Meet Stefanie Kammerman

Home/Office Location: Las Vegas

Age: 52

Years trading: 28

How did you start trading?

Happy hour! I got lucky and got offered a job as a trader’s assistant working in the million-dollar room at Shonfeld Securities, the biggest prop firm in New York. [A proprietary trading company, or prop firm, invests its own money in the markets instead of collecting commissions for trading clients’ funds.] After two years

I switched over to another firm called Onsite Trading in Great Neck, New York. Onsite Trading gave me $250K to trade with in 1994. I was the first female trader at this firm. I won the rookie trader of the year award, making over six figures my first year with the firm.

Favorite trading strategy?

I love to catch the options chains off guard by following the massive dark pool prints. That is just a fancy name for following the Institutional money flow. These large institutions do all their trades on an alternative exchange called the dark pool. These are the trades that move the market up and down. The news always comes after the prints.

What percentage of your outcomes do you attribute to luck?

LUCK stands for laboring under correct knowledge. I guess all my trades would be considered lucky if we use this terminology.

Favorite trading moment?

It’s always the moment my stop loss is hit. You probably didn’t expect me to say that, but it’s why I am still here trading after 28 years.

Worst trading moment?

Every trading day at 4 p.m. Eastern Time when the closing bell rings. I love trading and once that closing bell rings, that is when reality comes into play. I have to make a doctor’s appointment, go food shopping, return calls, emails, etc. Being in the trading zone all day is very meditational.

Favorite trading book:

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre.

Want to be featured as the next issue’s trader? Have story ideas?

Let us know: tips@luckboxmagazine.com