Interview with one of our frequent readers, Larry Tentarelli.

Michael Covel talks to trader Larry Tentarelli. Tentarelli started trading his own account after leaving Merrill Lynch in 2003. Covel explores some of Tentarelli’s influences: from Napoleon Hill (taking accountability for your own actions), to Jesse Livermore (“The money isn’t made in the daily fluctuations; the money is made in the big swings”), to Ed Seykota (“everybody gets what they want”). You don’t have to be a computer engineer or rocket scientist to come up with a trading system, nor do you have to have all the time in the world: Tentarelli spends less than 15 minutes a day on average trading his own programs. He also relates several “light bulb” moments he had that led him into trend following: from an investment in Chinese oil to reading about Tom Basso’s experiments with coin flips to determine entry points. Further topics include the distinction between predictive and reactive technical analysis; the importance of connecting and asking questions to those who have more experience than you; and the idea of knowing what you want out of the market.

Full interview worth listening to here.