Financial Freedom Toolkit
Playing
Markets
Playing markets is perhaps the most underrated skill on planet earth. The gap between what we should know and what do know is massive. As the value of our money shifts, you can either capitalize or get screwed.  Learn how to play the game or you’re destined for number two.
Tier
What Is Playing Markets?
Playing markets is the concept of reading economic cycles and making decisions in an attempt to increase your overall global wealth share. It uses a combination of trading, investing, and business principles to time financial moves based on the changes in markets.
Why Playing Markets?
Learn to play the markets or they will play you. Whether you know it or not, we’re all forced to play. Don’t you think you should know the rules?
I don’t claim to be an expert on anything I write about.
Hell, I hardly claim to be an expert on myself.  😂😂😂
These breakdowns are largely for me. I use them to record and reference. Unlike most others on this site though, this concept might actually be useful to the outside observer.
No promises. I’ll let you tell me.
Protective Priority
Retain your buying power. As public policy manipulates our money, you need to know how the value flows.
Compound Your Capital
Until you start growing by percentage, you’ll never understand. Learn how it works and your worldview changes.
Lining Up Lifestyle
What do you want your life to be like? The markets force you to answer important questions we often ignore.
Currency Caused Crises
Our fiat currency system eats away at the value of your dollars every single day. This makes cash a gamble.
World Watching
The markets will tell you what is really going on in the world. Trade and invest to know what’s next.
King of the Flip
The bankers and their friends make manufacturing money seem so easy. Learn the principles behind it all.
Reading the financial currents isn’t necessarily an easy thing to do. Here’s a quick look at how playing markets has gone for me so far.
Learn with Me
I’m only just hitting my stride with this one.
I’m way too broke to claim any level of mastery. 😂😂😂
In the long-term, I think I’ll be great at it. Of course, I think that about most things. However, I know I’m at least 20 years away from feeling like I’m an actual expert. This is a big’un.
It touches just about all areas of modern life, whether directly or indirectly. Know it or not, our futures are tied to big economic games.
Let’s be clear though, I’m still figuring this thang out.
Like most things, I learn with the intention of teaching. Maybe it’s my life purpose. Maybe it’s just an effective mindset to learn. Maybe it’s both. Whatever the case, I’m pretty much all in on learning markets.
If you can’t tell this is one of “my things” (as seen on PlayingMarkets.com).
My Experience
I’ve really only just started with this one.
Market-playing mastery is still a decade or two away.
I’ve only just gotten my feet wet. So you can definitely find better sources of advice. This page is actually one phase of me teaching myself how get good at it.
I understand how important it is to my life.
Sometimes it falls to the back burner. That’s fine. Exposure to markets over time provides balance.
Nonetheless, the progress on this page is evidence of the urgency I feel. Our financial system offers ample opportunities but is frighteningly fragile.
Just getting started. Still, optimistic on my prospects.
- Importance – 98%
- Passion – 85%
- Mastery – 35%
Journey Started: 2014
Skills of the Wealthy
Playing markets is a game-changer. Often unseen, economics affect us all. Take advantage by learning how to play the game.
Where Playing Markets Fits in a Good Life
Playing markets is one of the most important pieces of the Money puzzle.
For me, it’s a “Tier 3” concept, combining with Financial Literacy to form Zach’s Money Mastery.
1. Money
2. Money Mastery
‣ 3. Playing Markets
4. Markets
5. Cycles
5. Influences
5. Structure
4. Investing
5. Goals
5. Strategy
5. Vehicles
4. Trading
5. Strategies
5. Technical Analysis
5. Assets
Money Tool Rank
Videos Watched
Mentions on My Site
Books Read
Pulling Threads: A Lion Chasing Rabbits
What the hell is This Site, exactly? A pointless stream of consciousness? A fanboy's ode to his Heroes? A psycho's Favorite topics? All three? Or maybe, it's just the result of a lion chasing rabbits. You might LOL... but this is how it works: I am destined to be the...
Learn How to Play Markets
For trading and investing newbies:
Let’s start with the best advice up front.
Just get started.
If you want to understand trading and investing, you have to jump in. Next time you get paid, put some money in a market—any market. Stocks, gold, Bitcoin.  Pick something and go.
You can dive deeper into the options later.
Avoid analysis paralysis early on; there will be plenty of time for that later.
In the beginning, force yourself to pay attention.
Watching the markets doesn’t do you any good unless you are playing them. And you won’t pay attention anyway, unless you’re invested in something. Not to mention, the earlier you get started, the more powerful the effects of growing by percentage. For many of the best investments, time invested affects your gains most.
Yes. It’s true…
“Playing Markets” goes well beyond the individual concepts of Trading and Investing.
In fact, playing markets is more like a future planning strategy. It’s about navigating macroeconomic trends with personal economic tools. It arose from seeking answers to questions like “if the dollar is losing value versus other world currencies, where should I save my money?” Thus, it also has an impact on life and business planning.
The base is defensive. But part of that defensiveness is strategic aggression.
If there’s an easy 5 or 10x on the table, you better find it and take it.
Tesla stock, Bitcoin, baseball cards: either get in or miss out.
It’s what the big banks do (and all our politicians too).
At the highest level, it’s about leverage, timing, and influence.
For we plebes, it’s more about walking the “economic tightrope.”
The long game is inevitable: our very money gets shattered.
Sound far fetched?
Ask Google about “hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic.”
Our system is far more fragile than we would like to believe.
Luckily for Americans at least, the dollar is strong. The “powers that be” in this country won’t just take the L. No way. They’ll pawn it off on the rest of the world (ask Google about the Bretton Woods Agreement) and the American people.
So you better be ready to go with their flow.
Play your cards right and you might even make out better than they do. As the gears of society turn, you can either learn to run along their tops or get ground up between them. Those are your only two options.
Thus, playing markets.
The institutional players don’t play by the same rules as you.
In some ways, that’s a good thing–but only if you educate yourself.
Once you do, you’ll realize that “the little guy” has some distinct advantages in the market.
Agility may be #1.
20 years from now, it might even be the name of the first chapter in Zach’s Market Playing Manifesto.
When you have a small stack of chips, it’s easier to get in and out. You don’t have to worry about slippage. You also have less rules to follow than the major money managers. This gives you more ways to protect your wealth while allowing you to take more risks at the same time. As your stack increases, you have to be more cautious.
Your playing style should be tailored to your income, wealth, goals, and other factors.
But the basic premise is something like…
Increase your overall wealth rank by:
- Putting Your Money to Work For You
- Protecting Your Wealth Against Loss
- Building Money Management Skills
- Profit From Macroeconomic Patterns
How to Begin Playing Markets Step By Step
01
Put Skin in the Game
There’s only one requisite skill to begin learning to play markets: Saving. You need capital to start. Stack up $100-1000 and throw it in. Choose an amount that would hurt to lose but you can leave to work in the market no matter what is going on in your personal life.
02
Pick Your Market
Once you’ve got a grip, you need to figure out which market to stash it in. I’d recommend Bitcoin or the stock market. With the former, you get exponential potential. With the latter, you get predictable growth and diversity. Either is a good starting point.
03
Learn Your Market
With money on the line, now you’re in the game. If you aren’t motivated to watch prices, you might not have put enough in. But go beyond that. Dive into what is relevant in your market. Learn what purpose it serves in the world and watch what drives price.
04
Money Management
This should almost be #1. Seriously, it’s the whole point of playing markets—learning to manage your money in the face of the global economic climate. In this context though, it’s a nuanced concept that makes the difference between profitability and losing money.
05
Master Psychology
This may be the true level up. Let’s call it the “Mastery of Self in the Context of Markets.” It has a nice ring to it (and an even better profit margin). Learn math to understand the numbers. Gain experience to learn yourself. Find the intersection to make the right decisions.
06
Find Your (1st) Style
Playing markets is a personal thing. You have to find ways that work for you. Time periods, strategies, risk tolerance. Learn yourself. Don’t be a signal chaser. Find and/or develop a style that you can win with consistently before moving to the next market.
07
Expand Your Market Scope
Learn a new type of market. If you chose stocks at first, go with Bitcoin, gold, or forex next. You might even go from investing long-term to trading short-term to boost your learning curve. And just like your first market, total immersion is the best way to learn.
08
Adapt & Win
Here’s the end game: become recession proof. Learn how to navigate the flow of macroeconomic tides. The first priority is to protect your buying power. Building wealth comes second. Form the contingency plans that help you thrive in all conditions.
Remember: just start. The first time you put your money in the game, you change the trajectory of your financial future.
My Favorite Playing Markets Videos
Everything you need to learn about playing markets is easy to find online.
I’m no market playing titan. I stand on the shoulders of giants. I simply listen to what my Heroes say and apply it. Not everything sticks. But enough does to have an impact on my economics.
Data
Dump
One of the main purposes of This Site is to catalog my learnings. I’m not that learned. But I’m working on becoming moreso. If you see a “data dump” on this site, you’re looking at unsorted information. It may be related or completely unrelated, depending on the topic.
Ray Dalio Breaks Down His "Holy Grail"
Playing Markets
31 Habits of Wealthy Traders
Trading as a Way of Life
The Mindset of a Trader
The Great Surge of Everything Is Coming
Trading Robots
The Real Truth About the 2008 Financial Crisis
AI for Smarter Trading Decisions
Making Sense of the Coronavirus Dump
Good Example From Dan the Man
Really Strong Overview of How Dan Looks At Price Trends – Context Provided By Late 2018 Stock Market Bounce (SPY IWM QQQ XLF VIX)
- “What I look for on the sign of the bounce” ~ 0:56
- Doesn’t Use Fibonacci Retracement But Uses Similar Visual Principle
- “Looking at Odds of What’s Most Likely to Happen Next…”
- Compares Bounce in Feb 2018 to Bounce in Dec 2018 (SPY)
- Emphasizes Percentage of Bounce as Sign of Market Health
- Begins Explaining How He Starts to Estimate Whether the Top Is In ~ 3:59
- Factors in Fundamentals like Pension Rebalancing & Tax Law Season
- “Lose the Hourly Uptrend Thats the First Indication that the Daily Lower High on the Bounce Has Been Set”
- Touches on Nuances of Extended Hours Trading in Stocks, Make Note But Take with a Grain of Salt
- Good Overview of How to Identify & Read Market Trends ~ 6:04
- Shows Hourly Uptrend Key Support Levels
- Illustrates How Much Room Bulls Have to Establish Uptrend on Daily Timeframe
- “Even if the Top of the Bounce is Set… The Bulls Still Have a Chance… for Continuation”
- Touches on the Importance of Volume as Price Goes Either Way
- Says If The Market Gives All the Bounce Back without Higher Low, It Signals Significant Weakness
- SPY Analysis Done, Goes On To Compare IWM, QQQ, XLF, & VIX ~ 8:31
- IWM Almost Identical to SPY
- QQQ Better Weekly Bounce But Still Almost The Same
- XLF Again Similar But Nuance of Double Low As More Important Level
- VIX (CBOE Volatility Index) Provides Inverse Look For Context (Moves Somewhat Opposite of Others)
Removed Video From Gary Vee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpQ48yCsWzs
Guys. It happens in one day.
Talking to Guy in the Real Estate Business About Debt & Recession
- It’s the Scariest Thing on Earth ~ 0:14
- “This Is Why So Many People in Your Business Go Out of Business”
- “Guys, It happens in One Day.”
- “We’ve had $400,000 in pre-order wine cancel this morning.”
- Debt is Awfully Scary If Your Business Doesn’t Do Well When the Economy Collapses ~ 2:03
- “Look I Think VaynerMedia Explodes… But I Think Your Business Won’t”
- “If We Were Partners… Let’s Just Actually Horde Cash”
- When the World Melts, That $1 Million is Worth Like 4.”
- “I think You’re Going to Pick Up Sh!t for Fncking Pennies on the Dollar.”
Datadash's Investing Plan for 2019
Datadash: How To Invest in Commodities
Datadash: Uranium Fever
This video highlights the current Uranium market. It’s valuable not only in the actual information, but also in how he analyzes this market.
It has a few too many soundless pauses but it’s really strong.
- Uranium Market Negative History Since 2007Â ~ 0:40
- Commodities Boom Lead to Parabolic Run Up
- Fukushima Disaster & Japanese Nuclear Shutdown
- Supply Glut Due to Overproduction (Japan Was #3 World Uranium Consumer)
- Production Cuts from Cameco, Paladin Energy, Kazatomprom
- Begins to Highlight Positive Trends ~ 3:01
- Japanese Has New 8 Restarted Reactors & 14 More in Review
- Top Ten Nations With Plans in Construction is Significant
- “Perfect Storm” Clip from CEO of Uranium Energy Corp
- “Have Uranium Markets Actually Bottomed?” ~ 5:52
- Prices Still Low for Uranium & Stocks in Sector
- Global X Uranium ETF (URA) Price Action & Trends ~ 6:40
- Uranium ETF with Mix of Large, Mid, & Small Caps (Predominantly Miners)
- 90% Drop From 2011 Highs ($130+ to $13)
- This is What Institutional Traders & Other Long Term Players Like
- Volume Increase Indicates Institutions Stacking Up
- Price Strength Confirmation (No New Lows Since January 2016)
- Short-Term URA Analysis (Aug’ 2016-Aug ‘2018) ~ 8:18
- No New Lows Since Jan ’16; No New Highs Since Feb ’17
- Simple Wedge “Signalling Massive Breakdown or a Breakdown”
- “Make or Break Moment for Uranium Equities”
- Indicates Gold and Silver BreakDOWNs Through Similar Patterns
- Says He’ll Get Bullish If Price Breaks Above the Wedge
Datadash: Comparing Bitcoin & Gold
Datadash: U.S. Stocks Face Buyback "Blackout"
Datadash: Comparing Bitcoin & Gold
Datadash: US Stocks See Their Worst Month Since 2008
Smart Money Index
How the Economic Machine Works
How a Secret Society Created the Federal Reserve
Hidden Secrets of Money
The Federal
Reserve
The corruption of our money is one of the main reasons I created this concept in the first place. I don’t trust the Federal Reserve (or central banking in general). The story of it’s founding raises enough red flags. But you don’t have to look that far back to see things going wrong.
Macro-
Economics
Economics is complex. The markets affect everything. Jobs. Loans. Real Estate. Gas prices. Food prices. It’s a million Rude Goldberg machines at once 🤯 but they impact your life. Too bad. So sad. Remain ignorant of the market’s machinations at your own risk.
How the Economic Machine Works
Is There Inflation or Not?
Get Rich NOW or Be Poor Forever
Understanding Market Cycles
How To Trade Market Cycles
The Crash Course
Everything You Need to Know About Investing
Placeholder 2
Business
Investing
In their purest form, markets are more closely tied to business than banking. In their current form however, that may not be true. Still, their interrelation is undeniable. Markets impact businesses. Businesses impact markets. Thus, an opportunity to play markets.
Money &
Currency
Our monetary system is the number one reason for this concept. It’s a glass house. And we human beings are nothing if not a bunch of hairy stone throwers. It’s like we take a terrible system and continually look for ways to make it worse. Or maybe that’s just the people in power.
The Danger of Inflation for the Future of America
The Hidden Secrets of Money
Ray Dalio Breakd Down His "Holy Grail"
Placeholder Video 2
Wealth
Management
This is the type of thing we should have learned in school. Individuals with financial literacy and money management skills are in short supply in modern times. Unfortunately, protecting and growing your wealth is a vital part of creating a good life for your family.
Technical
Analysis
There is a science to predicting price action—or at least some sort of pseudoscience. And truthfully, it’s not so much about making predictions as it is about finding profit based on probabilities. Learn the language of the charts and master growing by percentage.
Krown's Introduction to Technical Analysis
Krown's TA Trading Strategies Playlist
How I Play Markets to Climb the Wealth Ladder
If you haven’t noticed, I take this stuff pretty seriously.
You don’t have to do it like me. But maybe you wanna know. So I guess I’ll tell you. You might have picked some of it up by reading through this page or clicking on some of the links.
I’ll spell it all out here.
Defense Wins Championships
At the highest level, “playing markets” is a conservative strategy. Sure, one of the goals is to capitalize on investing and trading opportunities. But the overall purpose is to protect your wealth against market crashes, currency crises, inflation, and everything else. Become an economic tightrope walker and find true financial freedom.
Bitcoin Swing Trading
Bitcoin and other cryptos have extremely volatile price action. It’s high-risk, high-reward trading. But they have limited fundamentals so technical analysis works well. This makes them great for learning. I stick to longer-term BTC trades because I think it is going to $100-200 thousand. This greatly reduces both my stress and time commitment.
M1 Stock Portfolio
M1 basically lets you create your own mutual fund or ETF. This is how I invest in stocks. You to create different “pies” in your portfolio. Each pie can include 1 to 100 stocks. You can choose the ratios and rebalancing strategies. But I mostly just let my portfolio sit and grow. Currently, all of my pies are in sectors that will continue to grow over my lifetime.
Crypto HODL Positions
In addition to my long-term stock portfolio, I also have long-term cryptocurrency posittions. Aside from my businesses, this is where I am most heavily invested. I believe in Bitcoin’s thesis: sound money. And perhaps more importantly, I believe that the United States government and the Federal Reserve are destined to destory the U.S. dollar.
Business Investing
For the entrepreneurial-minded, playing markets is also about business investing and timing. The macro economic climate affects everything from interest rates on funding to the supply chain. Playing marketes provides insights into many trends that affect business. Leveraged properly, these insights become foresights that highlight opportunity.
Favorite Coaches
Favorite Teachers
Favorite Entrepreneurs
My Goal Setting Posts
Becoming Legendary: My 2022 Goals
I'm fairly confident 2022 is going to be the most successful year of my life so far. I'm writing this post to help guarantee that. Obviously, I can't control the future. But I can set intentions and create a plan of action. That's what Goal Setting is all about. So...
Setting the New 20s Off Right: My 2020 Goals
New Year's Resolutions get a bad wrap. It's not their fault though. It's yours. The truth is: The beginning of the year is a perfect time for a reset. You have to execute though. Do it right and this year could be the best year you've ever had. No guarantees. Because,...
![How to Become a Morning Person [Life-Changing Habit #1]](https://zachbradshaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/How-to-Become-a-Morning-Person-and-Stop-Being-a-Night-Owl-400x250.png)
How to Become a Morning Person [Life-Changing Habit #1]
Becoming a "morning person" has changed my life. Only time will tell, but it could go down as a top five factor to my future success. Learning how to wake up early wasn't easy. Until the second half of 2018, I've been a notoriously late sleeper. It started as a kid: I...
Becoming Legendary: My 2022 Goals
I'm fairly confident 2022 is going to be the most successful year of my life so far. I'm writing this post to help guarantee that. Obviously, I can't control the future. But I can set intentions and create a plan of action. That's what Goal Setting is all about. So...
Setting the New 20s Off Right: My 2020 Goals
New Year's Resolutions get a bad wrap. It's not their fault though. It's yours. The truth is: The beginning of the year is a perfect time for a reset. You have to execute though. Do it right and this year could be the best year you've ever had. No guarantees. Because,...
How to Become a Morning Person [Life-Changing Habit #1]
Becoming a "morning person" has changed my life. Only time will tell, but it could go down as a top five factor to my future success. Learning how to wake up early wasn't easy. Until the second half of 2018, I've been a notoriously late sleeper. It started as a kid: I...
Setting Goals for 2019
I have mixed feelings about New Year's Resolutions. I don't believe in waiting to make changes. I think it makes more sense to try to grow everyday. Create good new habits. Erase the negative old ones. Do it all the time. However, I find that measurement is...
My Top Three Trading Teachers
YouTube University is my go-to for trading training. I've completed several programs and keep up with these guys weekly.
So, You Think You Want to Climb to the Top?
Nice little subtitle for the win.  Nice little subtitle for the win.  Nice little subtitle for the win.  Nice little subtitle for the win. or the win.Â
