Trading & Investing Lessons
A self-paced curriculum focused on the boring math that actually keeps traders solvent. No hype, no patterns named after Japanese warriors, no "to the moon." Just the working knowledge a serious trader needs.
Each lesson stands alone, but they're sequenced for traders building from zero. Read them in any order — or follow the path below.
Foundations — risk & sizing
Position Sizing: The Math That Keeps You in the Game
The 1-2% risk rule, the position-size formula, ATR-based sizing, and why "risk" is not the same as "capital deployed." With worked examples for stocks and crypto.
Risk-Reward Ratio — Why 1:3 Isn't Magic
The expectancy formula, the breakeven win-rate table, and why "always trade with at least 1:3" is bad advice. Match your R:R to your strategy's nature, not a YouTube rule.
Mental Stops vs Hard Stops: The Lie
The legitimate case for mental stops, the much larger case against, and the hybrid most professionals actually run. Why "stop hunting" usually isn't what's killing you.
Reading the chart — what's signal, what's noise
Reading a Candlestick Without the Mysticism
What candles actually encode (four numbers), the four shapes worth memorizing, the close-location-value formula, and why context dominates pattern.
The Difference Between a Strategy and a Setup
A setup is a sentence. A strategy is a document with eight specific components. Learn what's missing from yours, and how to actually iterate on a system.
Capital allocation & reality
DCA vs Lump Sum: 100 Years of Data
The Vanguard study breakdown, when DCA actually wins, the 50/50 hybrid, and the behavioral edge case that overrides the math.
Why Most Retail Crypto Traders Lose — Specifically
The mechanical autopsy: fees, spreads, leverage, MEV/sandwich attacks, the disposition effect, and the survivor-bias filter on Twitter. Backed by BIS, eToro, and academic data.
Tax Lots, Wash Sales, and Crypto
FIFO vs HIFO vs specific ID, why crypto traders can still tax-loss harvest, the holding-period cliff, and what active traders actually log per trade.
Suggested learning path
- Start with Position Sizing — the foundation everything else sits on.
- Then Risk-Reward Ratio — the second half of the math.
- Then Mental vs Hard Stops — the discipline that makes the math real.
- Add chart reading: Candlesticks → Strategy vs Setup.
- Allocation context: DCA vs Lump Sum.
- Reality checks: Why Retail Loses → Tax Lots.