Motivation is an essential input to the formula that drives success. Simon Sinek says it all starts with “why?” And he’s right.

I have many whys, and today I want to highlight one. Within the story you’ll learn about my best trade ever and why I’m incredibly excited about Tackle Trading’s upcoming launch of the Bear Market Survival Guide.

Six years ago when I was 28 years old, I got sick. Chills, night sweats, daily fevers. Then I got sicker and after a fit of uncontrollable shivering decided to make the trek to the doctor for some help. They took my blood, pumped me full of fluids, said it was probably pneumonia, and sent me on my way.

The next day the test results came back, and they told me to return to the doctor’s office. There I learned that my white blood count was astronomic and I had cancer. Leukemia to be exact. The severity of the symptoms required swift action, so they immediately sent me to the Huntsman Cancer Institute. One bone marrow biopsy (a walk in the park) later I found out I had Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) which is one of the better types of Leukemia to have. It’s slower moving and easier to treat.

I had other health issues that befuddled my team of doctors. I felt like I was on an episode of the TV series House. Every day theories were put forth, tests were conducted, fluids and tissues extracted (another walk in the park). Three and a half weeks later my fevers left and my breathing finally improved enough to get sent home.

The cost of cancer is staggering. My month of fun left me with a six-figure bill. Hospitals have financial and emotional counselors to meet with patients and help them get things in order. Death, long thought of as a far-off eventuality, becomes an imminent possibility. Crafting an advanced directive and a will are one of the first things a patient is instructed to do. And then there’s the burden of paying for all of it. Heaven help you if you don’t have insurance.

Fortunately, my experience revealed I had hit the jackpot on a few well-placed trades.

First, I had all my paperwork in order which is something virtually unheard of for someone in their twenties.

Advanced Directive? Check! Pull the plug if I’m on life support. Please. I got big plans for Heaven. No need to delay my return.

Will and Trust? Double Check! Wife and kids get all the dough I’ve squirrelled away. Enjoy that big life insurance check, honey.

Ability to pay for that six figure hospital bill? Oh yeah! For insurance toting people like me it all comes down to the deductible. And mine was hefty. $10K to be exact. But it didn’t cost me a dime.

The Trade of My Life

Here’s where my best trade ever comes in.

About six months before getting diagnosed with cancer I signed up for a supplemental cancer insurance policy. And I had a second policy that paid out if I were ever hospitalized.

Whereas some people return from the hospital happy to be alive but bummed that they now have enormous bills to pay, I had no such baggage. I returned happy to be alive and had a pile of cash sitting for me. The bounty of Benjamins was sufficient to pay my deductible and bills for the next few years.

Is that not the textbook definition of the role of insurance? Was I not saved from financial upheaval due to disaster?

I’m like the guy who bought put options at the top of the market in 2007 and rode them to the depths of the ensuing bear market and cashed-in. Trust me when I say I know the peace of mind that comes when you know your assets are insured.

So was I gifted with the foreknowledge that sickness was coming for me?

No. I hadn’t a clue. Nor was I even well versed in proper protection. The sole reason why I was so prepared was that I had a mentor. His name was Pat, and he saved me from massive amounts of financial pain. I’m smart enough to know what I don’t know.

Remember what Shakespeare said:

The fool doth think he is wise but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.

My success was a byproduct of surrounding myself with people smarter and more experienced than me; of being humble enough to seek out and heed their advice.

The Mission

Now that I’m on the other side of it – older, wiser, and healthier – I’m on a mission. The (not so) funny thing about the stock market is we know it will contract cancer from time to time. Historically these disease-like attacks strike once or twice a decade in the form of bear markets. And while they don’t ever kill the market, they can certainly bring it to the brink.

But there’s a way to protect yourself. You can go through the next downturn with the same peace of mind I experienced combatting cancer.

This is one of my BIG whys. I want to be like Pat for others. I’m on a mission to teach everyone that you don’t have to be done in by disaster. Bear markets don’t have to be your undoing. I’ve compiled everything you need to know in our soon to be released Bear Market Survival Guide. Come join me for the launch party on September 5th, 2018 where all will be revealed.