We at Stock Streetwear aim to create a culture of people who are passionate about trading and want to incorporate their love of trading with their personal style. Let’s get into the new interview of our series, The Fabric of Traders, in which we catch up with your favorite traders to talk trading and fashion.
This interview is with Kristina, better known as @letstalkstocks_ on Instagram. Kristina is a crypto and derivatives trader, stock market educator, and content creator with an Instagram following of over 20K. We had the opportunity to get in touch with Kristina and ask her some of our questions. We touched on her journey as a trader, her perspective on luxury goods, and her advice for new traders.
Can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today as a trader?
Hi, I’m Kristina! I made a page on Instagram under the handle @letstalkstocks_ in an effort to teach my friends and family about the stock market and investing about 4 years ago. My interest in the financial markets really began in my early 20s where I started learning more about money, inflation, and savings vs investing accounts. As a daughter to immigrant parents, we always had financial constraints and that fuelled my determination to not go through those struggles as I aged. I worked two jobs all while studying psychology and invested what I could for years. Fast forward 4 years later, through long term investments and endless research, I began trading equity and that’s when I realized there was the ability to capitalize both long and short term. That was 6 years ago today.
To summarize, there really wasn’t one pivotal moment, but rather a sequence of events that got me to where I am today. The idea of working for someone else for my entire life, with hardly anything to show for it, scares me. Taking a chance on yourself to start your own business has its own risks, believe me, but it’s scarier leaving your future in the abyss of the unknown.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you do things the same way or change something about your process?
Hindsight is always 20/20, right?! Every mistake is just another lesson, or so I like to tell myself. The most valuable lesson I’ve learned over the last nearly decade I’ve been involved in the stock market, is to trust myself. When I first started I took what these analysts said and held it to such a high standard. I let other people's opinions sway my own. I spent hours analyzing charts, but let my emotions override all reason. I lacked the trust in myself to execute. The examples are endless but the point to really take away from all this, despite any adversity in life, is that it’s never about what’s dealt, it’s about how you deal with it. There will always be a challenge to overcome, but if we always want to erase or change the process, don’t we just erase the progress along the way?
How would you describe your personal style, and do you feel your fashion choices reflect your identity as a trader?
I would say 15-year-old boy is a pretty accurate depiction because, if we’re being honest, I like band shirts and flannel. All jokes aside, my fashion choices are just based on what I’m doing that day. I really don’t think I have much style. Some days I’m sporty, other days more casual to run errands. Working from home allows me to have a lot of flexibility when it comes to attire, which means you can usually catch me in some Aligns and a tank; absolutely zero correlation between my identity as a trader. I prefer being an investor rather than a consumer, that’s all!
What’s your favorite fashion brand out there? Anything specific you want to add to your wardrobe in 2024?
If I were to pick one it would have to be $LULU. I’ve been an investor and buyer for years now!
How do you feel about investing in fashion, such as purchasing luxury goods? Is this something you currently do or would like to do?
I think the best I can describe my thoughts on really any luxury good is with that quote, “We spend money we don’t have, on things we don’t need, to impress people we don’t like.” It’s unfortunate that far too many people care about what other people think, so much so that they go into debt wanting to look rich rather than actually being rich. That idea and mentality is so flawed, but a great depiction of why I find clothing, shoes, cars, and anything that just depreciates value, to be an inadequate use of my cash.
What else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I really try to illustrate the opposite of what most social media does, and that is that happiness is less about money but more about time. While there is an intersection between the two, it also greatly depends on your wants vs needs. “I make myself rich by keeping my wants few.” This capitalist economy is designed to keep us all consuming way more than we need. I try to show that you cannot save your way to wealth and that accumulation of assets is the only way to retire comfortably. Lastly, I try to encourage more realness; social media has a way of making the everyday person feel behind, when the reality is more than half of what we see is a fabrication.
What advice would you give to aspiring traders looking to enter the stock market world and follow your path?
The best advice I can give is to keep investing simple. Invest in companies you know, understand, and believe in. Dollar cost averaging works wonders, start slow and accumulate. Think 5–10 years out. Comparison is the thief of joy, do not let anyone have that power over you. Focus on your own path and enjoy the journey along the way. It’s okay if you feel frustrated or like you want to quit. Those feelings make us human. If you want it badly, you’ll get up and try again. Remember that it’s never too late to take a chance on yourself, better than spending all your precious time working for someone who did.