7 out of 10 Americans are addicted to a drug they don’t even know they’re taking.
In a Gallup survey, 71% of U.S. investors said passive investing beats active stock picking for long-term returns, with only 29% taking the other side.
They’re hooked on “buying and holding.” They buy shares in index funds and sit on them … forever.
The main reason? Index investing is easier (and most people are lazy).
But beneath the surface, the problem is actually deeper and more concerning than that…
There’s a bogus narrative, pushed by the financial news media, that says “Retail traders will never beat the market…”
That’s what they want you to think.
But it’s completely, totally, utterly false.
Guess what Wall Street’s #1 product is? Exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Wealth managers, mutual funds, and 401k providers make boatloads of money directly from the laziness of retail investors.
This is exactly why CNBC tells you to buy index funds.
They don’t want you to trade. They don’t want you to beat the market.
They want you hopelessly addicted to buying and holding, like a junkie looking for a fix…
Because it makes them rich.
But there’s a much better way to build your financial future…
My Millionaire Students Prove Wall Street Wrong
Just ask any of my 50+ millionaire students…
Jack Kellogg started as a valet with a burning passion for trading.
He joined my Trading Challenge and started studying small-cap momentum cycles every single day.
While passive investors were buying index funds and hoping the market went up, Jack was trading parabolic moves on low-float runners.
He didn’t try to time bottoms or guess direction. He bought momentum, rode the wave, and sold into the spikes.
When retail-driven bull runs gave him favorable conditions, he pressed his edge. When they didn’t, he sat out.
Now Jack has $25 million in verified lifetime profits.*
Matt Monaco started as a broke college student.
He took a more methodical route. Slow, conservative, and patient.
He built his account gradually over the years with tight risk management and high selectivity.
Fewer trades, higher conviction.
He sat out choppy conditions entirely while index investors were white-knuckling through drawdowns…
Remember in a solidly red $DIA $SPY $QQQ market like this you don't have to trade and if you do take any longs, be extra-conservative because you realize 3 out of 4 stocks follow the market and the market is UGLY today. If you're a short seller, have fun & try to make back your…
— Timothy Sykes (@timothysykes) January 20, 2026
But when volume and momentum returned, he was ready.
Now Matt has over $2 million in verified lifetime profits.*
See what my millionaire students have in common?
They trade volatility, not index moves. They cut losses immediately. They size up and go big only when multiple indicators align.
Most importantly, they disconnect their strategies from the major indexes.
While passive investors sat helplessly watching their portfolios drop 20%, 30%, 40% during pullbacks, crashes, and bear markets … my students and I controlled our destinies.
We were selective and specific. We traded like snipers. We chose when to trade and when to sit in cash.
That’s the difference between active trading and passive investing.
One gives you complete and total control, the other makes you a hostage to the indexes.
Your choice.
Why Most Investors Will Never Beat the Market
Imagine being a long-term investor in 2000, 2008, or 2022.
Holding a huge basket of stocks, powerless to do anything but watch them tumble lower week after week, month after month…
That sounds terrible to me, especially when there’s a much better alternative:
Trading.
And while everyone prays for a hot #stockmarket pray instead for more slower markets, especially after the INSANE $DIA $SPY $QQQ runup we had the past few months, as it'll give you more time to study. Or you can be like the $BTC longs stuck in a looooooong river in Egypt called…
— Timothy Sykes (@timothysykes) January 20, 2026
When you’re trading, there’s no need to sweat downside moves in the overall market.
(I actually love red days because the major indexes don’t control the direction of my portfolio.)
As a trader, you control your destiny. You’re making the decisions. You’re in the driver’s seat.
And that’s priceless.
I’ve been in the markets for decades. I’ve heard every bit of fear, uncertainty, and doubt directed at traders like you…
The guys who run Wall Street desperately want you to think the market is an insurmountable beast you’ll never overcome.
But don’t forget the story of David vs. Goliath.
You’re David, Wall Street is Goliath…
Armed with the right slingshot, even the most unsuspecting underdog can slay the giant.
Most of my 50+ millionaire students started in the same place…
Cheers,
Tim Sykes
*Past performance does not indicate future results
Leave a reply