The StockTwits® Edge: 40 Actionable Trade Set-Ups from Real Market Pros

CHAPTER 43

Stick with Names You Know

Ronald Roll, @gtotoy

Beneath Ron's gruff exterior there is a sophisticated market technician, and he masterfully wields every tool and every indicator. He is incredibly generous with his time and expertise, helping novices find their footing.

BUYING MY FIRST STOCK

The long and sordid road to my success as a trader probably began on my eighteenth birthday. That was the day I was first granted access to some funds that had been put away for me. I had already been operating a profitable landscaping business for several years; so money of my own was no mystery to me. But this was definitely more money than I was accustomed to playing with, and you'd better believe I was ready to get my game on. The big event of the day was picking up my tricked-out ‘78 Trans Am. I'd put a down payment on a full-works customization the month before and she was ready and waiting for me—the single most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I tore ass out of there and headed for home. Halfway there, I'm barking the tires going real fast, when she slips on me and we eat a telephone pole. Happy birthday to me!

Not three months later, I'm chatting up my grandfather for some assistance in making the smart play and initiating a serious investment. The party was legendary, but it'd run up a hell of a bill and it was time to wise up. Of course, being the ornery old guy Gramps was, he wasn't about to just do something for me. He agreed to help me on the condition that I had to pick ...