Beth Marconi is the Founder and CEO of LEVitrade, a program designed to help traders overcome the psychological and environmental barriers to trading successfully. She has been trading stocks successfully full time for the past 7+years, generating positive returns and consistently outperforming the major indexes.
Beth developed LEVitrade to help traders elevate their performance but doesn’t do it with providing a new strategy or method. She does it by helping them remove the barriers that she has found hinders 9 out of 10 individuals who attempt to trade stocks from being successful. To be in a position to trade successfully, Beth has found that there are 3 key areas where one must find harmony: Lifestyle, Environment and Vision.
You may recall that I worked with Beth and her LEVitrade program (read my blog post about it here). She promised to keep in touch as she does with all her clients, checking in with me every so often to make sure I’m staying on track with her RoadMap or just to talk stocks!
What follows is a discussion on the ins and outs of LEVItrade and how it came to be, trading, and what all conversations usually end up being about, life.
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Mike: Let’s dive right in, can you tell us more about LEVitrade, what it is, and why you created it?
Beth: It started with me evaluating what it was about my lifestyle over the years that had allowed me to beat the odds as a trader. However, and probably more importantly, I was reaching a point where I knew I wanted “more.” This led me to design a platform where I am able to share my experience and knowledge in working with others who are looking to successfully manage a potential shift in their life, either personally or professionally. You can relate. Even though you hold a full time position that you value, the draw to help others achieve an understanding of the markets led you to launch CYT on the side.
Mike: Yes, CYT has been very rewarding for me and hopefully for my readers as well. However, as you know, while CYT was ramping up I let my health take a back seat which led to a major wake up call.
Mike: When we agreed to work together I thought it was going to be all about my diet and exercise but it turns out it had more to do with organizing my time so I could better manage my stress.
Beth: Yes … most people would be surprised if they knew the extent to which the state of our mind effects the choices we make on a day to day basis.
Mike: Can you tell us how you discovered that the road blocks most people face have less to do with trading strategy or smarts and more to do with lifestyle, environment, and vision as you have based your program on?
Beth: Sure. Over the years, I have stuck to my plan of studying, analyzing and strategizing when it comes to trading. I’m a very analytical person and love to read, stay up on world events … so this process has always been something I enjoy and is what keeps me engaged in the trade. Yes, I love to make money, but if I’m not engaged in the process it would not be worth it to me. I value my time too much. So, after looking over my performance and noticing blips of time where my performance was not up to par, they all seemed to occur in time frames when my personal life was “off’ for one reason or another. It didn’t matter if we were in an uptrend or correction, my performance was reflecting how I felt about what was going on inside “me.”
Mike: How did you overcome it and how long did it take you to overcome it?
Beth: Ha! This is an ongoing process, I believe, for all of us but having a vision of what I want for myself and my loved ones has been the key. This is a process I have been refining over many years but I would say in the past 3+ years I have reached a place where I am “comfortable” in my own skin and know what it is I want and don’t want, which provides a “compass,” if you will and this is what I hope to be able to help others incorporate into their lives both personally and professionally.
Mike: What would you say had the biggest negative impact on your trading?
Beth: I would say the biggest impact on my trading that I needed to examine was letting my ego get in the way. This usually would occur if something else in my life was not in balance lending to my wanting to “make up for it” in a trade. NOT a good idea!
Mike: What is the toughest thing you have faced as a trader?
Beth: Again, ego — not taking a loss sooner than later. When I’m feeling good about myself, you know, eating “right,” exercising and on top of my “to-do” list, aka having my life in order, this frees me up to focus on what’s in front of me, what is real and not what I am hoping for in order to make up for something else that may be lacking or missing.
Mike: So it sounds as though it is these external factors that have little to do with the market that were having a major impact on your decision making in the market. Are you able to share one of these experiences?
Beth: I would be more than happy to share with you and your readers the set backs I’ve had personally and how I dealt with them but I would prefer to do so in a one on one basis. My initial call that I offer through LEVitrade is complementary so there is no upfront monetary commitment to do so.
Mike: What do you feel is unique about the LEVitrade program compared to other lifestyle coaching programs?
Beth: There are many wonderful coaches out there! I believe everyone needs a good mentor, whether you’re a trader, investor or entrepreneur. This will allow you to get to where you want to go faster. What I see as my differentiator is I can relate to this group (traders, investors, entrepreneurs) as I live this lifestyle and can empathize, show compassion and offer an educated vision for how to move forward.
Mike: Do you see yourself giving up trading to coach exclusively?
Beth: No … I love the markets but I’m sure there may be a lot of people out there who, like me, may be feeling the need for more in their life and would do something about it if they only had a plan. Also, someone to mange their investments, to free up the time needed to pursue other interests. This is where I think our two offerings are highly complementary. I hope to be in a position where I am so busy with LEVitrade that I will not only subscribe to your services for direction and to save time but turn over my portfolio to you and your team at 50 Park Capital to manage.
Mike: That would be wonderful on all fronts! What is the best way for our readers to contact you?
Beth: They can reach me here: beth@levitrade.com to ask any questions or setup a call. All of my work I offer is customized. I won’t put anyone through a pre-fab type of program as this is not my style. I want this process to not only be effective, but to be fun!
Mike: Thanks Beth! Always a pleasure speaking with you!
Beth: Likewise!
