Reality Check: Food Chain on Wall Street

Wall Street food chain:

Market makers, bankers, commercial traders (big/"smart" money. Can move/manipulate markets)
Big shareholders of public companies (having advantage of early information)
Fund managers, advisors, planners (skilled at taking advantage of mass psychology)
Brokers/dealers (spreads, slippages)
Market data, service providers (steep fees)
"Gurus", "instructors", chat room moderators, seminar/webinar/class instructors (a few are genuine; many are fake; some are scammers; best traders normally don't share their strategies. Almost all charge ridiculously high fees.)
Small traders/investors (plagued by mass psychology, sheep mentality, greed and fear.)

Don't be a sucker. Know yourself and know who you are dealing with. Become a master of the game.

The finanacial markets were not designed to benefit the majority. Professionals are simply masters at keeping the average investor perpetually on the wrong side of the equation. When the novice wants to buy, the professional is willing to sell him. When the novice wants to throw in the towel and sell, the professional is perfectly willing to relieve him of his pain by buying from him. Which character in this grand comedy are you? Are you a part of that sad, manipulated group who surrender just when the game is about to shift in your favor? Only the able survive in this business, and obviously the survivors are the only ones who can succeed. Do your very best to be a survivor. Your success depends on it. When the going gets tough, the winners get tougher. In order to win in this game, you must last. The next time you find yourself thinking about quitting, ask yourself, "What role in this grand comedy am I playing right now?" That should help usher in a moment of clarity, in which the correct answer may emerge.