LET'S TALK ABOUT THE STOCK MARKET

Hello, I'm Bruce Bradbury, and this is my journey from curiosity to the upper echelon of stock trading. My road hasn't been straightforward, nor has it been free of setbacks, but every step has been a critical lesson in the pursuit of my goal: building a net worth of $100,000 through stock trading and eventually aiming much higher. My dream job is to skillfully manage my own portfolio of assets. My initial charge is to become a profitable stock trader.

I was always intrigued by the mechanics of markets and investments, even during my days in film school—first at age 16 at a Technical High School in Vermont, and then as I went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Filmmaking from Portland State University. My early career was not in finance; I dabbled in real estate as I was in the tail end of college and for 2 years afterward. Throughout the period from October 2022 to April 2024, my vision became to learn everything I could about day trading and try to make it a career. It wasn't until I faced significant financial setbacks during this time that I truly understood that I needed to engage with the market wisely, understand trading rules, and develop my own reliable trading strategies.

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In 2020, while wrapping up my filmmaking degree, I ventured into real estate. I started studying for it in May 2020, coming from nearly zero knowledge or background, and got my first job as a buyer's agent for a Keller Williams real estate team in Portland, OR, in January 2021. I was always a very aggressive saver and I knew that real estate was a career that could take me a year before getting my first paycheck. I believe I had $10k or so in savings. Some success came with closing my first deal, representing a retiree couple in buying a golf course home ($600k) that summer. Afterwards, my fiancée and I moved up to Seattle, WA, as she had finished her degree. I still had some online classes to finish before getting my degree, so I decided the move would be awesome too!

For my career, I joined Keller Williams Realty Bellevue. Long story short, I spent a lot of time working on my real estate business. I sold a total of 5 properties for $3,280,000 in those 36 months. Around the new year of 2024, I finally decided... I have to give this a break. I know that for some real estate agents it may take five years to become a killer, but making a combined income of around $80,000 in three years was just not enough proof for me that I was good enough at this to keep going.

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But, more on that later...

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During this point in my life, I would scrap almost every discretionary line item for the privilege of plowing that money into a stock trading account. After all, $1k put to work in a trading account is much better spent than $1k on some random discretionary garbage. In the height of things working out as a real estate agent and me learning how to trade the stock market, I was starting to build a net worth somewhere around $40k. I was finally showing promise. I was finally starting to feel rich, actually. For my age, I didn't need to look at grocery store prices or worry about taking a local weekend trip. I always had tight budgeting on my mind during this time, though. I knew I wasn't there yet financially to be able to let off the gas. I was practicing delayed gratification and plowing every spare dollar into my stock trading account after living expenses.

I soon realized that success in real estate required more than just enthusiasm and putting in long hours. My journey met a tough roadblock, and I faced nearly insurmountable losses in my stock trading accounts. This toughness in real estate was my first real taste of financial adversity. I was stagnating in my new career, and a lot of it was my fault. I failed to make those 100 daily phone calls and follow up with all the open house leads I had going on. I failed to build out a breadth of lead sources for my real estate business, and perhaps I even struggled with self-confidence issues as a salesperson.

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But instead of deterring me, it redirected my path towards something I was even more passionate about: the stock market.

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Transitioning to day trading, I began experimenting with QQQ trading: eyeing TQQQ and its inverse, SQQQ, daily. I began to understand how the Nasdaq market moves and just grew to love technical analysis. Looking at the charts made sense. I couldn't envision a better way to make my money every day. A long journey to go from this starting point, which developed as a mental shift in the fall of 2022. I was just learning the basics at first, and then started funding my own account from my liquid net worth and that next spring, I was trading with around $30,000.

 I had learned a little bit, and my naïveté had led me to wanting to surpass the $25,000 pattern day trader requirement as soon as possible. Reflecting on it now, I wasn't ready to trade with $25K but, it is a decision I live with, and a decision that has given me an invaluable lesson about this whole game: A LOSS can compile into a SERIES OF LOSSES that can take you out of the game for months or even years.

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Fast forward to that summer, I had become exposed to SPY index options. In retrospect, I now understand that I was just part of a trend of retail traders discovering options, as in the past few years, volume on the derivatives have exploded as everyone is clocking in to trade from Robinhood these days. My initial approach lacked discipline, but I was never trading like a meme trader. No WallStreetBets, no YOLOing. I have learned to trade with Webull and TD Ameritrade and have learned charting, technical analysis, and to watch order flow. I still made reckless moves though, and everything led to a significant loss of essentially all of my trading capital by fall-2023. This period was pivotal as it taught me the indispensable value of risk management. By late September 2023, I reinvested $1,000 with a new strategy and a disciplined mindset, quickly turning it into $5,000 through calculated, strategic trades. However, the rollercoaster of trading soon dipped again, and by December, I was back to square one. I had blown my options trading account once again. After losing my initial BIG capital, I had funded and blown somewhere between 3-5 trading accounts. At this point, I was losing steam, as my professional money-making source of real estate came to a close as well. All roads left to being... BROKE.

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Determined to succeed, I embarked on what I called the “My First $100,000” challenge at the start of 2024, adopting a philosophy influenced by the likes of Charlie Munger. I focused on relentless perseverance and continuous learning. The challenge was simple: work as much as I could doing whatever gig job I could, save aggressively, and learn relentlessly. This included video editing and filmmaking for other real estate agents, driving for Uber Eats, and copywriting for a LinkedIn marketing company to pay the bills and get by. And to nourish my mind and progress in trading, spending countless hours analyzing market trends and trading patterns.

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My trading style has evolved significantly. I focus on options trading, particularly with the SPY index, aiming for gains through a series of well-planned trades. I’ve learned to interpret market signals, understand the importance of timing, and most crucially, manage my risks effectively. These skills have not only been shaped by my own experiences but also by studying the strategies of renowned traders and the market’s historical data.

Beyond just trading, I’ve decided to share my journey and insights through this blog. Here, I discuss everything from specific trades and strategies to broader market analyses and trading philosophies. My mission is to demystify stock trading for those who, like me, are not formally educated in finance but are driven by a deep interest and a relentless will to succeed.

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My blog serves as a live document of my trading activities—a place where I not only share my successes and setbacks but also offer a transparent view into the daily life of a retail trader striving to make it big. This platform is not just for tracking my progress; it's a resource for anyone looking to understand the practical aspects of trading and financial management.

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As I continue on this path, my aim is to transform not just my financial situation but also to empower others by sharing knowledge and experiences. Whether it’s discussing the latest market trends or the psychological aspects of trading, I will write what I see.

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In the end, my story is about more than just financial gains. It’s about the journey of personal development through the lens of trading. It’s about understanding that setbacks are not failures if they provide learning opportunities. It’s about not just reaching a goal but setting new ones that once seemed beyond reach.

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This blog is both my story and a tool for others. It’s for the curious, the aspiring traders, and the determined individuals who see value in learning from someone else’s journey. So, whether you’re a seasoned trader or just starting out, I hope my experiences can illuminate your path in some way.

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Thank you for joining me on this journey. Let’s navigate the complexities of the financial markets together and build towards our goals with knowledge, strategy, and perseverance.