My Squad is Delicious

Sean McLaughlin
April 23, 2024

These cookies were made by a member of my Trader’s Meetup group. She brought them to our gathering last night and made plenty to share with everyone.

Where else can one bring cookies with Japanese candlesticks and receive a rousing ovation from all in attendance?

This is how you know you’re with your people.

Eventually, our spouses get tired of hearing about our “failed breakouts” and “doji reversals.” Our non-trading friends look sideways at us for complaining about “the never-ending bull market that’s overdue for a correction” talk. Our relatives have no friggin’ idea what you’re talking about when you mention phrases like “delta-neutral” or “backwardation.” And your neighbor has no idea what it means when you bring up “the overhead resistance at $74,000.”

Look, most of us don’t spend our working hours in the Financial Districts of NYC or on LaSalle Street in Chicago. If you’re like me, you work from home or have a day job in another industry and you spend your days surrounded by people whose only exposure to trading or investing is their 401k.

If we hope to succeed in this trading endeavor, we have to have our “squads” who live and breathe trading. We need these sounding boards for bouncing ideas and feedback about our trades. To celebrate the wins with, commiserate on losses with, and bolster each other up during the inevitable drawdowns.

Whether you find your squad in a chatroom online, in a newsletter, at conferences, or in meetup groups – the investment of time and energy in finding or creating your network is immeasurably rewarding.

Find your squad!

Here are a couple of mine: (online) or (in-person in Colorado).

Trade 'em Well,

Sean McLaughlin
Chief Options Strategist
All Star Charts, Technical Analysis Research

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