Year One in the Books

It is hard to believe that it has been one full year since my inaugural post under the “chessNwine” tab here on iBankCoin. Over the past year, I have written close to 900 posts, working as hard as I possibly can to deliver a steady stream of quality content to you. I have been extraordinarily lucky in quickly amassing both a broad and loyal reader base. That large readership has translated breathtakingly well into The 12631 Trading Service, which has blown away any reasonable expectations in terms of subscribers and sense of community.

I also feel fortunate to work with a talented group of traders and writers, who happen to be great guys. We all know that The Fly is the heart and soul of iBC. Having met him in person and having spoken to him on the phone many times really drives home the point that iBC is a special place. We might be the “bad boys” of finance, but when it comes down to putting forth a consistent effort and quality work product, we are the good guys.

My 12631 business partner and good friend, RaginCajun, not only has the best pure instincts of any trader that I have ever known, but he is also a trustworthy man with tremendous character. He clearly deserves the best compliment that a trader can receive: Great trader, great guy.

Since late 2008, the precious metals and miners have been on a fierce bull run. Within the entire world of finance, including television, famous periodicals, bloggers, pundits, hedge fund managers, etc., there are very few, if any, who can hold a candle to the precise calls that our own JakeGint has made. Simply put, if you are not reading Jake, then it is literally your loss.

Woodshedder continues to deliver exceptional results with his Power Dip System. His work is professional, thought-provoking, and almost always dead-on. He is old school iBC, and I am honored to work alongside him.

Scott Bleier has years of legitimate “street cred” and experience under his belt. His morning radio show is mandatory listening for market observers and participants, as it is far superior to anything else that you can find in the financial media.

Our two most recent additions, Mr. Cain Thaler and Analyst Bomber, are great writers with talent who are really putting out some provocative material. It is only a matter of time before their traffic starts to ramp up. I also want to give a huge shout to Jeremy, our awesome workhorse of an IT guy, who is the closest thing there is in the techie world to a one-man gang. Last, but certainly not least, Cronkite has been tearing up the iBC news section. Make sure you follow our news alerts on Twitter: @ibc_fn.

In case you did not know, roughly fifteen months ago I came out of nowhere and decided to try my hand at writing about the markets. I knew the odds of me garnering any kind of readership or attention at first were slim to none, but I was willing to accept whatever the marketplace of readers thought about my work over time. If they liked it, I would keep at it. If, after a reasonable amount of time, the feedback was bad or nonexistent, all I would have lost was some time and energy. I started a Typepad blog and used social media, putting out daily recaps (called “The Post Market Courier” back then), and as many trading ideas and videos as I could.

Eventually, I realized that I should try my hand in The Peanut Gallery here on iBankCoin, given the large amount of traffic the site gets and possibility, however slight, for a full-time position. The competition in the Peanut Gallery was heated, and the readers were a tough bunch in rating my posts. I kept at it, though, to the point where I was respected, at the very least, for my work ethic. By early May of last year, a spot opened up for a full-time tab on iBC and you, the readers, voted me in.

The bottom line is that without the readers, there would be no “chessNwine,” let alone iBankCoin, The PPT, or 12631. I would like to sincerely thank all of you. In particular, I want to thank those loyal folks who cheered me on in the Peanut Gallery back on those cold, dark winter nights in early 2010, when I felt like I was carrying on a soliloquy with no audience in the middle of the forest.

Whether it be to the delight of our supporters or to the chagrin of our enemies, iBankCoin is going places. There is simply no other website out there, in any industry, that can compete with us in terms of how well we are able to constantly deliver a stream of content that informs, educates, inspires, entertains, and keeps you coming back for more.

Year one is in the books. Bring it on, year two.

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