Most of us have a checking or savings account, but we rarely stop to think about how our banking choices actually affect our bottom line. Getting smart about how banks operate can save you a surprising amount of cash. The truth is, your current banking setup and habits might be costing you more than you realize, especially if you're running a and need to watch every dollar.
My first investment wasn’t in the stock market. It was in myself. In the world of finance, they call it “human capital”—the value you bring to a company through your skills, knowledge, and experience. Long before I knew the official term, I understood a simpler truth: being a valuable employee was how you made money, and money seemed to be the key to a happy life.
After spending my career in behavioral finance, I’ve learned that how I invest my own money is either incredibly straightforward or deeply complex, depending on how you look at it. But my entire approach starts with a single idea: money is always a servant, never a master. For anyone wondering , I believe the first step is to ask a more fundamental question: why are you even saving in the first place?
Sometimes the most profound insights come from the most unexpected places. A few years ago, I was in an Uber in Orange County when my driver, Charlie Clark, mentioned he had been Gwen Stefani’s high school voice coach. As a music expert, a couple of things he said really resonated with me. “An artist will create in a way that conveys how they feel about something as well as how they think about it,” he explained. He added, “Words and notes are not music, the stuff on the page is abstract, you have to turn them into life.”
It feels a little strange to be nearing the end of this month-long project. For the last 25 days, I’ve been thinking out loud, and sharing this process with you has been incredibly insightful. It’s forced me to deconstruct my own trading habits—actions that had become so second nature they were almost subconscious. I was trained to see specific chart setups and simply react.
I’m having a pretty light day, mostly rereading the manuscript for a book that will be in your hands by summer. It’s a surreal feeling, turning these typed words into a hardcover book. With my deadline just five days away, I’m trying to cram in a few last-minute charts and edits.
It’s not even 4:30 A.M., and I’m pretty sure there isn’t enough Earl Grey tea in all of Florida to get me going. But I promised myself I’d be up early, so here I am. As I scan the charts, I can see the USD/CHF is still on my radar, and the Canadian dollar is continuing its slide. My first thought, and my first warning to myself, is simple: don’t revenge trade.
I’m a visual trader, which means my decisions are based on what I see on the charts—not on news headlines or gut feelings. My approach to is built on this principle. After weeks of analyzing charts, I hope this is becoming clear.
With major economic news like Initial Claims and Crude Inventories scheduled for release, I knew the morning would be active. On days like this, you’re essentially working against a deadline, trying to get your positions set before the data drops. My focus immediately went to the USD/CAD pair.