One thing that I couldn’t accept as an attorney (for the five minutes I seriously considered that as a profession) was that I’d be confronted with the temptation to make money from projects and clients with whom I did not want to work. The wealth that is created from doing a law-job is wealth that comes from the support of, allegiance to, and active promotion of a client’s business.

How is trading different?

A trader creates wealth from scratch. When you produce income from trading, you are creating wealth from the following ingredients:

ChartsFundamental informationPriceYOUR MIND

Some would argue that trading is a zero-sum game, and what you win is someone else’s loss. I think that’s an immature description of trading. It’s far more productive to view trading as the opportunity to use your mind, your talents, your discipline, and your friendships to create wealth.

When you produce income in this way, you’re not extracting (consuming) a piece of someone else’s pie. You’re not feeding off the labor of others, or piggybacking on the business interests of some other party. Or earning wages from the support of a cause that you cannot support. Or befriending others for the purpose of winning their business rather than because you have shared goals. The cause is the support of you and your family. Of your ideals. The cause is the charities that you support, the friendships you can foster through trading, and the development and strengthening of your own talents.

In summary, a trader is self-sufficient. The practice of using ingredients like charts, fundamentals, price, a computer, and your mind to produce wealth enhances your ability in the long term to be completely independent.