About Me

The new line-up of experts joining TradeKing’s All-Star Trade Report includes, Aaron Hoddinott

Read entire press release from Trade King, the online broker which has received multiple five-star ratings from top industry sources

Aaron has been featured on:

TheStreet.com

Minyanville.com

TheDailyCrux.com

Midasletter.com and many more top financial content providers across the globe

My name is Aaron Hoddinott and I am the Managing Director of PinnacleDigest.com. My passion is investing, specifically in commodities and even more specifically in oil! Oil is a leading economic indicator. If you want to know what our economy has in store for us, look no further than the price of oil. Trading oil through an ETF is my favorite way to trade and it gives me the excitement I need when I arrive at my office each morning. As long as you wake up excited about what you do, you are a complete success in my mind.

I spent the first 21 years of my life obsessing over two things; Football and Basketball. It opened many doors for me, including the most important, education. I received a scholarship to play college basketball in Michigan and learned what hard work really meant from my coach. His attention to detail was second to none and something I use every day when researching my next investment opportunity. Investing is similar to sports, there is a winner and a loser and the winner is the one who has worked the hardest. Instead of staying late after practice to shoot free throws, I’m now staying late to research hidden opportunities.

My oil prediction in the summer of 2008, when oil was climbing through the roof, best describes my thought process when investing and trading – use common sense. The blog was titled “Why Oil Will Fall.”

Read my blog: http://www.pinnacled...

I try to simplify things when investing: I do my research and commit. The more advice you take from the people around you, the more complicated things can get. If listening to someone isn’t a part of your research process, then don’t do it. It may serve only to confuse you and cause hesitations which lead to missed opportunities. There really is no substitute for doing your own extensive research, from a variety of sources.

Always invest what you can afford to lose and never count your gains or losses until you’ve sold. The most successful investors I’ve ever met are the ones who approach investing as if it’s a game. They are accepting of the fact that they could lose every dime they’ve invested. Sounds crazy because it rarely happens, but it gives them that mental edge and the clarity to make decisions based on facts not emotion. I’ve seen so many smart people make bad investing decisions when they’ve committed too much and can’t afford to take a loss. They do this with the intention of hitting the grand slam, but the moment things get rocky and they are down from their book value, they panic. Without thinking clearly they sell because of the fear they could lose more than they can afford. Sure enough, shortly after they sell, the price of the equity rebounds and they are kicking themselves.

What got you started blogging?

After reading plenty of blogs in the financial community, some good, some bad, I realized there was still room for my opinion. Like many of you, I had certain bloggers I really enjoyed reading because of their unique and uncensored opinions. i.e. Mark Cuban’s blog. I hope to have the same effect on my readers.

What is the focus of your blog, i.e. how does it set you apart from the other bloggers out there?

The focus of my blog is not to focus on any particular issue, but to cover all aspects of being a successful investor. After all, a successful investor is a student of the game who is passionate about research, not just passionate about one particular subject.

What is it you hope a reader will come away with when they visit your blog?

After reading my blog, I hope readers are inspired; not necessarily because they agree with what I have to say, but that the topics discussed encouraged them to carry on their own research and form a strategy from it. Without a clear strategy, an investor will never be successful.

Do you like to be edgy in your posts and try and stir up some controversy?

A blog is meant to let your readers get inside your head and understand what you are thinking. My blog is my genuine uncensored thoughts on the market; if it’s controversial then great! Controversy can benefit all of us when it encourages discussion and expands knowledge.

Is there a personal connection in your writing to your end users, or do you strictly write what interests you?

I like to write about what interests me. I wish I could write about whatever my readers wanted to learn, but unfortunately that just doesn't suit me. Unless I'm interested in the subject, I probably wouldn't do sufficient homework.

That being said, you can rest assured, if I've written on it, I've done my homework.

Sincerely,

Aaron