My name is Michael Bolin and I started trading in June 2018. I was a full time college student working on my B.A. in psychology when I was assigned some schoolwork in political science – of course, this lead me to political radio and there was a lot of talk about the market and the risk facing the markets due to the presidential elections
I had a habit of carrying a notebook around – when I came across something I wanted to learn more about or if I asked myself a question – I would write it down in this notebook to research later. While I was listening to the political radio and the discussion of market failure, I asked myself a simple question; “can we make money when the market goes down?” Later that day, I was researching that answer when I found Robinhood and the rest – was history!
When I began trading, I had 300$ and no idea what I was doing. With a full time job and as a full time college student, I did not have a lot of free time for learning something new but there was a pull to the market and I just could not resist. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn.
After making a few trades in stocks, I quickly realized that I needed a larger position size or I needed leverage if I was going to make some life changing money, and so I began looking into that when I learned about options. At this point I was still below $1k, so I focused on trading options spreads to reduce my risk and to help me trade things that were priced within my range while also being good companies.
One question I am asked often “How did I learn to trade options so quickly?” What was my previous job before learning to trade? I spent most of my life working in the Oil and Gas industry – I worked on drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. After a few serious injuries and amputations, I am no longer physically able to do that type of work. It was the only career I knew, which is why I ended up starting college in my late 30’s.
I’ve worked steel jobs (salvage steel, steel fabrication, and millwright) and I’ve worked factory maintenance jobs as well. Notice that none of these jobs are insurance, banking, trading, or office jobs. I have no background with finance. But, I have vocational certifications in ACAD engineering, MSFT engineering, and I have college level statistical math which makes understanding options formulas a lot easier I suppose.
By November of 2018 I had grown the $300 into a trading account that could generate enough profit to stay home and trade. I began writing TOS code and writing blogs at the Bullish Bears by November and by January 2019 I was a full time trader with stocks and options while teaching at the Bullish Bears and doing the live streaming as well.
Each new account I open is from money that came from the first 300$. I’ve got accounts in futures, small exchange futures, options, and stocks. I have trading accounts, investment accounts, and retirement accounts. Why does any of this matter? Because I am the living proof that we can start with small accounts and grow those accounts large enough to change our lives forever.
I started the OEC Coaching service in 2019 to help people and my wife joined me in the business in Jan 2020. The Coaching company is now something we do together through the day and it has been a amazing transition in our life. While she does not trade, she is my consideration and she holds me accountable. Every psychology trading publication that discusses couples trading has suggested that the accountability to another person sharpens the trading decisions – because you have to articulate to someone else why you took a trade or closed a trade.
I met my wife in Oct of 2004 and we have been married for +16 years; most of those years with me working away from home 50% of the time. This new life we have together has been an amazing journey that continues to bring joy and adventure. We recently started a portfolio together, started investing together in a new account and we have started a wood working shop.
Why come to the OEC Coaching company? I am not a financial advisor and I have not spent years in New York or Chicago learning from fund managers or the Street; why would you come to the OEC Coaching service to learn? Because I have consistently proven that everyone can do this, that small accounts can change lives and generate income, that learning the market and trading in the market can be easy and fun. We do not need to be keyboard warriors or coding experts. We do not need to hold a CMT certification to consistently pull money from the market.
I have given webinar presentations at Benzinga Options Bootcamp, I have developed the entire Next Level training library at the Bullish Bears, and I have constantly taught trading strategies and tactics at the Bullish Bears to a variety of people with their own trading styles, their own trading struggles, and their own trading goals.
I made my name in the trading world by mastering options trading and by articulating that mastery into “regular” English for regular people. If you want to learn how to be consistent, if you want to learn how to trade with strategies and to be profitable; sign up for a consultation and talk to me. Tell me your goals and let’s build a learning plan that is personalized to you. You can do this – and the OEC can help you do it.
