Last week I was interviewed on a podcast called AlphaMind and we had an interesting discussion about market analysis, technical analysis, behavioral finance, and a lot about the mental game of trading and your mental state. This includes how you approach things, your routines and how you set yourself up for success mentally when you’re getting ready for the trading day.

Part of one of the exercises I do during my annual ‘Power Week’ is to look at all of the goals that I have. I tend to break this down into three main pieces, all of which follow my three main passions.

Just coming out of my power week this first week of January, which is something I do at the end of every year. During that week I take a step back and reflect on where I came from, any progress I have made, where I am currently, and where I would like to go. That one-week allows me to really chart a good course for the next 12 months. 

Every year between Christmas and New Year’s I schedule a Power Week.  I first heard of this idea from Charles Kirk of The Kirk Report who talked about his year-end planning session.  As with many other personal development projects, I used that as an inspiration and made it my own over many years of trial and error.

Last week I did a webcast called “Better Routines Make Better Decisions“ about investor routines and how you approach the trading day. Most of us begin each day by grabbing a cup-of-Joe and sit down to begin our daily investment routines. In this webcast, I detail my morning ‘coffee routine’ and break down my exact process, which you can find here.

My wife tells me that I have way too many books at home.  She is absolutely right.  But for me, there is nothing quite like the feeling of digging into a good book, the sense of accomplishment for reaching the final page, the inspiration that comes from getting inside an author’s head for a short while.

Did you know that the lessons you learn when learning to play in instrument could also be applied to investing and the financial markets? It’s true.

In college (go Buckeyes) I studied music and psychology while pursuing my passion for music playing the trumpet and singing. Here I am, several years later and still trying to justify my music degree to my parents, however, I am eternally grateful for that time I spent studying music. While it was not easy, it was absolutely full of rewards.

 The number one question investors should be asking themselves at all times is “what is my investment horizon?” More specifically, “what is my time horizon?” 

Early on in my career while working for Bloomberg I was fortunate to do a lot of traveling for them between North and South America teaching technical analysis to traders, investors, analysts, sales people, portfolio managers, etc. During that time I remember often feeling exceptionally grateful for the mentors who took the time to answer my questions and let me learn from them.

This week I’m visiting New York, and while I have been on the road I have had a lot of time to think. One of the quotes I have given significant thought to lately is a quote by a famous investor and hedge fund manager, Bruce Kovner.