About

The other day, I was asked “How can a little guy like me make money in the markets? Is it even possible?” I understand the question. In a world where power is controlled by: Big government. Big business. Where big money talks and can even buy you justice in the courtroom. It can be hard to believe that people like you and me stand a chance. People root for underdog. David vs. Golliath. Mom and Pop shop vs. Walmart. Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed. In trading perhaps the Institutions vs. the Retail Trader (you). On numerous occasions I’ve had people “How can the little guy make money in the markets?” You feel they have unfair advantages. That the markets are “fixed.” The markets are manipulated by the big money. Bottom line – you’re making excuses for yourself. So we seem to have it in our nature to root for the little guy or the underdog. Study done by Joseph Vandello of the University of South Florida: We tend to assume that the underdog has better personal character. This is why in Presidential elections the candidates FIGHT to be viewed as the underdog! In the most recent presidential election here in the US: Even after a strong performance in Iowa, and he went way up in the polls, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper asked Bernie Sanders if he still considered himself an underdog. Sanders seemed upset and answered “Of course I’m an underdog.” Hillary Clinton, though part of the establishment of Washington insisted she was an underdog because she was a woman. Donald Trump insisted he was an underdog because he wasn’t part of the political establishment. In the 2008 election, both Barack Obama and John McCain referred to themselves as underdogs! Vandello found that between 2/3 to ¾ of people are susceptible to the underdog phenomena. Possible explanations: Our enjoyment of drama and excitement. Our quest for fairness. Do you root for the underdog in sports, biz, etc. because you identify with them yourself as a bit of an underdog in life. Why? RELATE to them. That is YOUR self-identity. Many of us feel under-compensated on the job, in relationships, etc. We feel we’ve worked hard and aren’t rewarded enough. I’m going to challenge you. Crabs in a Barrel Example: When harvesting crabs and putting them into a barrel, the group will pull  back those about to get out. We see this in humans too. People become jealous. Someone else getting out of the barrel takes away our excuses. We’d rather pull others down than to pull ourselves up and then help others get out. Out of spite or envy we try to halt the progress of other so we all stay on the same level, even if it’s to our own destruction. Back to the title of this podcast: “How the Little Guy Can Make Big Money in the Market.” They can’t! The “little guy.” Don’t be that – you want your wife to call you the “Little Guy” in bed? Mr. America: “don’t wish it was easier, with you were better.” This has nothing with how much money you have. It has to do with your self-image. If you have the right self-image, even though you don’t have the money, you’ll get the money. CHANGE YOUR SELF IMAGE NOW!!! Your check will only be as big as you are. So don’t be a frickin piker!!! I understand how this can be challenging specifically in the world of trading. Large firms are allowed to: Rent floor space at the exchanges to put their computers between you and the exchanges computers. Buy and Sell in “Dark Polls” so their price and volume don’t show up on your charts in real-time. Engage in high-frequency trading with mind-numbing computer power and speed using the best of the best mathematical and computer geniuses to create superior algorythms. In addition, they often use microwave technology rather than fiber optics so they gain literally nano-seconds over you and I, and to arbitrage between currencies, countries,