I have to admit that I truly enjoy writing this column. Yeh, there are days when I feel down, for whatever reason, and I have to work harder, but those days are few compared to the many days that writing this column comes easy. And then there are days like this when someone writes in and I laugh. No, I am not laughing maliciously at the writer, rather, I am laughing at the honest portrayal of life between married folks. This writer, perhaps without knowing it, paints a picture that cartoons, television shows, movies, books, and comedy routines have painted for decades about how married couples get along. Underneath her words is that doggone picture …
I’ve been trading on the pretend for the last six weeks. I managed to accumulate 32,000. I don’t have many losses and if I do I tend to reverse and double my contracts. One way or the other I seem to get it back and conclude the day making money. My husband said I shouldn’t do that; I should only trade two contracts (S&P) at a time, which I do with stops. I have tried trading his way, but you never get back quick what you lose. So, I am ok this way. I have an inquisitive mind, and I know more than my husband, and he paid a fortune to learn. Me? I experiment and watch like a hawk. Obviously when I go live and I am at home all the time its will be a bit different. Hope you don’t mind me asking ….
Aside from the humorous pokes at her husband, this writer also hits on some key points about trading, especially her recognition that things will change when she actually puts money on the table because they will. Funny how actually risking money can change things.
Another point she touches on is that trading is such a personal thing. You can watch two highly experienced traders on, say, Fast Money, and it is always interesting to note how each interprets the same picture differently, and how each trades the same trade differently.
Still another point is her willingness to embrace the idea that watching and learning is a good thing for a budding trader. In this vein (nestled in another poke at her husband), she makes the argument that learning on one’s own is, at a minimum, equal to paying someone to teach you. Paying someone to teach you is not bad. In fact, going this route may save time and it may help one avoid some costly mistakes, which makes it worth the money paid. On the other hand, learning on your own from the “knocks” you take has its long-term benefits as well.
Finally, in her rush to tell me about the differences between her and her husband on the trading thing, she actually forgot to ask me a question, so, I will assume the question would have been, “Which way is right, mine or my husband’s?”
I have learned many things in my life, some have actually saved me some grief. One of those things is that when a woman asks an outside party who is “right” when she and her husband are in dispute, the best answer one can give is this: “Ya know, I gotta go …”
Trade in the day; invest in your life …
