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Celebrating My Birthday – Incredible Milestones

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Written by Timothy Sykes
Updated 1/4/2023 19 min read

It’s my birthday … And it’s been a pretty wild ride since the last one.

True, the period between April 15, 2020, and today has been challenging in many ways. There’s been civil unrest. There was a contentious election. There were sad moments, like the loss of my friend, the legendary Larry King. Not to mention the lockdowns.

Yet there’s also plenty to celebrate.

(Ready to get the party started? You’ll find birthday deals linked throughout this post!)

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It’s been an INSANE year in the stock market. Several of my top students crossed the million-dollar profit mark* since my last birthday. I just crossed the $7 million profit mark* myself…

There’s been a lot going on. Please join me in celebrating some of the incredible milestones that have made this year memorable…

(*Please note: My results, as well as my top students’ results, are far from typical. Individual results will vary. Most traders lose money. I have the benefit of years of hard work, dedication, and experience. Trading is inherently risky. Do your due diligence and never risk more than you can afford to lose.)

Over $6 Million Donated to Charity

This is one of my proudest accomplishments! A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to some incredible news…

My accountant informed me that my charitable donations officially passed $6 million. Over the past four years, that money has gone to over 60 charities. Here are a few notable Karmagawa donations from the past year…

$1 Million Yemen Donation

Here’s proof of the power of social media

When Karmagawa started a fundraiser to raise money for the people of war-torn Yemen, the original goal was to raise $200,000. We crushed that goal…

Eventually, your donations totaled over $500,000. Combined with about $370,000 from my June and July 2020 trading profits* plus Karmagawa merch profits, the total donation was $1 million. 

The story got a lot of play — even landing a feature in the New York Post. Find out where the money has gone so far here.

More Breaking News

$1 Million in Recent Karmagawa Donations

I wasn’t content to stop at the Yemen donation…

Between teaching, making video lessons, and trading, I was also part of $1 million+ in additional Karmagawa donations, both domestically and abroad.

We’ve contributed to help people, animals, and the environment. Check out this post to learn where the money went — including food banks, animal rescues, building schools, and so much more.

Why Do I Give So Much to Charity?

When I started trading, I was motivated by things like fancy cars. But once I actually attained the objects of my desire, I realized that they had diminishing returns.

When I started donating to charity, I knew I’d found something that could motivate me for the long haul.

So many people have a void inside of themselves … They try to fill it with money and things.

I’ve found that I get so much more from giving back. I get to see the positive impact it makes … I’m addicted to giving back! I think it’s a much better addiction than cars or real estate…

If you really want to give me a birthday present, do yourself a favor and get familiar with Karmagawa’s work … Or check out “50 Minutes to Save the World.” Buy some merch to support our causes. Do something good for the world!

Birthday Sale: Invest in Trading Education Resources

I may not have dropped a classic single like “No Borrow No Cry” in the past year … But there have been plenty of amazing new educational resources that have been released since my last birthday.

One of the biggest hits of the past year?

My 30-Day Bootcamp <<< Click this link to score a special discount in celebration of my birthday!

Created in collaboration with my student Matthew Monaco, this easy-to-follow guide takes new traders from the basics to exploring more advanced trading techniques.

It’s quickly become one of my top-selling products, and a lot of traders are using it as a gateway to my Trading Challenge.

The other big release was from my top student Tim Grittani (who’s up over $13.5 million in profits*)…

Trading Tickers 2

It’s the must-have follow-up DVD to Grittani’s monster hit “Trading Tickers.”

Right now is the perfect time to invest in your education…

Check out this massive birthday sale in the Profit.ly store.

It includes Grittani’s DVDs plus a bunch of my DVDs and other educational resources. And there’s one more special I want you to see…

StocksToTrade

I use StocksToTrade every day. That’s why I know it’s the top tool for helping me find the biggest percent gainers and hottest trades. Full disclosure: I helped design it for the penny stocks I love to trade, and I’m an investor. Don’t miss this offer!

(*These results are not typical. Individual results will vary. Most traders lose money. Traders like  Tim Grittani and I have the benefit of many years of hard work and dedication. Trading is inherently risky. Always do your due diligence and never risk more than you can afford to lose. I’ve also hired Tim Grittani to help in my education business.)

A Minefield of Millionaire Student Milestones*

The millionaire student milestones just kept on coming this past year* … It was so fast and furious that for a while, I couldn’t keep up with announcement posts!

I actually had several students cross the million-dollar mark the same week … Around the same time as the GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) short squeeze madness back in January. Here are just a few of the student millionaire milestones I’ve announced since my last birthday*…

Michael “Huddie” Hudson

Everyone’s favorite long-haired surfer passed $1 million in profits early in 2021. He’s currently over $1.2 million in profits as of April 12, 2021.*

Not bad for a guy whose trading career started with a few bucks on Robinhood… Learn more about his trading story here. We recently did some celebrating along with another newly-minted millionaire* student, Kyle Williams, in Dubai…

 

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Jack Kellogg

Talk about exponential growth! This former valet started trading in 2017. He passed the million-dollar mark in November 2020. He’s now over $6.3 million in trading profits as of April 12, 2021.*

Here’s my advice: learn everything you can from him! I did a four-part interview series with him. Watch them all:

Jack Two

I jokingly started calling my second millionaire student named Jack “Jack Two” to avoid confusion … It stuck! Jack Two is still in grad school, but he recently crossed the million-dollar profit mark. He’s currently up over $1.6 million in profits as of April 12, 2021.*

Don’t miss the crazy story of how we first met over a sketchy DM … Learn from his carefully honed trading strategy and insane work ethic. Check out the interview I did with him here:

Mariana

My first female millionaire* student! Mariana joined my Trading Challenge in 2018 but didn’t get real about studying and trading until 2019. Once she doubled down on her studies, she started to see results fast.

In February of 2021, she crossed the million-dollar mark* … At only 20 years old! Check out this incredible interview to learn more about her incredible trading mindset:

Matthew Monaco

Less than a year after I announced my 30-Day Bootcamp collaborator’s $100,000 milestone, Matthew Monaco joined the seven-figure club. He’s currently up over $1.6 million in profits as of April 12, 2021.*

Not bad for less than a year after graduating college … I think Matthew’s got a very bright future, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for him.

Kyle Williams

Kyle started trading after he saw “The Big Short” in 2016. He lost a lot of money at first … It made him realize he needed to learn the rules if he was going to stay in the game.

He devoted himself to his studies. It paid off for him. He passed the million-dollar mark* in January 2021, just before his 25th birthday. Currently, he’s up over $1.7 million in profits.*

A few other students and I recently surprised him with a memorable vegetarian feast to celebrate his big milestone:

(*These results are not typical. Individual results will vary. Most traders lose money. Traders like Mike, both Jacks, Mariana, Matthew, and Kyle, and I have the benefit of many years of hard work and dedication. Trading is inherently risky. Always do your due diligence and never risk more than you can afford to lose. I’ve also hired these traders to help in my education business.)

So Many More Inspiring Student Stories…

The million-dollar milestone is a big one for traders. But as I always say, it’s a marathon — not a sprint.

There are SO many inspiring student stories I’ve shared since my last birthday. Here are just a few…

Amazing Female Trading Challenge Students

We need more women in trading! I wrote this post to spotlight some of the fierce female traders in my Trading Challenge. Mariana, my first female millionaire* student, is among them. But you’ll also learn about Angela, Crystal, Jenny, Michelle, Sandra, Tessa, and more…

Ellis: Mindset of the Masters

I think that the athlete mindset can be extremely advantageous for traders … Ellis is the perfect example. He’s a former pro athlete. His discipline and determination are translating nicely into his trading career. He’s currently up over $325,000 in trading profits* and just became a moderator of my Trading Challenge chat room … Here’s his incredible story.

David: $15,000 on His First Trade

Believe it or not, David made $15,000 … on his very first trade.* But it wasn’t just beginner’s luck … Learn his story here.

Paul: Bought His Mom a House With Trading Profits

Want proof that big things have small beginnings? Check out Paul’s story. He went from total newbie to buying his mom a house with his trading profits* in a few short years…

Chris and Sean: Different Goals, Common Dedication

Recently, I wrote this post about two students who are both killing it. Their stories are very different — but they have something important in common. They’re both dedicated to making their goals a reality. It just goes to show … There’s more than one way to approach trading.

Grant: Adapted My Lessons For His Long-Term Investing Strategy

I love this story! In 2020, Grant emailed me to let me know he’d just made a series of trades totaling over $100,000.*

He wanted to thank me because those trades were the result of a strategy he developed by applying my penny stock trading strategy to long-term investments. Check out the story here

(Please note that these kinds of trading results are not typical. Most traders lose money. It takes years of dedication, hard work, and discipline to learn how to trade. Individual results will vary. Trading is inherently risky. Before making any trades, remember to do your due diligence and never risk more than you can afford to lose.)

My $7 Million Trading Profit Milestone*

I didn’t want to lead with this. Honestly, I’m MORE excited about my students’ progress and my charity donations.

But yeah … The market insanity in 2020–2021 has been good for me, too.

I recently passed the $7 million profit mark* … Keep in mind, those profits have been over the course of my 20+ year trading career. Most of it has been the result of small trading gains!

I’ve had a pretty crazy trading journey … You can read all about it in my autobiography, “An American Hedge Fund.”

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I’ve put in the time. I understand how penny stocks work. So when a market comes along as we’ve experienced in 2020–2021, I’m ready.

As of mid-April 2021, I’m up over $770,000 on the year.* If the year were to end today, it would already be my third-best year in 20+ years of trading. It’s all about studying and being prepared!

(*Please note: My results are far from typical. Individual results will vary. Most traders lose money. I have the benefit of years of hard work, dedication, and experience. Trading is inherently risky. Do your due diligence and never risk more than you can afford to lose.)

A Year Unlike Any Other…

tim sykes standing in a crowd
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A lot has changed since my last birthday.

In the day trading world, it’s been an exhilarating, wild ride.

There have been so many amazing milestones — for my students, for my charity, and for me personally.

I know it’s been a challenging year in many ways. But overall, I feel optimistic about the future.

There are always opportunities out there — it’s a matter of studying, adapting, and being prepared to take advantage of them.

Ready to get serious about studying, learning, and getting to know penny stocks? Consider applying for my Trading Challenge.

I can’t wait to see what happens before my next birthday…

How has life and/or trading changed for YOU since last April 15, 2020? Leave a comment below … I love hearing from you!


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Timothy Sykes

Tim Sykes is a penny stock trader and teacher who became a self-made millionaire by the age of 22 by trading $12,415 of bar mitzvah money. After becoming disenchanted with the hedge fund world, he established the Tim Sykes Trading Challenge to teach aspiring traders how to follow his trading strategies. He’s been featured in a variety of media outlets including CNN, Larry King, Steve Harvey, Forbes, Men’s Journal, and more. He’s also an active philanthropist and environmental activist, a co-founder of Karmagawa, and has donated millions of dollars to charity. Read More

* Results are not typical and will vary from person to person. Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. There are inherent risks involved with investing in the stock market, including the loss of your investment. Past performance in the market is not indicative of future results. Any investment is at your own risk. See Terms of Service here

The available research on day trading suggests that most active traders lose money. Fees and overtrading are major contributors to these losses.

A 2000 study called “Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors” evaluated 66,465 U.S. households that held stocks from 1991 to 1996. The households that traded most averaged an 11.4% annual return during a period where the overall market gained 17.9%. These lower returns were attributed to overconfidence.

A 2014 paper (revised 2019) titled “Learning Fast or Slow?” analyzed the complete transaction history of the Taiwan Stock Exchange between 1992 and 2006. It looked at the ongoing performance of day traders in this sample, and found that 97% of day traders can expect to lose money from trading, and more than 90% of all day trading volume can be traced to investors who predictably lose money. Additionally, it tied the behavior of gamblers and drivers who get more speeding tickets to overtrading, and cited studies showing that legalized gambling has an inverse effect on trading volume.

A 2019 research study (revised 2020) called “Day Trading for a Living?” observed 19,646 Brazilian futures contract traders who started day trading from 2013 to 2015, and recorded two years of their trading activity. The study authors found that 97% of traders with more than 300 days actively trading lost money, and only 1.1% earned more than the Brazilian minimum wage ($16 USD per day). They hypothesized that the greater returns shown in previous studies did not differentiate between frequent day traders and those who traded rarely, and that more frequent trading activity decreases the chance of profitability.

These studies show the wide variance of the available data on day trading profitability. One thing that seems clear from the research is that most day traders lose money .

Millionaire Media 66 W Flagler St. Ste. 900 Miami, FL 33130 United States (888) 878-3621 This is for information purposes only as Millionaire Media LLC nor Timothy Sykes is registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any of the securities mentioned in communications or websites. In addition, Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns.

Citations for Disclaimer

Barber, Brad M. and Odean, Terrance, Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors. Available at SSRN: “Day Trading for a Living?”

Barber, Brad M. and Lee, Yi-Tsung and Liu, Yu-Jane and Odean, Terrance and Zhang, Ke, Learning Fast or Slow? (May 28, 2019). Forthcoming: Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=2535636”

Chague, Fernando and De-Losso, Rodrigo and Giovannetti, Bruno, Day Trading for a Living? (June 11, 2020). Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=3423101”