After 15 years of sunken cost, I'm cutting off my losses and moving away from finance. I started like everyone, enthusiastic and optimistic that soon I'll find "something" (i.e. gold) and all the warnings from failed gold prospectors are a reflection of their weakness and will not, can not happen to me. Because in addition to being smart (150 IQ), good looking (an 8 if I work on it) and reasonably well-endowed (by generational family wealth), I'm also lucky. Well, there's one thing I can't control here and it's all that matters in today's finance: luck. Ain't got it. I am not lucky! I have NEVER been lucky! Never will I be lucky! No luck! Guys, am I lucky? (From the audience: "Oh, you're unlucky, buddy."). Today's finance (if it was ever different is like this): the vast majority of guys are if not plain losers then simple pawns no better than being at the mercy of God some 1000 dark years ago. Yet every one of them and their cat thinks... not thinks, it's 100% sure as a mental patient in a hospice is sure he's not a schizo, they are sure THEY gonna hit the jackpot. I've said it here and I'll repeat it until it enters the mental collective. I'm not a regular guy, I'm an 150+ IQ guy and figuring out what goes from my mind from the perspective of a commoneer is about as bound for success as a cow trying to figure out what his or her human masters are thinking.
Before you leave, try the bond markets. See the yield curve below… you can see how easy it is to bank a 5%+ yield… and with that 150iq I trust you understand Compounding Interest. Without a foundation in the bond markets I can see why you’re frustrated. Bonds are intimately connected with stocks: look at the “Crowding Out Theory.” It basically says that a “Rational” investor will take a “risk-free” 3% over any stock market risk. Enter the Fed, printing dollars and controlling rates via the Fed Fund Rate, and effectively controlling the equities markets. I’m still pining for the fjords of the gold standard. There’s also some nice tax advantages to bonds… you may not have to pay taxes! Sincerely, Keith Non-professional - not licensed - not qualified to give advice - opinion only
Maybe this 150IQ should stop taking directional bets. Find some kind of arbitrage or replication. We're all degenerate gamblers until we find something we can beat. Any game can be beaten under the right conditions. We don't get old until we stop playing. I don't think IQ has anything to do with being a profitable traders. It's more about Network + Hard Work = Success. Wish you find yourself another passion.
Be real smart and ask for help from those who are winning in your field of finance. If not, just continue to whine about how unlucky you are. The #1 issue that hinders many is not IQ but their EGO.
Sound you never experienced hard working !!! (like sitting on boring charts for months, backtesting, paper trading, etc) [just took a IQ-test now, to check if I'm worthwhile interacting with you )]
Making money has nothing to do with intelligence. Think of all the bright people that choose careers on Wall Street. If intelligence were the key, there would be a lot more people making money trading” — Trader Vic
Thank you… this yield curve is nuts! Like someone did a “flip horizontal.” If I didn’t know better I’d say it was an April fools joke! Makes me wonder what idiot in economics postulated that longer term means higher risk.