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Scott Redler: 10 Trading Rules I’ll Teach My Son
The son becomes the father, and the father the son. -Jor-El, father of Superman Last year, I had back surgery to correct a sequestered spinal disc. That pretty much meant the end of my competitive racing career. But as one Redler falls… another rises. I’m winding down. And my son Chace is winding up. On Monday, he ran the 38th annual President’s Cup 5K Run in Millburn, NJ in 20:15.28. Here’s a picture of us after the finish. I ran the race alongside him… until he passed me by. Chace broke the record for 8-year olds for this particular race. And he may have posted one of the top-3 5K finishes EVER by an 8-year old. (official records are a little spotty) I think running and competing can take him far in life. And I’m not just talking about college scholarships. He’s learning the value of discipline and hard work early. But maybe one day he’ll leave running behind. Maybe he’ll follow his old man into another competitive, testosterone-filled career… trading. If he made that choice, I’d drag him into the garage, lock the door, and not let him out until he understands these 10 trading rules: 10) Trading Is a Business People think trading is like hitting the craps table at Ceasars Palace. But it’s a business just like any other. You have to balance your books every month, make it through slowdowns, and most of all, not put yourself at risk of bankruptcy. The average guy on the street thinks trading is really exciting. You lose $10 million one day, and make $20 million the next. NOTHING could be further from the truth. Every successful trader knows that… 9) Trading Should Be Boring Thrill-seekers always fail. Always. Here’s a pretty common scenario: A trader starts his career, and BAM! He has a huge day. Let’s call it $50K. I gotta tell you, $50K all at once can ruin a trader’s life. They start thinking that big money comes easily. They start thinking about making $100K a day… or $200K a day. So they keep taking more and more risk… until they run into a day like the August 24, 2015 flash crash. 5 minutes after the open, the margin clerk’s demanding more cash. The trader doesn’t have the money to put up, so their positions get closed out, right at the bottom. So they’re put out of business just before the rebound. I’ve seen it happen again and again. So if you’re just getting started, I recommend that you… 8) Focus on Execution First, Money Second If you get good at anything, the money’s going to come eventually. So focus on developing your skills, and properly executing the strategies you learn. That’s what’s going to keep you in the game for the long run. Fast money leaves just as fast at arrived. Your #1 goal should be to develop a set of trading strategies that can give you consistent profits, no matter what’s happening in the market. Once your brain gets big, your wallet follows. But let’s not forget about your heart, because… 7) Your Temper Can Kill You Self-control is more important than brainpower. You can have all the intelligence in the world, but if you can’t stay calm when you’re losing money, you’re toast. You need the self-awareness to know when you’re at risk of letting emotions dictate your decision-making process. I just read an article in the Wall Street Journal about a banker that used basketball to judge job candidates: Some employers confessed to weeding out applicants in the gym. John Osbon said when he was a Wall Street managing director he played basketball with job candidates. He would step on their feet or yank their shirt in games, he said, to see how they reacted. If they kept their cool, they passed the test. “They were all fair fouls, and I didn’t hurt anyone,” Mr. Osbon said. “You have to take someone down to size.” Sounds like a pretty effective way to judge a trader’s ability to take pressure! How easily do you keep your cool? And what can you do to work on being even-tempered? But we all know we can’t keep our emotions perfectly on check. So I recommend that you… 6) Use Reverse Psychology on Yourself We’re only human, and we can never perfectly manage our emotions. I’ve been doing this for 18 years, and I still get too excited sometimes. And when I feel that coming on, I know my ego is getting the best of me. So I force myself to trade more cautiously, because I’ve put myself in the danger zone. And when I start every trading day, I try to… 5) Be Naturally Neutral I don’t expect too much at the start of a trading day. And I don’t expect too little. Every day is different, and if I’m in a neutral mood, I’m ready for whatever opportunities present themselves. If you start your day dreaming of piles of cash, or worrying that you’ll go up in smoke, you’re doomed. Now, once you’re out there, not every trade will go your way. You’re going to lose money. But that’s okay, because… 4) Great Traders Are Losers Every trader out there loses money. I lose money all the time. Some of the richest traders I’ve met lose money every single day. But the reason I’m still in the game after 18 years is that I don’t lose big. Say I’m long AAPL from $150, and I get stopped out at $148. I’m not gonna celebrate, but I’m not gonna cry either. You know why? Because small losses won’t knock me out of the game. Now if I rode AAPL down to $130, that’s another story. If you dig a deep enough hole, you may need 10 winners to make up for 1 loser! Understanding this can help you… 3) Start Thinking Like a Pro Like I said, brainpower isn’t everything. You can have a 180 IQ, but you’ve got to adopt the mindset of a pro. Pros don’t think about Ferraris
Continue Reading -->The 7 Deadly Sins of Trading, and How You Can Cure Them
Greed, for the lack of a better word, is good. That’s what Gordon Gekko said in the classic 1987 film Wall Street. And indeed, a little greed goes a long way. Greed can push you to work harder to bring home a bigger paycheck. It can push you to save more money for retirement. But greed can also eat you alive… even if you have all the money in the world. Greed is only one of the 7 deadly sins you’ve heard about from religious texts or pop culture. And as you’re about to learn, they all apply to trading, and they all have cures if you understand them. Lust is often associated with sexuality. But there’s another kind… the lust for money and power at all costs. That’s a recipe for disaster for 2 simple reasons. An obsession with making more money can push you to take bigger and bigger risks. You’ll put yourself in harm’s way when there’s no good reason to. It can also push you to cross ethical and moral boundaries. Remember, once you cross that line, there’s no turning back. The Cure for Lust Replace your desire for money with a desire to learn. As you become a more skilled and experienced trader, you’ll likely earn more money. So focus on building your skills and gaining experience, NOT the potential rewards of skills and experience. It’s like dreaming about buying a Ferrari before you’ve even had a job. It’s downright childish. Grow up, get good, and the rewards will come. 44% of lottery winners go broke, according to a 2015 study by the Camelot Group. Why? Because most people can’t handle sudden wealth. Traders are no different. Once a trader achieves financial success, he’ll be tempted to overindulge in everything from food to clothes to travel to cars to real estate. An upgraded lifestyle means upgraded living expenses So what happens when that trader has a bad month or bad year? Panic, frustration, and inaction. When the mortgage is due today and there’s just $28.71 in the checking account, it’s pretty dang hard to focus on the charts. The Cure for Gluttony As you earn more money, save a higher percentage of what you take home.. Let’s say that after a year of trading, you have $25,000 left over when all your taxes, trading expenses, and bills are paid. And let’s assume you feel comfortable spending $7,500 of that on “fun stuff” like new clothes, travel and entertainment. That’s 30%. On your next $25,000, take it down to 25%. And the $25,000 after that, reduce it down to 20%. The exact numbers don’t matter. The point is, by scaling down your spending, you’ll keep a safety net in place for the rough times. It’s okay to want a bigger house, a nicer car, and private school for your kids. And it’s okay to dream about having $10 million in your bank account. But if you’re trading just to make money to buy more stuff… go do something else. To become a great trader, you must love the process of trading. It’s not easy to stare at computer screens for 9+ hours a day, trying to make sense of news and charts and price action. Most people burn out from it. But the best of the best can’t pull themselves away! The Cure for Greed Revisit what you really love about trading. Is it the process of scanning through 200 charts to find the one that speaks to you? Is it the rush of adrenaline you get when you nail a trade? Or is it just plain fun? Your trading results are important. If they’re not, you shouldn’t be in this business. But it’s equally important to enjoy the process. So shift your greed for money to a greed for sheer enjoyment. Experienced traders often get nostalgic for the ‘good old days’ before high frequency trading, decimalization, and overactive central banks. Many of these traders run into trouble because they do more complaining than learning. Instead of learning new skills, they get left behind. Evolution is a cruel beast. And it comes for the weakest traders first, the ones that don’t adapt. It’s 2017. The strategies you use today may not work 3 years from now. What are you gonna do about that today? The Cure for Sloth Put yourself on a regular schedule for continuing education and personal development. Don’t give yourself the option of NOT improving. You could set a goal of reading 2 new books a month. Or learning 4 new chart patterns. Or writing out 3 case studies about your best — or worst — trades of the month. The possibilities are endless. And don’t forget about improving your non-trading self. Some of the biggest trading lessons are learned away from the desk on a racquetball court… or on a wild boar hunt in Texas. (seriously) An angry trader is one that just lost money, and is on the verge of losing more. If you’re angry, you’re impatient. If you’re impatient, you’ll make more bad trades. And if you make more bad trades, you’ll get even angrier. That’s when the ‘revenge trading’ starts. That’s when you lose $2,000 in the morning, and you’re determined to ‘make it up’ with more trading. Before you know it, you’re down $5,000. And then $10,000. And so on. And so on. The Cure for Wrath Clean up your mess as best you can. And then walk away from your trading workstation. Don’t come trade again until you have your anger out of your system. Talk to your buddies, watch a funny movie, or take a walk. But get it out of your system. And if you feel like you’re getting out of control too often, seek professional help. Anger won’t just hurt your bottom line. It will also destroy your body. On Wall Street, you can make $1 million a year and still feel poor. Why? Because the guy next to you made $2 million! Traders are competitive by nature. It’s no wonder so many love
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