Habits and Routines of Trader and

Entrepreneur Bert Mouler

07/09/2017 10:07 am ET Updated Jul 10, 2017

Photo credit: Profluent Capital.

Bert Mouler is the principal researcher at Profluent Capital and the chief designer of the
intelligent portfolio management software they use to manage funds.

Bert Mouler has been developing algorithmic trading systems since 2010. He is the principal
researcher at Profluent Capital and the chief designer of the intelligent portfolio management
software they use to manage funds.

He received three undergraduate degrees from UC Santa Barbara and continued to complete his
Masters, with highest honors in bioinformatics, at The Johns Hopkins University. He is currently
pursuing the Georgia Tech OMSCS degree. Bert is involved in a variety of technology start-ups,
as well as AI and machine learning projects around the world.

Today, Im thrilled to talk to Bert Mouler about his habits and routines.

What are the most important habits in your life and why?
I would say that the most important habits in my life are goal setting and reading. Most people
intrinsically have what it takes to succeed (theres nothing biological that will prevent them from
doing so), but unfortunately, they lack a framework for achievement. I set goals for the week, the
month, the quarter, the year, all the way into old age. Of course, many people would say that it is
impossible to know what will happen so far into the future, but thats the exact reason for setting
goals!

The goals themselves have to be, in my experience, just out of reach given your current pace of
progress. This way, you are always striving to improve yourself and your business. They also
have to be general enough to allow some leeway due to the randomness inherent in life, but at the
same time quantifiable, so that you can objectively measure your success (or lack thereof). Most
people overestimate what they can do in a short period of time and underestimate what can be
achieved in a long period of time. Goal setting helps to even that bias out.

As far as reading goes, I dont think there are many successful individuals out there that dont
read. What always amazes me is that most people have all of these questions about life, business,
their environment, etc., but they never pick up a book and read about those topics. Most of the
questions that we have have been answered beforeas the old saying goes, theres nothing new
under the sun.

Of course, there are also topics like AI and machine learning (and other modern technologies),
which are growing at an ever-increasing pace. To keep up, you absolutely have to keep reading
and researching. From a business perspective, there is a ton of money lying on the floor, you just
have to go and pick it up. To do that, you have to know where it isthats where the books come
in.

How do you set goals and manage time?

I use post-its for my short-term goals. I like to keep them on my bathroom mirror and on my
monitor. Whats great about writing goals down is that you are essentially making a promise to
yourself to attempt whatever it is you have written down. Thats a strong motivator in my
experience.

Long-term goals are stored in Evernote and tied to reminders for when theyre due.

How are you modeling your life?

I think that the classical model of the American Dream, where you go to college and earn your
degree, work at some company for 40 years, and then retire somewhere on the savings that
youve accumulated in the process, is broken. It seems like most people my age are drowning in
student debt and large firms arent as stable as they appeared to be previously. Look at the retail
space right now, Amazon has obliterated the retail sector.

A better model, in my opinion, is to start earning money the second you can and save as much of
it as possible as early as possible. As a young graduate, you cant possibly be needing to spend
more than $30k a year on living expenses (for example). In this case, you can calculate exactly
how much you need to save for that $30k to be rolling in as passive income (from real estate
investments, for example). This way, you can actually reach retirement much earlier than in the
American dream model. Lets say you need $30k to live and you can make 5% a year investing
(which is a reasonable figure, in my opinion, and can be achieved with minimal risk). That means
that youll need to save about $600K. If you save the majority of what you earn, you can hit that
number much earlier than you think. I know many people that have started online businesses out
of their home that make $100K+ per yearits more than doable and doesnt require any formal
education. Basically, with this model, you can make it to the point where your passive income
eclipses your expenses by the time you turn 30a much better outcome than potentially retiring at
65.

Can you describe your work process and thinking behind it?
I try to automate as much of my work as possible. Humans are notoriously terrible at just about
everything. We forget, make mistakes, get tired. Computers dont do any of that. Thats why I
chose to go into the algorithmic trading business. In general, I rank my opportunities by potential
reward vs. time spent and work down that list in a continuous manner.

What do you eat for breakfast?

Eggs and bacon. Mainly because its easy and low carb.

How do you train your body and mind?

I lift weights and run on the treadmill. I also walk my dog, Dexter, for a couple of hours a day
while listening to audiobooks. In fact, one of the key contributors to my success, in my opinion,
is the fact that I run on the treadmill and watch MOOC videos, sped up 1.5-3x. This means that
after I go to the gym in the morning for an hour, Ive already done more than most people do in a
week. 45 minutes of lecture, sped up 2x, watched 5x a week is equivalent to 10 university
lectures a week, or about 500 lectures a year (I do take a vacation sometimes). 500 lectures a
year! Think about that. How many lectures made up your degree? And all of this is done while at
the gym. That is a HUGE edge.

How do you meet and connect with people?

Because I work in front of the computer for extensive periods of time, I mainly use social media
to connect with people, but theres nothing like face-to-face contact. So, conferences are a must,
as well as just going out to your local bar at meeting people. You never know who will turn up.
Always remember6 degrees of separation.

What are your sleeping rituals?

This really depends on where I am at the moment. Some places, like China and Russia, are
significantly more polluted than others, increasing my sleep requirements. In San Francisco, my
home base, I usually wake up at 8 AM, work through my schedule and then sleep from around 4
PM to 7 PM. Then, I work until about 3 AM and go to sleep again. I work with people all across
the globe and this type of schedule really helps me optimize my time.

What are your investing habits?

I could write a book about this and probably will at some point, but in general, I mentioned them
previously. Spend as little as possible until you reach the point where your passive income
investments bring in more money than you spend. From there, increase your lifestyle a bit every
year, but keep saving the majority of your earnings. This way, even in economic downturns,
youll be able to increase your spending and have an improved lifestyle.

What books, people, experiences shaped your thinking?

I have a huge list of books that I recommend to people. Here are some of the top picks:

The Drunkards Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow
NLP: The New Technology of Achievement by NLP Comprehensive and Steve Andreas
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie