Chronicles of a Million Dollar Trader My Road, Valleys, and Peaks to Final Trading Victory

by Miller, Don

• ISBN13: 9781118627891
• ISBN10: 111862789X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2013-06-24
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

In December 2007, after numerous starts, failures, restarts, and distractions, Don Miller set out to accomplish what few in the trading industry ever have-earn $1 million in a year. Far more than a book solely about trading, Miller's first book will take his insights to the financial markets, coupled with his trading experiences, and show traders what to do and how to do it to become successful. Consistent with his ongoing mission to increase the transparency in an industry that is too often clouded by smoke and mirrors, Miller chronicles the good, the bad, and the ugly of the world of trading in painstaking detail. Like Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, this book will discuss the journey of one of the industry's top traders, showcasing trading strategies that have made him more than 800% returns on his investments.

Author Biography

Don Miller is an independent fund trader, educator, and industry advocate. Between 2004 and 2010, the total return of his privately traded fund exceeded 800 percent. In 2009, he created the popular "Jellie" trader training program through which he educates traders and raises money for various charities. He has spoken at numerous industry forums and has been widely published online and in print. Learn more at DonMillerBlog.com or DonMillerEducation.com.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The “Race”

A Motivational Carrot

How This Book is Organized

Intention & Use of the Trading Journal Entries

Journaling and Performance

Balancing Credibility and Humility

Bamboo Trees & Windows

A Book About Trading?

Part I Beginnings

Early Tunnels of Life

A Late Bloomer

Early Vocations

Don’t Quit Your Day Job

Out of the Abyss

Evolving Perspectives

A Sporting Chance

Part II Journaling The Million Dollar Race

July 2008 Journal Excerpts

The Cornerstone

Why Has it Worked?

Poker Impacts

Wouldn’t You Know It?

The Intraday Journal Begins

Planning & Trading a Pre-Market Bias

Go With Your Strengths

Textbook Morning After Prior Day Trend

Market Bias

Morning Sequences

Fouling Off Pitches

Work Remains

August 2008 Journal Excerpts

The Story of Grace

FOMC Day

Post-FOMC

Blinds, Antes & Patience

Fool Me Once …

Changing Rhythms

Tale of Two Markets

Trend Day

Any Green is Good

Volatility Returns

Range, Range, Break

Hold the Phone

Silver or Gold?

Breathing Room

Digging to the Surface

September 2008 Journal Excerpts

In the Zone

Less Than Peak Performance

Dreadful Start

Solid Performance

AM Offense; PM Defense

All Good Things …

A Market Blessing

A Forgettable Week

Raising the Bar for the Final Lap

Closing the “Trade”

Now it Gets Harder

October 2008 Journal Excerpts

Monday Mess

Autopsy of a Mess

Back to Work

86% Recovered

Dodging the Carnage

Day Off

I Left in the 7th Inning!

Suck it Up Don

Hitting a Wall

Role Reversal

Eye of the Tiger

A Defensive Win

Dodging Landmines

A Step Slow

Welcome to My Final Table

Morning Strength

October Wrap

November 2008 Journal Excerpts

A New Game?

Fighting It

Starting a Cold Engine

Jack Be Nimble

The Power of Momentum

Managing With My B Game

No Style Points

Brutal Pace

A TICK Tutorial

Warning Signs

Finish Line Adjustments

December 2008 Journal Excerpts

Steady as She Goes

That “One Thing”

Pointing the Finger

Order Restored

The Week That Was

Empty Tank

Two Strokes Remaining

It Is Time

Year of the $1.00 Goal

2008 Year-End Grades

A Night to Dance

Part III Beyond the Race; Best of the 2009 Blog Journal Excerpts

Roller Coaster Day

The Jazz Trader

Wastebasket Day

The Sun Came Up

Five Stinkin’ Minutes

Upon Further Review

Life After 40

Where It All Began

The Missing Inches

Why We Floss

How I’ll Spend My Summer Vacation

Part IV Birth of the Jellyfish

The Genesis

Selecting the Team

The Jellies Speak

Keys to the Castle

Part V Beyond the Tank; Best of the 2010 Blog Journal Excerpts

Poker, Trading, and Focus

Workplace Safety

Focusing on Life’s Comma

You’re Fired

The Flash Crash Autopsy

Money Never Sleeps

Part VI The MF Global Bankruptcy

Frozen on the MF Global Iceberg
A Different Kind of Trade

We Win

Part VII What Goes Up …

An Object in Motion Stays in Motion

Trailing Stops at the Macro Level

A Thousand Words

Part VIII Final Thoughts

Appendix A Journal & Jellie Shorthand Acronyms

Appendix B Jellie Trader Training Syllabus & Discount

About the Author

Sources

Index