. There is nothing most of us can do to change them. It is difficult to change the behaviors of people we know well, let alone the masses

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What is a Trading Psychologist?

What is a Trading Psychologist?

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that someone would call me up and ask “Are you the trading psychologist?” It has happened. But after two decades of trading on the floors of the Chicago

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