Three Myths of Stock Trading
I’ve made a living as a Stock Trader for over 15 years, and have really learned the ins and outs of the business. But I didn’t make my start at a big brokerage firm that taught me everything through slick training course. I made it through trial and error, taking seminars and classes and learning as I go.
While I may have taken longer to succeed using this self taught method, it has given me a lot more real world knowledge of stock trading than I would have gotten following the one process taught by my employer. For one, I have found a number of myths that crop up again and again when talking to people about stock trading. Here are three of them:
The first misconception I’d like to dispel is that only certain types of people make successful stock traders. True, stock pickers (those guys who pick the big winners by consistently analyzing the market) are more often than not left brained thinkers , which is probably how this myth originated.
But I have found that trading stock has something in it for every type of thinker, and the trick is to find the process that works best for you. Frankly, I would hate to sit around and analyze stocks all day, but I have made a great living trading stocks anyway. Anyone else can too.
Second, is the belief that stock trading is speculative, and carries as much or more risk as owning your own business. Yes, people have lost everything in the stock market, and those are the stories the media loves to report on that intimidate a lot of people.
But I have discovered that if you can establish a process for setting your stops can limit your risks to a tolerable comfort level, stock trading is really a very low risk profession. To illustrate, I have created a system for myself that allows me to trade with a success rate of up to 75% , which is hard to beat! I can’t think of any other business that can give me that kind of low risk return.
Finally, I hear again and again that to really make money in the stock market you must commit to it full time and then some. And I agree, this is absolutely true for some types of trading and particularly if you don’t have a good stock picking service. Then you have to do all the leg work in a fast paced environment. That does take a lot of time.
However, it is absolutely possible to make a great career out of trading stock for 2-4 hours a day, and having the rest of your time to do what you want. The trick is to have a process in place that is low risk and efficient with your time. How do you find such a process? There are a lot of courses available and it can be tricky to find the one that’s right for you. I advise you to investigate several options, ask questions (if there’s no one who will answer your questions, move on…life is too short to deal with bad customer service). Head into your research knowing the right process is there for you, and you will be on your way to success at stock trading in no time.
