It's tough to pick the highpoint of the Mad Hedge/Top Gun Masterminds Lake Tahoe Conference last weekend.
Maybe it was opening the second case of Caymus, the best cabernet produced in California.
Perhaps it was the herd of wild mustangs we drove past on the way from Reno/Tahoe airport.
Or possibly it was my third helping of filet mignon at the Friday night VIP dinner.
No, it was none of these.
Undoubtable, it was the guest who told me she parlayed $5,000 into $2 million over the past nine years, solely on the back of my Trade Alerts.
Among her big wins were buying Apple (AAPL) stock at $20, Tesla (TSLA) at $17, and an NVIDIA (NVDA) one year options leap that delivered a staggering 800% return.
To top it all, she picked up semiconductor equipment maker Lam Research (LRCX) right before its recent 50% move.
What's she eyeing now?
A new position in Intel (INTC).
Maybe I should turn over all my money for her to manage?
Of course, all you had to do to justify the trip was to walk outside and take a look at the scenery.
The High Sierras were topped with last night's snow fall down to 7,000 feet.
A stiff wind roiled and churned the sapphire blue lake.
Flocks of Canadian geese flew back and forth in front of the dramatic backdrop.
In case I bored the guests with my pontifications, they simply had to fixate on the wetsuit protected windsurfer racing across the wave tops right behind me.
Brad Barnes from Entruity Wealth Management informed the room with a presentation on "Fact Based Investing".
Top Gun's Matthew Buckly riveted the viewers with recollections of flying an F-18 Hornet for the Navy, and how to apply military disciplines and strategies to successful trading.
I did my best to hold the audience with two presentations on "The Field Guide to Market Tops" and "The Financial System in 2030."
If I suspected someone was nodding off from the Caymus, I simply opened the door a notch to allow a blast of cold air to issue a wakeup call.
The event was more than just an educational exercise on the short and long term future of the markets.
Guests also exchanged notes on how to best take advantage of my Trade Alerts.
It's clear than many are making a multiple of my reported performance.
Some of the ideas I head were utterly amazing. To learn more, please read "How to Make More Money Than I Do" below.
The forum was also a celebration of a decade of successful trading with the Diary of a Mad Hedge Fund Trader.
I heard tales of home mortgages and student loans paid off, the acquisition of new toys galore, chemotherapy treatments financed for uncovered family members, and financial security for life.
One even told me he loved Lake Tahoe so much that he was planning to move here from the East Coast, and had even applied for a position as a ski instructor at a local resort!
Needless to say, we'll be hosting another Lake Tahoe Conference in a year that will be bigger and better. Almost everyone who came this year plans to return.
I'll see you then.
John Thomas
CEO and Publisher
The Diary of a Mad Hedge Fund Trader
