Yesterday I went over my trading account portfolio for the year. Up 21% for 2012. I’ll take that. I also put some long-term ideas into my 401k that Chess had profiled in his blog posts but I did not count those in the 21% (if I did, I would be up more as they are up nicely as well :) )
I left my full-time job in April (YAY! I liked you guys but YAY!!!) and have been working from home on a part-time basis since then. So after I left work, I also signed up for a premium trading service (had never done that before.) I had been following chessNwine and TheFly on twitter since mid-2011 but with my work schedule I didn’t have a lot of extra time to devote to trading other than my “gut” feelings (which is how I typically trade AND gamble :).) But I knew that once I left my job, and could devote some more time to trading, I wanted to try out their premium service(s).
I keep a chunk of my money in more conservative investments. And physical gold/silver in my quest to become Scrooge McDuck. And Star Wars collectibles (doh!) But I wanted to use my trading account as a learning tool. Also, my shopping fund. So I signed up in April 2012 and while I still don’t spend enough time on it (I need to do MOAR studying!), I have done pretty OK following on trades discussed in the 12631 trading room.
I’m usually pretty quiet in the trading room and don’t post much. LURKER! But it’s a pretty great group of guys (I say guys because I don’t see many names that indicate there are other girls but maybe they are quiet like me) and I am VERY glad that I signed up.
I typically just follow on Chess’ trades but also some of RaginCajun and The Fly’s. And also a few based on other traders in the room mentioning them or me finding them. But mostly – follower. I hope to be more of a contributor to the room this year but will still follow on the trades because #1 Rule: Don’t change successful actions!
So a big thank you to Chess, RC and The Fly for creating fantastic content, great products and a fun, interactive place for traders. Oh yeah…and profitable trades :)
Go here if you want join in the fun: http://ibankcoin.com/
This morning I made a few trades/investment moves. Not too big of a deal but all of them were spur of the moment things which really brought back memories of how much FUN being in the trading room was. Making trades on gut feelings and intuition, split decisions. Man, I miss that. It’s *such* a high – as much as I know of that feeling anyway (never did any drugs – but finding the perfect pair of shoes on sale is just like it too!)
I used to work at a hedge fund. I learned so much there. Had fun shorting, trading commodities futures, options, etc. Very, very fun. I would love to still be in that business. Working there taught me a lot. Not every day was fun and games mind you. The day to day stress was a lot.
But I can’t even watch Wall Street without still feeling that rush. I remember hearing that some of our clients were interviewed when they were researching the Gekko character. I loved that! Of course there are ethical concerns in that business but you CAN work on Wall Street without being a crook. My old boss was very ethical. Could he have made even more by not being so – I’m sure. But he had no interest in that.
During the beginning of the internet stock craze, I had some FUN trading room days. I remember calling a friend of mine and asking if she wanted in on a buy right before the market close. She was hesitant and I pulled out the Bud Fox line…”What do you want to do? Decide.” and then silence…we had such a good time. We did the trade. And made money. I paid off some credit cards and paid for my wedding and reception with that account over a few months of the market on internet stock Kool Aid. Not so bad :)
Now, I’m not crazy. I have a 401k now too. That is my safe, conservative investment account. But I also still have a stock account that I like to trade a bit. I still keep it on the conservative side – no margin. Have seen waaaay too much pain caused by that. I don’t treat it like I used to treat my stock account – 1 big churning machine. I buy stocks that I think will grow, good investments, etc. But I do make a few riskier trades than in my 401k!
I have thought of going back into that. Even now. But then my safe and conservative side wakes up and says “No dummy!” I definitely have 2 sides. I realized it recently and my friends have mentioned it. I think they can both reside peacefully. Although I sometimes think this is why I don’t sleep so much and can almost never sit still. But this way I get a lot done! Like making a few trades before the doggie walks and my quiet, non-trading room job :)
