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Optionetics Instructors
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Colin Allen
Optionetics Instructor
Colin has been trading for over 11 years, and a full time options, foreign exchange
and futures trader for the last 5 years. Having originally learnt his craft as an
Optionetics student, he understands the needs of new traders. The opportunity to
teach what he learned trading a wide variety of market conditions, and to see students
succeed, is something Colin finds very motivating as an instructor for the advanced
level Optionetics classes in Australia.
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Mark Barretto
Optionetics Instructor
Mark has been trading options for over 7 years and attributes his success as a trader
to having done every Optionetics course available. Mark developed his trading skills
while still working his day job until ultimately reaching the point where he could
quit working for others. He is now a full time trader and a passionate instructor
for the advanced level Optionetics classes in Australia.
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Jeffery Beamer
Optionetics Instructor
Jeffrey Beamer is a 26 year veteran of the trading/financial services industry and
is Co-founder and Partner of Lacerte Capital Partners L.P. and Lacerte Capital Advisors
LLC., a Registered Investment Advisor servicing the Hedge Fund and Mutual Fund industry.
Jeffrey currently serves as Portfolio Manager and Director of Trading and Research
for the firm. He worked for Fidelity Investments for 12 years before leaving to
start his own firm. In 2002 Jeff began serving as an instructor for Optionetics
and has enjoyed sharing his knowledge with students. During his 2 1/2 decades if
trading, which has included trading in equities, commodities, futures, bonds, and
options on each, Jeff has traded through both ends of severe moves in the markets.
He carries a series 65 license as a Registered Investment Advisor and currently
serves on the board of directors for the Dallas Chapter of the Security Traders
Association and is an active member of the Market Technicians Association.
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Chris Birk
Optionetics Instructor
Chris received his degree in finance from the University of Utah. Frustrated with
classmates and professors who were unwilling to try anything new or exercise their
creativity, he began trading options while still a student. A self-described math
nerd, he was excited by both the freedom and the challenge options trading offered.
He also spent several years in the mortgage and financial advising industries. He
saw the bubble coming before his bosses did, and got out just in time. In 2007,
he made a 180 degree career turn, leaving a reputable banking institution to work
for a company that teaches people how to soundly manage their own money: at Optionetics,
instead of helping people increase their debt, he gets to show them how to achieve
financial freedom.
Having group managed a quarter million dollar fund, as well as his own investments
from very early on, Chris's experience outstrips his age. He's currently teaching
his one year-old son how to manage a collar position.
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Joe Contes
Optionetics Instructor
Joe Contes is an options trader with many years of trading experience beginning
in the late 80's. As a student of Optionetics since 2001 and an instructor since
early 2003, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his students at all
levels of classes. His high energy style of teaching makes him is a favorite among
students from all across the world.
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Christina DuBois-Nugent
Optionetics Instructor
Christina has been trading options for over 16 years. An honors graduate of the
University of New Orleans with a BS in Finance with a Minor in Real Estate, she
was the recipient of an internship in the international trust department of a large
banking institution that began her career and love for trading. Besides actively
trading, she became part of Home Depot's success story in roles as Help Desk Manager
and Senior IS Director. Her trading style focuses on simple strategies and she has
incorporated this into a teaching style that has made her a favored Optionetics
speaker.
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Nick Gazzolo
Optionetics Instructor
Nick began trading options in 1998. After taking all of the Optionetics' courses
repeatedly, he joined the first Elite Traders program and then become an instructor
in 2004. Nick has an advanced degree in psychology and chooses to apply it to himself
and other people in the markets. His passions are trading, teaching, and traveling.
Nick feels fortunate to share these passions with others. When he's not trading
or teaching, he loves to read, watch movies, and sail. Favorite strategies are dynamic
collars, butterflies and credit spreads. Nick teaches in the Trading Essentials
Class, Power Tools and other on-line classes.
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Tom Gentile
Senior Vice President, Optionetics
Tom is Senior Vice-President and co-Founder of Optionetics. Tom started his trading
career on Wall Street at the American Stock Exchange, and eventually turned to trading
off the floor. He has played key roles in the development of Optionetics. Tom has
made appearances on Your World with Neal Cavuto, CNBC Europe, Bloomberg, Squawk
Box and Reuters. His works can be found in monthly magazines such as Stocks and
commodities, and he co-authored The Stock Market Course and The Volatility Course.
Tom feels that his success has a lot to do with teaching people around the world
how to use alternative strategies in the market.
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Jay Harris
Optionetics Instructor
Jay Harris has been involved with stock market seminar education for 14 years. He
has been a public speaker and educator, was director of seminars and has helped
produce seminar education for youth programs and curriculum for high school 'trading
clubs'. He has been involved with the market since the time our then Federal Reserve
Chairman coined the phrase 'irrational exuberance' when describing what was going
on in the markets. Jay has seen the markets in some of their most robust times and
has seen the market 'top out' and roll over causing much pain to those uneducated
about how to protect and preserve profits. He couldn't be more enthused to be in
alliance with Optionetics as he sees them as the ONE educational entity that focuses
on controlling one's risk while having the goal of profitability in mind.
He brings his vast amount of experience and an unyielding passion for making a positive,
quality difference in the lives of his students and everyone searching for the opportunity
to utilize the stock market as a means to a better life. To everyone who is willing
to make the choice that continued education is the key to success in any field he
welcomes you on board and feels blessed to be a part of that journey with you.
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Jay Kaeppel
Optionetics Instructor
Jay Kaeppel, a Trading Strategist with Optionetics, Inc., is the co-editor of Optionetics
ETF Investor newsletter and writes a weekly column, Kaeppel's Corner for www.optionetics.com.
Jay has been active in the financial markets for over two decades. He was the Head
Trader at a CTA for 8 years and a trading system and trading software developer
for 15 years. As an author, Jay has published four books on trading, The Four Biggest
Mistakes in Option Trading, The Four Biggest Mistakes in Futures Trading, The Option
Trader's Guide to Probability, Volatility and Timing and Seasonal Stock Market Trends:
The Definitive Guide to Seasonal Stock Market Trading (Wiley, January 2009).
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Mike Lawch
Optionetics Instructor
Mike has been a trader of futures, options on futures, stocks, and equity options
since 1995, when he left his VP and CFO position at Criterion Investment Management.
Mike brings you a wealth of knowledge and information not easily gained on your
own. He continues to share his experience and in-depth understanding of the world
of options investing as an instructor for Optionetics seminars worldwide. He is
a graduate of Northwestern University, with a BS in Industrial Engineering and Management
Science. He received his MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern,
with majors in accounting, finance and quantitative methods. Mike is a non-practicing
CPA in both Illinois and Texas. His career includes a variety of financial positions
including Operational Auditor for the Far East Division of Exxon Corporation, Assistant
Controller and Treasurer for Aminoil USA, and Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of Criterion Investment Management.
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Steve Novak
Optionetics Instructor
Steven Novak has been trading stocks and options since 1999. His initial foray into
trading was typical--he lost a lot of money very quickly. But the same passion for
reading and learning that had propelled him while studying literature in college
proved useful in his trading education. He noticed that nearly every great trader
he met or read about started out by paying hefty tuition in trading losses. He also
noticed that some people quit and never came back after that happened, while others
used their mistakes as a learning opportunity to teach them how to trade better
next time, and it was to this camp that he determined to become a member.
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Devon Pearsall
Optionetics Instructor
Devon began his stock market career in 1994 after attending college courses in finance.
He lives in Portland, Oregon and has managed Direct Access trading branches and
educational systems before coming to Optionetics. Devon realizes that they keys
to success in the market revolve around risk, trading and money management and teaches
traders to set and follow guidelines in their trading plan.
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Nick Pham
Optionetics Instructor
Living in Chicago, Nick had always had a passion for the stock and options markets.
After graduating from college with a finance degree, he taught high school math
for 8 years, while at the same time learning how to trade stocks and options at
an options trading firm. He's been a trading coach to many students, and he has
taught virtual trading classrooms on various topics, including technical analysis,
risk management, and trading psychology. Nick is currently the LiveTrade anchor
for Optionetics.
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Jane Richards
Optionetics Instructor
Jane has been trading since 2007 when she joined Optionetics as a student. Her work
ethic and passion for education has helped her achieve trading success whilst still
being able to be a stay-home mum.
As an Optionetics instructor, Jane uses her experience and knowledge to help others
reach their goals. She actively trades Options, Futures and Forex while running
a vineyard and raising her family. She believes that trading success can be achieved
by anyone if you’re willing to learn from mistakes and commit to your education.
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Rob Roy
Optionetics Instructor
Rob has a degree in Business Administration and formed his own Financial Advisory
firm, following a twelve year career as a Golf Professional. Rob served as President
and Registered Securities Principal to a team of over twenty independent Representatives.
As a respected Financial Representative, Rob was asked to become an instructor for
the Florida School of Insurance and was listed as an Honored Professional in Nationwide
Register's Who's Who in Executives and Businesses.
It was during this time that Rob attended his first Optionetics seminar to learn
the value of options as both a vehicle to profit and manage risk in the markets.
After completing his Optionetics education, Rob became a writer for optionetics.com
and was eventually asked to become an Optionetics instructor. Rob gained notoriety
for his prowess in technical analysis, specifically for his expertise in Elliott
Wave.
Rob is now one of our more tenured instructors, having traveled internationally
delivering Optionetics education for over ten years.
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Chris Tyler
Optionetics Writer
Chris Tyler is a Senior Analyst / Writer for Optionetics, a self-proclaimed option
hedge hog and former equity option market maker in products including Phillip Morris,
Seagate and Compaq on the floors of the American and Pacific exchanges.
Mr. Tyler’s unique daily and weekly columns strive to educate, sometimes pontificate,
report, unearth and deliver a unique take on the US equity and option markets. Additional
analysis can be found daily at Investors.com and monthly publications Traders Magazine
and Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities.
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Mike Wade
Optionetics Instructor
After a 14 year career in the Information Technology industry working for companies
such as GTE, and Oracle Corporation, Mike began his trading career selling calls
against his Oracle stock (covered calls). The power of options appealed to him and
12 years ago he left his corporate job and began trading options, specializing in
selling strategies. Mike joined Optionetics in early 2002 and teaches a wide range
of Optionetics classes. He has focused on harnessing the power of ProfitSource for
greater directional probability and bringing these techniques, including sector
analysis, to advanced classes as well as the Directional Trading Master Coaching
class.
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Clare White
Optionetics Writer
Clare writes technical analysis, money management and options content for Optionetics.
Prior to this she worked at Charles Schwab in the Capital Markets & Retail Divisions,
both with a focus on options trading. Clare has 10 years experience trading equities
& options and holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics along with the MTA Chartered
Market Technician (CMT) designation.