Financial Freedom Toolkit
Trading
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 Trading?
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 Trading?
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. You can tell me.
Grow By Percentage
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Decision Making Mastery
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Monopoly Money
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Hedging Skills
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Inflection Finding
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Reading the financial currents 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 decades 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 anyway.
Nonetheless, the progress on this page is evidence of the urgency I feel. Our financial system is frighteningly fragile while offering ample opportunities.
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 affects 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.
2. Money Mastery
‣ 3. Playing Markets
‣ 4. Trading
5. Strategy
5. Positioning
5. Technical Analysis
5. Assets
5. Technical Analysis
5. Macro Trading
5. Swing Trading
5. Day Trading
5. Market Dynamics
Money Tool Rank
Videos Watched
Mentions on My Site
Books Read
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,...
Learning How to Trade Anything
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.
Now, 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?”
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 cashing in on the gap between true value and human perception. Small players like us have to learn the rhythm of jumping in and out. I liken it to double-dutch. The big players do some of that too. But they’re also able to soak up the value the rest of the world is leaking.
Yeah.
It’s in my head and it’s nuanced. It will probably take me 100 times explaining it to feel that I have it “right.”
Luckily for you, you don’t have to understand all of my B.S. to start winning.
First, it’s about understanding the “economic tightrope”
the rude goldberg machine affect of economics
economic see saw/tightrope walker/fence sitter
most important hings in playing markets is protect your capital and macro trading
watching the flow of sentiment to see where you can find 5x or 10x
understand the fragility of the system
protect against inflation and the other corrupt money games
learning life timing/business timing… pbd video on who to watch 2019/2020… things to watch?
things to understand
- currency is fncked
- timeframes
- risk management
- psychological side of trading
- value of free cash
understanding how money works and why it is important
even affects credit cards, loan markets, real estate, and more… affects your business pricing
- choose a timeframe
- choose an asset
- choose a trading platform
- learn the vernacular
- find a trader to follow
- master risk management
- get some skin in the game
- create a trading journal
How to Begin Trading Step By Step
01
Put Skin in the Game
Pick your market. (I’d probably recommend crypto)… requisite skill: saving… put in $100-1000… an amount you can keep in no matter what (on the verge of “don’t care” )… but with as much “ooooh that hurts as you can tolerate”… skin in the game is important… choose something like the s&p or btc that has a history of going up over time
02
Find a Trading Mentor
consistency… you need to watch/trade a market (crypto, stocks, gold) everyday… 15-30 minutes for at least 6 months to feel comfortable finding the decision points… trading view bro
03
Learn How to Read the Charts
consistency… you need to watch/trade a market (crypto, stocks, gold) everyday… 15-30 minutes for at least 6 months to feel comfortable finding the decision points… trading view bro
04
Learn Position Management
learn risk/money management… a nuanced concept that often makes the difference between being a successful trader and losing your money… probably should be step two but time on 2 will help give you the motivation for 3… just know this is where you become profitable
05
Create a Trading Journal
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06
Develop Your Edge
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07
Master Your Trading Psychology
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Remember: just start. The first time you put your goals on paper, you’re closer to achieving your dreams than 90% of the population.
My Favorite Trading Videos
Everything you need to learn about trading any asset is available online.
I’m no trading 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
You Better Learn to Trade
31 Habits of Wealthy Traders
Trading as a Way of Life
The Mindset of a Trader
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: Understanding Market Cycles
Datadash: How To Trade Market Cycles
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 2007 ~ 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
Money vs Currency - Hidden Secrets of Money
Smart Money Index
How the Economic Machine Works
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Zach’s Trading
Journal
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PHD
Trading
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Crypto Trading with Neural Networks
How A.I. Traders Will Dominate Hedge Fund Industry
High Frequency Trading & New Algorithmic Ecosystem
AI for Smarter Trading Decisions
Trading Robots TED Talk
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Macro-
Economics
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Technical
Analysis
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How I Trade Currencies & Assets to Build Wealth
If you haven’t noticed, I take this stuff 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.
Bitcoin Swing Trades
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M1 Portfolio
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Crypto HODL Positions
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Business Investing
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Indicators Third
signals never? This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler text. This is filler.
Favorite Coaches
Favorite Teachers
Favorite Entrepreneurs
My Goal Setting Posts
![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...
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...
Playing for Four Quarters
I believe that everything is training for the next thing. At 30 years old, I am finally stepping into my own. I had a lot of bad habits to shed. I also had a lot to learn about life. I’m grateful that I “woke up” as early as I did. Now, I can conceptualize 10, 20,...
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...
Playing for Four Quarters
I believe that everything is training for the next thing. At 30 years old, I am finally stepping into my own. I had a lot of bad habits to shed. I also had a lot to learn about life. I’m grateful that I “woke up” as early as I did. Now, I can conceptualize 10, 20,...
My Month in Personal Growth – December 2018
December has been one of the best months of my life. Rather: I've been around my all-time best this month. Experientially, nothing beats the days with my boys. But I am turning myself into a monster. It really showed this month. Much of the pay off will come later. ...
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.
