If you get into trading with a ‘money mindset,’ you’ve got the wrong mindset for trading.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s good to have goals. Wanting to make money so that you can live the life you want can be motivating.
But when you get so focused on money that you can’t see the big picture — that’s the money mindset. That’s how you set yourself up for failure as a trader.
I know this probably seems counterintuitive. A lot of things about trading are counterintuitive. But by shining the spotlight on some of my most successful students — Jack Kellogg, Matt Monaco, and Kyle Williams — maybe you’ll understand a little better.
All of these Trading Challenge students killed it in June, all respectively reporting their best trading months EVER.*
But what’s truly incredible is how level-headed they’re all staying in the face of their incredible accomplishments. Because they know things can change at any moment.
Newbies got spoiled, mistakenly thinking trading is easy & all picks are going to keep surging, I've been warning about an inevitable change in market environment & the last 2-3 days have shown that with today being the worst. You MUST stay humble or the market will humble you!
— Timothy Sykes (@timothysykes) July 2, 2020
All of these traders provide amazing examples of the right mindset for successful trading … and they prove that it’s passion and dedication — not money — that really fuels long-term success.
Table of Contents
A Trinity of Awesome
If you’re in my chat room or on Profit.ly, you probably already know Matt (Mono_Trader), Jack (Jackaroo), and Kyle (kylecw2).
But whether you’re familiar with them or not, here are some things you should know … They’re all Trading Challenge students. They’re all young … barely old enough to drink. They’re all absolutely KILLING it as traders.
Last month…
- Jack Kellogg made $184K*
- Matt Monaco made $93K*
- Kyle Williams made $75K*
(*Please note: My results, along with the results of my top students, are far from typical. Individual results will vary. Most traders lose money. My top students and I have the benefit of many years of hard work and dedication under our belts. Trading is inherently risky. Do your due diligence and never risk more than you can afford to lose.)
That’s in June alone. Yep: in a single month, they each respectively made more than a lot of people earn in an entire year.
Not the Money Mindset, The Right Mindset
But here’s what I really want you to know about all of these students … They all have the right mindset — not the money mindset.
To start to understand, check out this video of Jack and his friend Dom Mastromatteo from the Midwest Meetup last year:
Jack’s profits were impressive even then — though nowhere near the $500K+* he’s at now.
We filmed this video before the coronavirus, before the crazy market volatility that we’ve been experiencing since March … This market is so insane that I even filmed a no-cost resource to help students deal: “The Volatility Survival Guide.”
But what’s stayed the same is that he has the right mindset. He talks about how important dedication and studying is, and how you have to keep going when you don’t get it right.
What Jack, Matt, and Kyle all have in common is that they all have a really good mindset for trading. They don’t get cocky when they win, they’re good at keeping losses in perspective.
A great mindset, having a hot market, and studying a lot — these three things combined led to the biggest month ever for ALL of them.
I LOVE how many https://t.co/EcfUM63rtt students are growing profits exponentially, @mono_trader doubled his biggest month making $100k in June, @Jackaroo_Trades nearly tripled his biggest month making $180,000+ in June too, see https://t.co/v1ZxXw9som for my video on this curve! https://t.co/32np0TFXrZ
— Timothy Sykes (@timothysykes) July 3, 2020
Jack Kellogg: Killing It, Softly
Last year, I personally made $125K.* I started out as I do every year with a small account. Last month, Jack Kellogg made about $184K.* So basically, Jack not only crushed my entire year of profits from 2019 but had enough left over to, I don’t know … put a down payment on a house? Buy a car? Whatever he felt like.
His results are getting better and better all the time. He reports $70K+ in May and $50K+ in April.* You can read more about his story in this post and learn more about his strategy in this video:
Sure, part of this is opportunity. The market volatility right now is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. But he’s ready for the opportunities.
Jack’s Look Back
Jack’s understandably proud of his accomplishments. But he’s not about the money mindset, and he’s worked hard for this success — for years. And he hasn’t forgotten where he came from.
Yeah, it’s awesome to post a profit chart like this:
JUNE 2020, +$184,100 pic.twitter.com/bIvwiIGmZ5
— Jack Kellogg (@Jackaroo_Trades) July 1, 2020
But he’s not casting himself as king of the world because of it. The day after he posted his profits, he posted a screenshot of his trading results from around the same time last year. You know what those looked like?
One year ago today.
You never know when it is coming.
All you can do is show up everyday and always stay learning. 😤 pic.twitter.com/OXtQD1VrOV
— Jack Kellogg (@Jackaroo_Trades) July 1, 2020
Yeah … He was literally making 45-cent profits.
Unfortunately, like many people who become successful (including myself), Jack’s had to deal with trolls. But he even handles that better than I do…
I've been getting a lot of hate lately. Sad that people think what is and isn't possible without even knowing me. I've outworked, outwitted and outperformed most. My results are real!
— Jack Kellogg (@Jackaroo_Trades) July 5, 2020
Be sure to follow Jack on Twitter (@jackaroo_trades). His mindset is inspiring and he’s also great about posting his profit charts and trades too. There’s a lot you can learn from him.
Matt Monaco: Staying Humble
What can I tell you about Matt Monaco? Well, he just graduated from college…
Then in June, he averaged a few thousand dollars in profits a day … His total for the month was $93K.*
Somehow, I’m not too worried about him being able to pay off his student loans. Try finding an entry-level job where you can make that much.
Is he psyched about his epic market progress? Duh. It was his best month ever.
Here's my June 2020 monthly recap video…
$93,286 in verified profits
64% win percentage
NEW PERSONAL BEST MONTH. Looking to keep this momentum rolling as long as the market lets me.
I hope everyone likes it. Cheers @timothysykes https://t.co/ySb3T50EIA
— Matthew Monaco 🚀 (@mono_trader) July 6, 2020
But here’s what I find really inspiring about Matt. He’s killing it in the market. He’s young. It would be so easy for him to be a little jerk about it, but he’s not. He’s not focused on the money mindset. He’s had his sights set on trading for YEARS.
Matt’s Right Mindset: Staying Humble
Matt’s remarkably humble and very aware of how far he’s come. In this tweet he talks about where he was at the same time last year:
What a difference a year makes… May 2019: -$3,163 and May 2020: $48,753 (I will post June tomorrow as its another record month) Don't give up, its worth it in the end @timothysykes pic.twitter.com/acHGPnhKVv
— Matthew Monaco 🚀 (@mono_trader) June 29, 2020
Yep: in May 2019, his monthly total wasn’t a profit at all — it was a loss of $3,163. A lot of traders would have just packed up their bags and quit then. Not Matt. He studied, he refined his techniques, he kept getting better.
Matt’s young, but that doesn’t mean everything came easy for him. He had to work hard and study hard. Most importantly, he didn’t give up. He stuck with his education, he was devoted, he developed a strategy.
It paid off. When the market got crazy, he was ready. In May 2020, he made $48,753.* And you saw what happened in June …
If you don’t follow Matt on Twitter (@mono_trader), you should. He’s great about posting commentary on trades and his monthly results. Not only should this inspire you to be better about your own record keeping, but you might just learn something from him.
Good things take time. On the left, you'll see June 2019 which (at the time) was my best month. On the right, you'll see June 2020. My new personal best. I wish I could say it happened overnight but June marked year 3 of my journey. Recap video coming this weekend @timothysykes pic.twitter.com/Z4D29QB99D
— Matthew Monaco 🚀 (@mono_trader) July 2, 2020
Kyle Williams: Keeping His Cool
$75K in a month might not be a big deal for some hedge fund trader.* But for most people — especially a young guy like Kyle Williams, it’s pretty freakin’ impressive.
In fact, Kyle even cursed when he reported it in a tweet…
6/20 recap: h-o-l-y s-h-i-t
Was already having a new best month then $CYDY comes along and offers an opportunity I haven’t seen in a year+ and I took full advantage of it. There isn’t enough words to describe how grateful I am. pic.twitter.com/x8iwTgSVxO— Kyle Williams (@traderkylec) July 1, 2020
But he followed it up with this:
Trading Monthly Recap: June 2020 $75,500
– Best and worst trades of the month
– Patterns repeating themselves again and again
– Reading level 2 and more 🔥https://t.co/grAjfqtgdW
— Kyle Williams (@traderkylec) July 1, 2020
Yeah, a full recap of his $75K+ month.*
One thing I love about Kyle’s approach is that he keeps meticulous records. Not only does this help him refine his own trading over time, but other traders can watch and learn too. At the very least, it should inspire you to keep a trading journal.
He just keeps getting better … This big profit month wasn’t long after his big announcement on May 29…
This week also pushed me over $250k in career profits! Can’t thank @timothysykes @kroyrunner89 @thehonestcroock @goodetrades @tbohen enough for all the teachings over the years. Also grateful for all great traders out there I’ve become friends with. $500k I’m coming for you! pic.twitter.com/UHIAESB5In
— Kyle Williams (@traderkylec) May 29, 2020
How Kyle Gets It
Here’s a great takeaway from Kyle: over time, he’s actually been very conservative. For a long time, he had some wins, some losses … but he stayed pretty even.
But when things clicked, they CLICKED. Just look at his profit chart.
Now, he’s surging like a supernova. Nope: stocks aren’t the only things that can go supernova. Traders can too! However, since Kyle’s taken the time to learn his lessons I don’t think he’s gonna be like a penny stock supernova that fades into oblivion.
I think his success is likely to continue — but not just because he’s a smart trader. Because he’s got the right mindset. The money mindset isn’t everything to him. He doesn’t let his success get to his head or let it affect his judgment.
Even after a record-breaking month where he could have bought a sweet car, he made sure to tweet this:
Yesterday’s PnL is now irrelevant. New day, clean slate. You’re only as good as your next trade.
— Kyle Williams (@traderkylec) July 1, 2020
Even though he’s making record-breaking profits, he has the right mindset. New day. New slate. Kyle gets it.
They’re Not the Only Ones
These three traders are definitely an inspiration. But they’re just a few examples of my awesome student success stories.
Yes, their results are extraordinary, but in general, I have TONS of students with the right mindset even if their profits aren’t at these levels (yet.) They’re transparent, helping each other out, and generally being supportive to one another.
One of the best things about my Trading Challenge and chat room community is that it’s a positive community. People aren’t just out for themselves. They’re out to help each other improve.
Take, for instance, my top student, Tim Grittani. He’s up over $12 million in profits* … he’s doing much better than me.
I like to say I’m like “training wheels” here to help you figure out your own strategy. Grittani used my teachings and developed his own style. He doesn’t need me as a teacher anymore. He can do whatever he wants…
But he chooses to be part of the community. He chooses to be a mentor and teacher, too.
Here’s a great example of how he ticks. The other day, he made nearly $225K+ on a single trade — incredible. He made over $1 million in June.*
What did he do? He gave a Challenge webinar to help students understand how he did it so they could learn from his trade and improve their own trading. And he offered to do it. Then he went on the TWIST podcast to talk about his incredible trade. Get that episode here.
This is what it’s about. People helping people.
It’s not about copying other traders — it’s about learning what you can from others. In the Challenge, you’ll get two to four live webinars a week. That’s a huge way to increase your knowledge.
June 2020: A Record-Breaking Trading Month
It’s incredible what can happen when you study and prepare for when the market presents these amazing opportunities.
I’ve made about $500K so far this year — nearly $300K of that was in June alone.*
But I don’t care about that. I’m over the money mindset. I donate everything I can to charity. Most recently to Yemen with my charity Karmagawa, but I’ve also donated to organizations like Direct Relief…
Still, the profits that I’ve made are significantly higher than usual. It’s all thanks to this market, the fact that I’m sticking to my rules, and cutting losses quickly.
I’ve gotta say, June went out with a serious BANG. On June 30 alone, my students reported these profits*:
- Michael Goode: $73,000*
- Tim Grittani: $223,000*
- Mike “Huddie” Hudson: $17,000*
- Jack Kellogg: $70,000*
- Matt Monaco: $11,000*
- Kyle Williams: $31,000*
*My results, along with the results of my top students are far from typical. Individual results will vary. Most traders lose money. My top students and I have the benefit of many years of hard work and dedication under our belts. Trading is inherently risky. Do your due diligence and never risk more than you can afford to lose.
Are You Prepared to Ditch the Money Mindset?
If you read this post and think “dang, I’ve gotta get into this penny stock thing … I’m gonna make a year’s salary in a month” … you totally missed the point. Get your head straight.
It’s not always this crazy in the market. In fact, there was even a little bit of a market hangover the first few days of July.
But the way these students made these profits was by stalking the market, being patient, studying, and being prepared. And when the opportunities came along, they were ready — and they have the positive results to show it.
But it’s not just about being ready. It’s about having the right mindset about money and success.
If any of the traders I talked about in this post were just in it to get rich, they all probably would have quit a year ago. Jack Kellogg wasn’t getting rich fast with his 45-cent profits a year ago. Matt Monaco wasn’t getting rich with $3K+ losses this time last year.
But they stuck with it. They had a long-term mindset, and it’s paying off for them. Are you ready to invest in your education so you can prepare for future opportunities?
Do you have the right mindset or the money mindset? Leave a comment if you’re prepared to dig in for the long haul. Say, “I have the right mindset!”
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