The Freedom Trader with Terry Tran

09/30/2026

Iain, one of my Blueprint students, recently shared something in our group that I have been thinking about since.

He has been following the process since December 2025. 45 trades. 40 of them winners. 88% strike rate.

Those are results worth acknowledging.

But the line that stayed with me wasn't about any of that.

"Deeply grateful that you care enough to educate us."

That is the line I keep coming back to.

Because I know what it means for someone in their 50s or 60s to say that. I hear it more than people might expect.

You have spent decades working hard, building something, trying to do the right thing. But when it comes to your money outside of super, there is this quiet background noise that never quite goes away.

“Am I doing this right?”
“Is what I have built going to be enough?”
“Have I left it too late to properly understand this?”

Most people don't say that out loud. But they feel it. And the longer they leave it, the louder it gets.

What changed for Iain wasn't only the results. What changed was the noise stopped.
He had a process. He understood it. He could follow it without second-guessing every decision.

That is the shift that matters most to me in this work. Not the numbers, though numbers like Iain's are worth celebrating. The moment someone finally feels confident about what they are doing with their own money.

Thank you, Iain. For sharing your experience and for trusting the process. It means more than you know.

By the way, if Iain's story sounds like yours, I'd love to hear it. Send me a private message here: m.me/TheFreedomTrader

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Individual results will vary. This is not financial advice. The Freedom Trader provides stock market education to help Australians approach shares with more structure, confidence, and risk awareness.

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09/28/2026

“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦?”

It’s probably a question more people have asked themselves about share investing than they’d like to admit.

You find a company that looks promising, put some money into it and assume that if it’s a good business, things should work out.

But a good-looking investment and a good investment decision aren’t always the same thing.

Bill Alexander, who raises beef cattle and also does engineering consulting, learned that through experience. Before joining us, he had dabbled in share trading without much guidance, and some investments that looked good at the beginning ended up producing significant losses.

Those experiences made him think perhaps the answer was simply to hold onto his money and do nothing.

Bill started with paper trading and gradually moved into real trades as he became more comfortable with the process. He learned how to assess opportunities, spread his risk rather than putting all his eggs in one basket, and accept that not every investment will make money.

Sometimes you have to cut a loss.
That’s part of investing too.

Since starting with us, Bill has achieved a 20% return on investment with a 70–80% strike rate, but what I find particularly valuable about his story is that he no longer feels like he needs someone else to make those choices for him.

He has learned a process he can apply himself.

And over time, the community has come full circle for him. He started as someone benefiting from the experience and guidance of others, and today he can contribute some of what he has learned to people coming through behind him.

That’s what good education should eventually give you: not dependence, but the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions for yourself.

If that resonates, my free live online MasterClass walks through the same structured, risk-managed approach Bill has been following:
https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/investwithconfidence/

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09/25/2026

One of the things I hear a lot is that investing education sounds expensive.

And I get it, especially when you're weighing it against everything else competing for your attention and your money.

Thana put it simply. People spend three or four years at university studying finance. Trying to absorb everything in one session isn't realistic. What made the difference was ongoing support that shortlisted what was actually worth looking at, without making the decisions for him.

He still does his own research. He checks every opportunity against his own goals and picks only what makes sense for him. Every time he does Inner Circle, he says, he learns something new.

For the amount it costs for a whole year, he called it pretty cheap. And when you consider the hours it saves, and the cost of making decisions without the right support, that comparison tends to shift things.

For anyone who's spent decades working hard and is quietly wondering whether their money is actually doing the same, that reframe matters. Every year without the right structure is another year of decisions made without real confidence behind them. Thana found a way to change that. The cost of a whole year was less than he expected. The cost of not having it was something he'd already been paying.

If you'd like to learn the same structured approach, join our next free live online MasterClass here:
https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/investwithconfidence/

09/23/2026

The number in your head is probably wrong.

Most people are quietly saving toward a figure they've decided they need before they feel ready to begin investing.

The problem is that number keeps moving.

And while it does, the one thing that makes long-term investing so powerful is quietly slipping away.

Long-term investing and active investing are two very different things. They require different amounts of capital, different skill sets, and different levels of experience.

Most people don't know where they actually sit, or how little they need to get started on the right path.

In this blog, I explain:
✅ How much money you realistically need to start investing
✅ Why trading requires a different approach and more capital
✅ Why beginners should avoid using leverage
✅ The importance of protecting your capital while you're learning
✅ Why consistency often matters more than starting with a large portfolio

The mistake I see most often isn't people starting with too little.

It's people arriving at 62 or 65 having waited a decade for a number that never quite arrived, and realising the window they thought was still ahead of them has quietly closed.

The amount you need to begin is almost certainly smaller than you think.
Read the full blog here:
https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/how-much-money-do-i-need-to-get-started-to-trade-or-invest/

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Find out how much money you need to start investing in stocks and learn the myths that keep people from starting. Click here to learn more...

09/18/2026

Many of the people I speak with assume that investing means spending hours every day researching hundreds of companies and constantly watching the market.

It's one of the main reasons they tell me they don't have the time.

Rhiannon found that the opposite was true.

That was the shift Rhiannon described.

She realised there was no need to research every stock on the market when most of them weren't even ready to buy. Instead, she focuses only on the companies that are relevant at the time, narrowing her attention to just five or ten that meet her criteria.

That simple change has done more than save time. It’s removed the feeling that she has to keep up with everything happening in the market.

Her routine now is straightforward.. A quick daily scan tells her whether it's time to buy or sell. She doesn't spend her day worrying about every rise and fall in price.

And as she puts it, she sleeps easy.

Rhiannon put it simply. She sleeps easy. Not because the market always goes her way. But because she knows exactly what she's looking for, when to act, and when to leave it alone. For anyone who's spent years managing everything else in their life with discipline and care, and quietly wondering why their investments don't feel the same way, that kind of confidence is worth understanding.

If you'd like to learn the same structured approach Rhiannon uses, join our next free live online MasterClass here:

https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/investwithconfidence/

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09/16/2026

Recently I treated Eva, Nommyr, and Seth, part of our Philippines team, to dinner. I could not be there in person, but I wanted to bring them together and say thank you in a small way.

Because the truth is, The Freedom Trader is not just me.

Yes, I may be the one people see teaching the Masterclass or speaking about the share market.

But behind the business, there are good people doing important work every day to make sure our students and community feel supported.

Eva helps run support. She helps make sure students are heard, questions are followed up, and people feel looked after when they need help.

Seth is often the first voice people hear from The Freedom Trader. He takes the time to understand where someone is at and helps them feel less overwhelmed about what learning to invest might actually look like.

Nommyr helps with content. He helps share the stories, messages, and educational pieces that allow more Australians to understand what we do and why we do it.

A lot of this work does not happen publicly.

It happens in the background.

The thoughtful reply to a student who is unsure.
The follow-up that helps someone feel less lost.
The content that makes investing feel a little less overwhelming.
The care that helps people feel like they are dealing with real humans, not just a business.

And for many Australians in their 50s and 60s who come to us wanting to learn about shares, that matters.

Because learning something new, especially when it involves your financial future, can feel intimidating.

So I am very grateful to have people on the team who care about the student experience and the standard we are trying to uphold.

Trust is not built by one person alone.

It is built by the way the whole team shows up.

Thank you, Eva, Nommyr, and Seth. I appreciate the care you bring to The Freedom Trader.

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09/14/2026

There is a particular kind of hesitation that comes when you have worked hard to earn and save your money.

You do not want to leave it sitting there doing very little, but you also do not want to put it somewhere that feels risky, confusing, or outside your control.

That was the tension Vicky Ho, one of my students from Perth, was sitting with.

She had seen the other side of property investing, where large amounts of capital can become tied up, loans and outgoings continue, and getting your money back out is not always simple.

What surprised her about share investing was how manageable it became once there was a clear structure.

She was not spending hours every night trying to analyse everything in the market. She had a focused list of companies, a process to follow, and a routine that fit into her life between 9:30 and 10:30 before bed.

Most nights, it takes her around 15 to 20 minutes to scan through everything. If there is something to buy or sell, it takes a little longer, but not much.

That simplicity produced results. She has made 15% on some of her stocks. As she put it, there is no way a bank gives you that.

For Vicky, the biggest shift was not just the results. It was what came with them. "God, what the hell was I waiting for?" she said. "All that time wasted." That is what happens when something that felt risky and complicated suddenly makes sense.

She called it freedom. And I think that says it better than anything else could.

If that resonates, my free live online MasterClass walks through the same structured, risk-managed approach Vicky has been following:
https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/investwithconfidence/

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09/11/2026

People are often careful about what they spend on education, but much less careful about what poor decisions can cost them.

It is easy to look at the price of learning and hesitate.

And yet, people will spend money on things that do not really matter, then continue making financial decisions without the knowledge or structure to support them.

Hament saw that differently after losing thousands of dollars on a single share.

When he stepped back and compared that loss with the cost of becoming properly educated, the decision became much clearer. Learning wasn't simply another expense. It was a way to stop paying for mistakes and start making decisions with real understanding.

He also shared an attitude he brings to every course he takes. There is always a gift in the learning, but you still have to look for it. You get out what you put in.

That matters especially for anyone approaching a stage of life where the cost of getting it wrong isn't just financial. A structured approach can give you the process and the framework, but the real value comes from the effort you make to understand and apply it.

Hament's decision came down to a single comparison. What he'd already lost on one share versus what it would cost him to learn how to do this properly. When he ran those numbers, the hesitation disappeared. It wasn't that education suddenly seemed cheap. It was that continuing without it suddenly seemed expensive. If you haven't run that calculation yet, his story might be the prompt to do it.

If you would like to explore a structured, approach to share investing, join our next free live online MasterClass here:
https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/investwithconfidence/

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09/08/2026

Having just turned 50 in March,, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want this next chapter of my life to stand for.

Not just in business.
Not just as an investor.

But as a human being.

And one of the words that keeps coming back to me is service.

That is why I’ll be taking part in the 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟱𝟬𝟬𝗸𝗺 charity bike ride in Thailand starting tomorrow, riding over 5 days in 40-degree heat and humidity.

It is a physically demanding challenge, but the purpose behind it is what matters most.

Hands Across the Water supports children in Thailand who have experienced incredibly difficult circumstances, helping provide safety, care, and a more stable future.

I’m also very grateful to share that we have now reached the minimum $𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁.

To everyone who contributed, thank you sincerely. Your support means a great deal, and I’ll be riding with your names in mind when the heat, hills, and long days start to test me.

When we completed this ride two years ago, it reminded me what can happen when people come together for something bigger than themselves.

That experience stayed with me.

It made me think more deeply about generosity, gratitude, and the kind of example I want to set as I enter this next stage of life.

This ride is one small way of acting on that. If the cause resonates with you, I'd love for you to follow along. I'll be sharing updates as the ride gets closer.

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09/07/2026

When you’ve worked hard to build your savings, the last thing you want is to feel like your future depends on someone else’s product, fees, or opinion.

That’s often where the discomfort begins. You know you need to do something with your money. You know leaving it idle may not be enough.

But handing it over without truly understanding the decisions being made can feel just as uncomfortable.

That was the position Chris Lambert and Carolyn Dare found themselves in.

They had looked at financial advisers, but the fees were significant, and they didn’t feel confident that the advice was truly independent.

For a long time, other people had handled their share decisions. So when they decided to learn for themselves, they were starting from scratch.

And yes, it was a learning curve. But over time, something shifted.

They stopped seeing investing as something vague and intimidating.

They began treating it like a business.

Clear decisions, clear responsibility, and a process they could follow together.

That mindset produced results. Their trading account ran at 17 to 19% profit.

But what stayed with me most was something Chris said. "We've gone from manufacturing items to manufacturing profit." That's what real ownership looks like.

If that resonates, my free live online MasterClass walks through the same structured, risk-managed approach Chris and Carolyn have been following:

https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/investwithconfidence/

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