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You Can Still Beat the Wall Street Pros

A buzzer goes off, and chaos erupts as people jockey for position and shouts reverberate off the walls...

It's not a sports game. It's a scene from the 1983 comedy classic Trading Places. Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy are standing in the middle of a futures trading pit as traders call out their orders.

Before the modern age of traders just sitting at computers making trades, this open-outcry trading was the standard method for more than a century. Traders would shout their orders, which would then be recorded on paper.

My own Wall Street experience was less chaotic... but no less archaic. I would sit at my Goldman Sachs trading desk in front of a bank of buttons. All day, I'd be on the phone making deals, writing up paper trade tickets for an office assistant to collect as he passed by.

The days of haggling prices in trading pits or over the phone are largely a thing of the past.

Now, getting an edge on a trade means being microseconds faster than the other guy. If you're a day trader working for a big brokerage, this sliver of time can mean the difference of millions of dollars.

Given this speed... it may seem impossible for average investors to even match the pros, let alone beat them. But one of my friends has made a career out of helping everyday folks do just that...

Marc Chaikin started on Wall Street as an analyst more than 50 years ago. During his time, he created proprietary stock indicators that are used by the biggest Wall Street firms and traders all over the world – like the industry-standard "Chaikin Money Flow."

If you've ever used an online broker to manage your money, you've likely already benefited from Marc's work without even knowing it.

More than a decade ago, Marc decided to help teach everyday investors how to do as well as the "pros" on Wall Street. As he explained...

After the financial crisis in 2008... I saw the little guy get creamed by Wall Street. So my focus shifted yet again. I developed a set of tools for individual investors. They're specifically designed to turn trading and investing into a fair fight for people who aren't Wall Street elites.

Together, this set of tools is called the Power Gauge. And... I've poured everything I've learned over my more than 50 years in finance into it.

Now, Marc is launching a brand-new way to help the average investor. He began working on it in 2020. It's a strategy that's meant to protect you and help you prosper during the next market crash.

It doesn't involve complex trades or simply buying and holding blue-chip stocks. Rather, it uses Marc's Power Gauge in a unique way to discover the best opportunities out there. During the market bottom in 2020, this system flagged nine 20%-plus winners – all with holding periods of less than 90 days.

There has never been a better time to use this strategy than now. According to Marc, "A violent shift just began in U.S. stocks. The consequences for the next crash – and your wealth – could be severe."

Next week, Marc is stepping forward with his crash prediction... And he'll share the details of his new strategy that could double your entire portfolio, if you're positioned right.

Click here to make sure you don't miss this critical money move.

Now, let's get into this week's Q&A... As always, keep sending your comments, questions, and topic suggestions to [email protected]. My team and I read every e-mail.

How to Prevent and Treat Macular Degeneration

Q: Hello Doc! Just read your Q&A e-mail on dry AMD. Is there anything that you would do for wet AMD such as supplements or treatments? What are your thoughts on the eye injections with the currently approved Vabysmo drugs? Thanks and keep up the great work you do! – C.K.

A: Thanks for your question, C.K. As we explained last week, wet age-related macular degeneration ("AMD") is the more severe form of AMD.

It happens when abnormal blood vessels cause fluid buildup between the retina and the macula. This lifts the macula from its normally flat position and distorts your vision.

While we know what wet AMD does to your eye, we don't understand why it happens or how to cure it. But there are treatment options...

One such option is an antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injection. (Vabysmo is an example of one.) Anti-VEGF treatments help prevent the growth of blood vessels that distort the macula.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, these anti-VEGF injections help improve the vision of one-third of AMD patients and halt vision degradation in around 90% of patients.

The difficulty with these injections is that you need to get them every one to four months (depending on the exact type) to prevent further vision loss. And there are side effects, some of which can cause other damage to your eye, like cataracts or retinal detachment. If you have wet AMD, you'll need to go over all of the injection options and the risks with your doctor.

Some doctors might also use photodynamic therapy ("PDT") along with anti-VEGF injections to treat wet AMD. PDT uses a laser to damage the abnormal blood vessels to prevent fluid leakage.

Another option is taking a supplement to slow the progression of AMD. The groundbreaking Age-Related Eye Disease Study ("AREDS") – published in 2001 – found that a supplement formula including vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper lowered the risk of developing late-stage dry AMD or wet AMD. However, researchers discovered that beta-carotene increased the risk of lung cancer in smokers.

The follow-up study 10 years later – AREDS2 – adjusted the formula to remove the lung-cancer risk. The formula recommends:

  • Vitamin C – 500 milligrams ("mg")
  • Vitamin E – 400 International Units
  • Zinc – 80 mg
  • Copper – 2 mg
  • Lutein – 10 mg
  • Zeaxanthin – 2 mg

If you want to go the supplement route, there are supplements that follow the AREDS2 formula. So when you're looking to buy them, make sure the ingredients are similar.

It's difficult to catch AMD early, so if you notice any blurriness in your vision or wiggly lines, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.

Lastly, as we often say, it's better to prevent illness than treat it. Some of the best ways to prevent AMD are:

  • Not smoking
  • Eating a healthy diet (like the Mediterranean diet)
  • Exercising
  • Controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol

Fortunately, all of these measures are part of a healthy overall lifestyle anyway. You'll protect your whole body... including your eyes.

What We're Reading...

Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,

Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
March 21, 2025