IT DOES NOT SUCK TO BE TOM BASSO

Off The Charts

We talk to a lot of traders. Not just on this podcast, but across everything we do. And one thing that is common to most of them is some level of stress which must be routinely navigated. And it’s often a real struggle. Many of them are emotionally damaged and scarred by it. In fact, many of our conversations get into discussions about how to best navigate ourselves out of these negative spirals. This is not the case with Tom Basso. In fact, if Tom didn’t tell you that he makes his money from trading and managing other people’s money, you’d probably assume he’s simply a retiree who enjoys spending his time tending to his garden and landscaping, hosting dinner parties, golfing, singing in choir, and traveling. One thing you wouldn’t guess is that he has perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars at risk in the market at any one point in time! It would be easy to surmise that achieving the level of success Tom has makes it simple for him to adopt a detached, chill mindset about his trading. But he will correct you and tell you that the mindset came first. And his trading, in fact his whole life, thrives on his unique ability to “enjoy the ride.” Steve and I are both smitten with Mr. Basso and we left this conversation invigorated and motivated to do more of working for ourselves and less of what isn’t. In short, we both want to be Tom Basso. You will no doubt enjoy this delightful conversation.