Tom Hartel is a veteran trader and investor who has spent decades navigating bull markets, bear markets, commodity cycles, and speculative booms.

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashartel

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Recording Date 6-24-2026. In this episode, Tom joins Steve Barton to share the investing framework and risk management principles that have allowed him to survive and prosper through multiple market environments. Rather than focusing on specific stock picks, Tom lays out a comprehensive blueprint for protecting capital, avoiding catastrophic mistakes, and building sustainable wealth over time. He explains why investors should limit exposure to any single idea, carefully manage position sizes, diversify across asset classes, and avoid becoming emotionally attached to investments. Drawing from years of experience in equities, commodities, futures, and resource investing, Tom argues that successful investing is far more dependent on discipline and risk control than on finding the next ten-bagger. He also discusses lessons learned from following respected investors such as Rick Rule and highlights the importance of studying long-term trends before they become obvious to the broader market.

Throughout the conversation, Tom dives into practical strategies for managing portfolios during both bull and bear markets, including scaling into positions, documenting investment theses, setting profit targets in advance, and using trailing stops to protect gains. The discussion expands into Bitcoin, taxes, leveraged ETFs, options, futures contracts, and the psychological traps that cause investors to abandon their plans at exactly the wrong time. Tom also references insights from the widely followed In Gold We Trust Report and explains why investors should pay close attention to precious metals, commodities, and broader macroeconomic cycles. He warns against blindly following hot tips, chasing momentum during speculative surges, and overtrading during volatile periods. As the episode concludes, Tom emphasizes that investing is a lifelong learning process requiring humility, patience, continuous education, and constant adaptation. His central message is clear: investors who prioritize capital preservation, manage risk relentlessly, and remain emotionally disciplined will be best positioned to benefit from future opportunities across stocks, commodities, precious metals, Bitcoin, and emerging market trends.

Key Insights in this episode

✅ Never risk more than 5% of total net worth on a single investment idea

✅ Capital preservation and avoiding catastrophic losses are more important than finding huge winners

✅ Diversification should extend across asset classes rather than multiple positions in the same sector

✅ Investors should scale into positions, document investment theses, and establish profit targets before buying

✅ Futures, leverage, and leveraged ETFs require strict risk controls due to volatility and decay

✅ Taking profits during market manias and parabolic moves is often more important than maximizing gains

Tools for Success that I Love and find Helpful / Affiliates:

Technical Analysis Series

Rule Symposium 2026

Rule Classroom (Free)

Rule Classroom Plus (2 Free Months)

TradingView (Free)

Lobo's Weekly Recap (Free)

Uranium Insider Newsletter

Chapters

00:00 Welcome To In It To Win It

01:06 Biggest Trading Lessons From Decades In Markets

04:51 Hot Tips Emotions And Best Of Breed Companies

08:10 Bitcoin Tax Losses And Who To Trust

12:00 Why Tom Recommends The In Gold We Trust Report

15:45 Multiple Brokerages And Investment Conferences

21:59 Leveraged ETFs And Semiconductor Trading Risks

25:21 Futures Trading And Commodity Risk Strategies

32:26 How To Handle Silver Parabolas

36:07 Trading Journals Margin And Long Term Success

37:35 Rule Symposium And Premium Segment Preview

DISCLAIMER: I am not a financial advisor. This is not financial advice. I only express my opinion based on my experience, and your experience may be different. These videos are for educational and motivational purposes only. Investing of any kind involves risk. Do your own due diligence. Every investment and bet comes with the risk that your capital could go to zero.

WHAT I DO: I spread out my investments. It's not all on one thing. For every bet that I make, I devote one hour of study per month to that investment. I keep the number of bets to what I can feasibly study.

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Some of the links on this channel are affiliate links, meaning, at NO additional cost to you, the show may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase and/or subscribe. However, this does not impact my opinion. I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because I am looking for the small commission. Thank you for using the links.

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