3 Rules for Black Friday Shopping and Stock Trading
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, door busters, 70% off, today only. Once-in-a-lifetime deals abound, especially this week. Whether you're hunting for discounted TVs or discounted stocks, the psychology is the same: everything looks like a deal. But here's what most people miss: the difference between a genuine bargain and clever marketing comes down to three simple…
Over the River and Through the Woods
I watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving last week. The final scene shows the Peanuts Gang singing "Over the River and Through the Woods." They belt out the lines off-key and off-tempo: Over the river, and through the wood, To Grandfather's house we go; the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white…
Behind My Camera: A WWII Story
With Veterans Day this week, I wanted to publicly thank all veterans—both living and those who have passed. Many, if not all, of you have seen me present and trade daily. What you don't know is that directly behind my computer and camera hangs a special reminder: a shirt, or what's called a Navy blouse. …
Friend or Foe?
The world is full of "us versus them." For some people, an enemy, or at least someone to blame, is their fuel. This concept has occupied my mind a lot over the past couple of weeks, especially in the geopolitical sense. Honestly, I could easily dissect this concept endlessly. And I may explore other branches…
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Last week, as part of my Halloween tradition, I watched the 1983 film adaptation of Something Wicked This Way Comes and re-read the novel. I've been a Ray Bradbury fan since sixth grade, consuming as many of his books as I could find and listening to audio recordings of Ray Bradbury Presents. This particular book…
The Broken Watch: A Lesson in System Documentation
I have a Citizen watch that I have owned for decades. I love the watch for both the quality of the watch and for the sentimental value it holds. The problem with this watch is that it has a broken component in its movement, which makes it so it doesn't keep time well, and the…
13% in 5 Days While Trading Completely Blind
October 2013 taught professional traders a brutal lesson. The financial markets were flying blind. The government had shut down for 16 days. Weekly reports vanished. Monthly data disappeared. Analysts scrambled. Retail traders panicked. The charts showed price action, but the fundamental context that everyone relied on was simply gone. Some traders froze. Others blew up…
A Trader's Lesson from The Nightmare Before Christmas
I've watched The Nightmare Before Christmas at least twice every year since 1993. My house fills with the merchandise every October. I named my dog after Jack Skellington. This level of devotion to a claymation film might seem odd for a trader, but this movie has taught me more about patience and sustainable success than…
When Balance Sheets Tell You Where the Bodies Are Buried
Three technology stocks are about to crack. Their balance sheets can't survive the next wave of selling pressure. Most traders don't see it yet. They're still buying every dip like it's a generational opportunity. The FOMO runs deep, especially in tech and AI names. But the smart money is positioning differently. I hunt for these…
Why $80 Burritos Signal a Market Breakdown
I stopped ordering Chipotle. Not because I'm cheap. I've never been stingy about food quality. After 20 years in the markets, I know what good value looks like. But $80 for two burritos and chips delivered to my house crossed a line. My wife started making them at home instead. Better ingredients. Better taste. A…