Being a trader is akin to being an athlete. If you don’t have a performance mindset, you’ll never succeed in the rough and tumble world of trading. George Papazov is the founder and head trader at TRADEPRO Academy. George’s company is similar to TopstepTrader in that it’s community oriented and focused on education. Today on Limit Up! George discusses his roots growing up as an immigrant and how that affected his mindset. George also talks about ways you can increase your mental capital as well ...
Mar 13, 2020•57 min•Ep. 120
Whether you’re new to trading or a seasoned pro, the extreme volatility in the markets this week is a reminder of risk. That’s why we’re talking to TopstepTrader’s own, Eddie Horn. Eddie has been involved at Topstep as both a market broadcaster as well as a specialist and mindset coach for Topstep clients. He spends his days coaching traders of all skill levels and helps them navigate challenging market conditions. Today on Limit Up! Eddie, Jack, and Dan discuss market volatility and advice on w...
Mar 06, 2020•42 min•Ep. 119
As a trader, you need to be a bargain hunter. That’s according to today’s guest, Anne-Marie Baiynd. Anne-Marie is the president and CEO of TheTradingBook.com and author of The Trading Book: A Complete Solution to Mastering Technical Systems and Trading Psychology ; so she knows a thing or two about what makes traders tick. In this episode of Limit Up! Anne-Marie will be walking Jack and Dan through how to train your mind to be a trader. The key ingredient is to master the management of risk. Jac...
Feb 28, 2020•55 min•Ep. 118
In our last episode , TopstepTrader’s own, Matt Murnighan, discussed how he got started as a prop trader in the 2000s. This week, Matt is back to discuss what the daily grind of prop trading is really like. Matt, Jack, and Dan discuss the differences between trading for a firm versus as an individual, how trading and poker are similar, and how to know the right time to take a step back from trading. One of the key takeaways from this conversation is to remember that trading is ephemeral. The ind...
Feb 21, 2020•43 min•Ep. 117
Trading today is a different beast than it was in the 80s and 90s. Whereas it used to be all about who you knew, today there are many points of entry to the industry. Today we’re talking to Matt Murnighan , a front-end developer for Topstep Trader. Matt cut his teeth trading props before moving on to software engineering and how he navigated a post-crash market is a lesson for all the newbie traders out there. Matt, Jack, and Dan swap stories on each of their different paths that led them to tra...
Feb 14, 2020•44 min•Ep. 116
Limit Up! has got a new look. In our survey last year, the overwhelming consensus was that listeners were interested in more trader education. That’s why this week Jack and Dan are talking to trading legend, Dan Hodgman Sr. Dan has talked in the past about growing up with a trader for a father and this week you’ll hear from the man himself. Dan Hodgman Sr. discusses how the landscape of trading has changed, how he was able to build a balanced life for himself within the trading industry, and the...
Feb 07, 2020•41 min•Ep. 115
Today on Limit Up! we’re talking to a legend in finance. Dr. Richard Sandor is widely known as the Father of Financial Futures, having pioneered futures trading in the 1970s. After decades of accomplishments (check out his Wikipedia page!), Dr. Sandor is back at it trying to revolutionize trading again with the introduction of a LIBOR alternative called AMERIBOR. In this wide-ranging conversation, Jeff and Dr. Sandor discuss the fundamentals of trading, the process by which Dr. Sandor came up wi...
Jan 31, 2020•46 min•Ep. 114
In an era of fake news and widespread distrust in the media, standard-bearer media organizations like The Wall Street Journal remain a beacon for hard-hitting reporting on what’s going on in finance as well as the world at large. On today’s show, Jeff is talking to Gregory Zuckerman , Special Writer to The Wall Street Journal who focuses on money and investing. Listen in as Gregory explains his process for finding interesting stories, why successful companies hire people who show potential as op...
Jan 24, 2020•33 min•Ep. 113
This week on Limit Up! we’re getting back to the basics and taking a look at the habits and attributes of top traders. Jack, Dan, and John are on mic this week sharing some of their observations from their lives on the trading floor. Listen in to find out why your P&L monitor is just a distraction, why the best traders are first to arrive and last to leave, and have an ultra-compulsive work ethic (we didn’t say all the traits are healthy). We’re also announcing the winners of the listener su...
Jan 17, 2020•39 min•Ep. 112
Crypto has been around for quite a while but there are still many who don’t fully understand how it works or how it will change the industry further down the road. Tokenization has big implications and can potentially become a great equalizer. On this week’s episode of Limit Up! Brock Connelly of RoundBlock Capital is here to explain crypto futures. Brock shares his advice for traders looking to get into the crypto space and talks about some of the common misconceptions people have about bitcoin...
Jan 10, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 111
Trading is an adrenaline rush. But when that rush starts to feel like a drag, it might be time to look for your next steps. Our guest this week on Limit Up! spent 31 years on the floor before making the transition to academia and private consulting. John Nyhoff , whom Jeff used to trade with on the floor, stopped by to chat about what it’s like to make the leap. John discusses the adjustment period he underwent just to get used to the amount of free time he’d acquired thanks to school breaks. Jo...
Jan 03, 2020•41 min•Ep. 110
We’re back this week with part two in our Best Of Limit Up! series. Listen to these bite sized nuggets of wisdom from some of the top traders out there to set yourself up for success in 2020 and beyond. Today’s conversations include topics ranging from finding opportunity after market blowups, how to participate in dual momentum investing, futures trading, how to handle failure, and an enlightening discussion with Michael Patak , the founder of TopstepTrader . Tune in, get inspired, and get trad...
Dec 27, 2019•31 min•Ep. 109
The end of the year is all about reflection and that’s what we’re doing for the next two weeks on Limit Up! In 2019 we had a wealth of knowledge shared with us from guests across industries. Listen in for the segments that we think had the most profound advice that you can use as you look to the next year (and decade!) ahead. Today’s episode features clips from conversations with Mick Ieronimo , Ben Lichtenstein , Tim Racette , and Danny & Hoag. We’re covering everything from maintaining suc...
Dec 20, 2019•29 min•Ep. 108
In 2011, MF Global went bankrupt, destroying the livelihoods of thousands of people. James Koutoulas , CEO of Typhon Capital Management , co-founded the Commodity Customer Coalition and set to work helping customers of MF Global get their money back. James joined Jeff for this week’s episode of Limit Up! Tune in to learn how Typhon Capital Management operates, why James believes traders need to be process-oriented, and how he was able to lead a large customer suit with virtually no experience. [...
Dec 13, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 107
David Klusendorf, Chief Investment Officer of Typhon Capital, likens managing risk to a quote from the movie Good Will Hunting : “I can't play the piano. When I look at a piano, all I see are black and white keys. But Beethoven saw a symphony.” Likewise, with trading, you have to be able to look at the numbers and see the big picture.On this week’s episode of Limit Up! Jeff talks to David about market volatility and risk. David shares his best tips for managing risk and makes the case for why yo...
Dec 06, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 106
When things fall into place and you make a great trade, you feel a rush of exhilaration. However, trades like that don’t happen every day and more often than not you feel the pressure and anxiety inherent in trading with large amounts of money. Keith Morton knows the drill. As a trader in the 80s, he turned to exercise and marathons to manage his stress and stay in shape. On this week’s episode of Limit Up! Keith talks to Jeff about his new venture Citywide Superslow and how he stays healthy thr...
Nov 29, 2019•33 min•Ep. 105
In the past, structured note trading was something that was only available to high powered firms or wealthy individuals. A new startup, Halo Investing, is turning that on its head and democratizing structured note trading so that individuals can get a piece of what has become a $3 trillion market. Our guest this week on Limit Up!, Biju Kulathakal, discusses the future of structured note trading and why traders should get in on that now.Biju also talks about his time as a trader and how that help...
Nov 22, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 104
Just as the internet has revolutionized trading, it has also changed the landscape of higher education. People need degrees to get desirable jobs, but the cost of an MBA program is rapidly becoming out of reach for all but a few. Jeff Brown , Dean of the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, stopped by to talk to Jeff about the state of higher education and what the future is shaping up to look like. The two Jeffs discuss how the school’s iMBA program is dem...
Nov 15, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 103
In the high-stakes world of trading, it’s only a matter of time before you make a mistake. But high-achievers are notoriously bad at handling failure. Today’s guest, Gustavo Razzetti wants to change that. Gustavo stopped by to talk to Jeff about resetting your mindset so that you look at mistakes and failures as an opportunity to grow.Tune in to today’s episode as Gustavo offers up his best advice for dealing with failure and stay tuned for this week’s MARKet Reactions. [00:16] - This week: Gust...
Nov 08, 2019•44 min•Ep. 102
You know Nasdaq to be a multi-billion dollar, global exchange, but it wasn’t always that way. In 2003, Nasdaq made an out-of-the-box hire with Bob Greifeld. Bob then oversaw the digital revolution of trading as well as steered the Nasdaq to become the behemoth it is today. Bob joined Jeff on this week’s episode of Limit Up! to discuss his time at Nasdaq, the importance of creating the right company culture, and Bob’s predictions for the future of trading. Hint: he likes crypto. Bob also shares h...
Nov 01, 2019•49 min•Ep. 101
It’s our 100th episode today and we’re going back to talking about what TopstepTrader does best: futures trading. The futures market is notoriously inaccessible to small scale traders. Today’s guest, Pete Mulmat, stopped in to talk about how his new start up, The Small Exchange, is looking to level the playing field of the future’s market. With a simplified trading process and small product offering, The Small Exchange is empowering retail level traders the opportunity to make trades on futures ...
Oct 25, 2019•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 100
We’re switching up the format for this week’s episode of Limit Up! while Jeff Carter is traveling. Our TopstepTrader dream team of Jack Pelzer, Dan Hodgman, and Mark Meadows sit down for a roundtable discussion on what’s happening in the market this week. The group talks about how the market is in a holding pattern until the Fed makes a decision on rate cuts and offers up their personal advice on how to deal with market volatility. Jack introduces a new game, Kramer vs Kramer, and challenges Dan...
Oct 18, 2019•44 min•Ep. 99
In trading, the highs are high, and the lows are low. But when you get into a groove, it’s magic. On this week’s episode of Limit Up! we’re talking to Gary S. Morrow, an independent registered investment advisor and contributor to the trading advice blog, This Week on Wall Street . After a great run on the trading floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Gary decided to take his career in a new direction. He talks to Jeff about the transition from the high stress floor to working as a writer an...
Oct 11, 2019•46 min•Ep. 98
Steve Werner was a top commodities trader for 19 years before dedicating himself to his family business. But when the market crash of 2008 forced the company to shutter, Steve found himself adrift and suffering from major depression. On today’s episode of Limit Up! Jeff talks to Steve about his journey and how mental health concerns are a widespread issue in the trading industry. Since the dark days of medicating his grief over the loss of his business, Steve has become a lifestyle coach for oth...
Oct 04, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 97
We’re living in a world with a 24/7 news cycle dedicated to corruption. But how does corruption at the highest levels affect the bottom line of individual firms? On this week’s episode of Limit Up! we’re talking corruption with Dr. Nerissa Brown of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business. Professor Brown’s latest research analyzes the effects of political corruption on firm value. She and her colleagues found that in districts with high level of corruption, the va...
Sep 27, 2019•42 min•Ep. 96
Let’s face it, we’re living in a digital world. Innovations in tech make managing investments and researching trades much easier than the analog days, but sometimes you still need that human touch. On this week’s episode of Limit Up! we’re talking to Sean Brown , President and CEO of cloud-based investment tool YCharts . YCharts is unique in that it’s a cloud-based platform that will still connect you with a human if you need help. Sean talks to Jeff about Ycharts’ goal to bring transparency and...
Sep 20, 2019•40 min•Ep. 95
We’re taking a break from all the serious talk related to trading and welcoming friend of the show Alan Matthew. Alan is an illustrious trader and CEO of Tribal Ventures by day and an aficionado of everything from photography to the Burning Man festival by night. Alan talks to Jeff about how he keeps his head together when things get stressful as well as how a fateful trip to the Amazon changed his perspective on life. Sit back for a fun chat between friends. [00:16] - This week: Alan Matthew, C...
Sep 13, 2019•46 min•Ep. 94
There are many theories of investing but according to Gary Antonacci, Principal at Portfolio Management Consultants and author of the book “Dual Momentum Investing,” following trends is the best bang for your buck. On this week’s episode of Limit Up! Jeff talks to Gary about his strategy of dual momentum and how it relates to trend following. But first, Mark Meadows is back this week with his MARKet Reactions in which silver reigned supreme. Tune in to this week’s episode and find out how to ign...
Sep 06, 2019•32 min•Ep. 93
It’s the last week in August and that means we’re squarely in the dog days of summer. Jeff has the week off, but don’t worry listeners, we’ve still got a packed episode for you to roll into the holiday with. First up is our very own Mark Meadows, back with his MARKet Reaction. This week Mark breaks down bull markets, bear markets and how to make sure you’re eliminating your bias.. Then, our performance coaches, and podcast fan favorites, Danny and Hoag are back to discuss enjoying summer with an...
Aug 30, 2019•25 min•Ep. 92
Last month, we decided to bring on our Founder and Chief Vision Officer Michael Patak to talk about his origins as a trader, the founding of TopstepTrader and his experiences being deep in the pit. This is part 2 of Jeff’s interview with Michael. If you missed part 1, make sure to check it out here . In this episode, Jeff and Michael cover the humility and EQ required to be a successful trader. Next, they cover memorable trades and swap a few war stories from deep in the pit. Finally, no trading...
Aug 23, 2019•34 min•Ep. 91
