If you’d like professional guidance from a SEBI-registered financial advisor, please fill out this short form - https://topc.typeform.com/cfo-yt We currently advise portfolios worth ₹1,200+ crore, helping people work towards financial independence. Checkout Ashwin’s PnL Link here: https://console.zerodha.com/verified/c3d8bb1c Ashwin Raghavan’s story is one of the most unusual journeys in the trading world. A former software engineer and product manager at PhonePe, he walked away from a high-paying corporate career after experiencing burnout and decided to pursue trading full time. What followed was a wild ride. Ashwin went through massive ups and downs, losing a large part of his savings at one point, before eventually turning about ₹7.5 lakh into nearly ₹15 crore within two years. He also competed in the prestigious US Investing Championship against global traders with million-dollar portfolios and finished among the top performers with extraordinary returns in a short period of time. In this episode, Ashwin breaks down how he thinks about the markets and why trading is more about understanding psychology than complicated math. He explains the difference between fundamental and technical analysis, how chart patterns reflect the behavior of “smart money,” and why risk management and stop losses are critical for survival in trading. The conversation also covers his biggest wins, painful losses, the dangers of leverage, and the mindset required to survive the emotional rollercoaster of the markets. If you are curious about trading, market psychology, and what it really takes to generate outsized returns, this episode offers a raw and honest look into the life of a professional trader. Ashwin’s Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashwinraghavan93/ Ashwin’s Twitter Profile: https://x.com/GripFangWolf?s=20 — Subscribe: The 1% Club: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FWSClips0 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onepercentclubshow/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-1-clubfws Sharan Hegde: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/financewithsharan/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharanhegde95/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/financewsharan – Sharan Hegde is a personal finance creator & founder of the 1% Club, simplifying money, markets, and mindset for India’s next generation of wealth builders. – Timeline: 00:00 - Precap 01:00 - Introducing the guest, Ashwin Raghavan 01:33 - How life changed for him 02:39 - He’s in the world’s top 5 traders? 06:28 - How he missed the 1st position 08:03 - How much of trading is luck vs skill 10:03 - Why he quit his ₹60 LPA job 12:50 - How hard is it to be a successful trader 16:55 - His craziest bet in trading 18:45 - Fundamental vs technical investing 19:35 - Why technical investing works 21:29 - How he learned trading 24:35 - What is the Volatility Contraction Pattern? 27:51 - How Ashwin multiplied his gold returns 29:46 - Why Ashwin still prefers leverage 31:00 - How time works against you in options 35:54 - Ashwin’s return expectations for 2026 37:28 - What’s the caveat he faces to get super rich? 38:11 - Rapid fire round 42:27 - Ending notes