Who Adriano is
Chelsi
Who Adriano is
Hello everyone, welcome back to Unger Academy. Today I have Adriano with me, one of our long-time students, with us been with us since 2022…
Adriano
2021!
Chelsi
Oh, 2021 right?
Adriano
September 2021
Chelsi
September 2021, so right from the first days, let’s say, of the program we have today. He is one of our most active contributors in our student community, and highly valued within our community. Adriano, hi! Welcome, and thank you for being with us.
Adriano
Absolutely.
Chelsi
Thank you! So, before we dive in, tell us a bit about who you are, what you do, and how you spend your days.
Adriano
Well, I’m retired now, I’m 77 years old, so I don’t work anymore. My days revolve around Unger Academy and, of course, all the usual day-to-day things in life. But I have to say, discovering Unger has really kept me busy, and it’s been something I truly enjoy.
Let me quickly tell you how I got interested in the markets and trading. I started in 2020, during COVID. We were all stuck at home, so I was looking for something to do. I used both my bank and a trading platform, but my bank didn’t provide any real support. I made a few trades with ETFs and stocks, nothing major.
Then I moved to another platform where I tried using math – linear regressions, some indicators – to get results. But again, no support.
So after about six months, and luckily only small losses because I’m quite cautious, I decided to stop completely.
I went online to look for something more structured, and that’s when I found Andrea Unger.
I saw him online and thought: if this guy is a four-time world trading champion, he must have something valuable to teach.
So I reached out. I spoke with one of your coaches. He was very kind and explained things to me.
That’s how I joined Unger Academy. I started with the One Year Target program. It took me some time to really understand everything, then I moved on to AlgoTrader Fast, and eventually I went live. Not right away though – I’ve been trading live for about two years now.
Chelsi
Ok.
Adriano
I wanted to get comfortable with MultiCharts and TradeStation first, really learn how to use the tools. And I developed a strong passion for coding. I like opening code, understanding it, and modifying it. I also collaborate with another Unger Academy student who’s very good with Titan.
Chelsi
A bit of diversity!
Adriano
Exactly, we split the work. I build the strategies, he feeds them into Titan, and I have to say, the results are good. We can’t complain.
The challenge before joining the Academy
Chelsi
Before joining Unger Academy, what was your main challenge you were facing?
Adriano
Honestly, I just wanted to have some fun, stay busy, and not lose money.
I didn’t succeed at that, mainly because there wasn’t enough support. That’s the big difference compared to Unger Academy, where the support is excellent.
Chelsi
Yes, that’s very positive.
Adriano
The coaches are very present, very kind, and very professional.
Chelsi
And what was it specifically that made you decide to choose us over other options available on the market?
Adriano
Again, it was the fact that Andrea is a four-time world champion. That caught my attention.
The part of the program that helped him the most
Chelsi
Like many others, I imagine! And was there any specific aspect of the program, a module, a moment, an approach that really made a difference for you?
Adriano
Everything helped, but the real turning point was when I joined the VIP group and started studying those strategies in depth. That’s when things really changed. Your strategies are solid. And I even created some of my own.
Chelsi
You’ve become a VIP yourself and now you’re contributing!
Adriano
Not sure about that! But I even created what I called the “Adriano Formula.” I modified one of your functions, added directionality, and it works well. I recently submitted a strategy for evaluation that includes this formula. I’m curious to hear what the coaches think.
How things are going in turbulent markets
Chelsi
We’ll see! Let’s get to the concrete results. After applying what you’ve learned, maybe if you take a look at the years you’ve been with us, what results have you actually achieved?
Adriano
So, I’ve been trading live since 2024. 2024 was a good year, I have to say – I had some solid results and a few nice wins.
In 2025 I had some small losses, but everything was very contained, honestly.
2026 has just started, and I’m slightly in profit. But I think right now it’s really tough. It’s hard to stay profitable.
Why? Because there’s a lot of disorder in the markets, due to everything that’s going on. There’s no point even repeating it… and it’s not easy to manage. I mean, normally volatility is the real fuel of trading. But right now it’s not just volatility we have to deal with – it’s disorder.
And that’s much harder to manage, so you really need to be careful. In this kind of environment, you need to take a step back and better understand what’s actually going on.
Another challenge I had – which I’ve now overcome – was handling news releases. But we’ve learned how to manage that, so it’s no longer an issue. The real problem now is this global disorder, which is clearly affecting all markets.
Chelsi
And since this disorder was around – we know it wasn’t overnight, but in some cases maybe it was… what results have you managed to achieve anyway?
Adriano
Me and the other Unger student I work with managed to make a little bit of profit. Very little. But I have to be honest – I fully understand that if you look at certain equity curves, they all start to flatten. And that’s normal right now, in my opinion.
The market is reacting in a certain way, and it’s changing. Actually, I think it’s changing quite deeply.
Chelsi
And how has your life changed since you achieved those first results and the ones you have today?
Adriano
Honestly, I’m very happy. It keeps me busy, it keeps me engaged, and I’m really glad to have built such a good relationship with you. At 77, having a hobby like this is incredibly stimulating – really, really stimulating. I truly recommend it to anyone who has the time and at least some basic understanding of math.
It can really be something positive. Of course, I still have my usual hobbies too – tennis, sports, playing cards… the usual.
Chelsi
Tennis is great! If you hadn’t chosen us, or made the choice to come with us, where do you think you’d be today?
Adriano
Honestly, I don’t know. I probably would’ve done something through my bank, but it’s completely different. When I compare it to my past experience, I can clearly see that Unger Academy’s approach is totally different from anything else.
I’m sure there are other organizations out there that are just as professional and that you can find online, but I believe Unger is really the most specialized, the one that provides the most support and gives you the most opportunities.
Also, I’ve recently started getting into options… and wow, they’re really, really interesting. I’d definitely recommend them to anyone who doesn’t have a lot of time to dedicate. Of course, you still need to invest some time if you want to be profitable. But if you understand them the right way – and I believe the two approaches you teach do exactly that – they can absolutely be both interesting and profitable.
His journey in options
Chelsi
Let’s explore the options a bit. I don’t know how long you’ve been following us…
Adriano
Very recently, just a few days. Really, very little. I did my first session with Gabriele – he’s excellent, truly outstanding – and he showed me some great things.
I started by simulating trades, placing very simple orders using the basic structure: buying a put option and selling another put with a different expiration. So I’ve started working on that.
Right now it’s not the right time to trade, though – the Unger traffic light is clearly red.
Chelsi
Oh yes!
Adriano
Because volatility is too high. But I already feel capable of placing orders. For now, I’ll keep studying. Like I said, I’ve only just started with options, but I really recommend them to anyone who doesn’t have a lot of time – they’re very, very interesting.
Chelsi
Yes, so let’s hope it calms done a little bit!
Adriano
Exactly – and then we can trade again! I also found something else really interesting.
There are a lot of concepts around volatility that are explained very well through options strategies, and I’m already applying them in my coding work. There are some really valuable ideas there, and they carry over into the area I enjoy the most… which is coding.
His advice for those who want to become traders
Chelsi
Yes, enjoy it and really have a good time!
So Adriano, last question: if there’s someone watching this interview who’s still undecided, what would you tell them?
Adriano
What would I say… Well, I would definitely say: choose Unger Academy. For the level of support, for the professionalism of all the coaches, and also for their kindness. There are many reasons, but one of the most important is how they teach you to manage risk. It’s really well done, very structured and effective. And another important thing is that you can start even with relatively small capital. You don’t need a huge amount to begin.
That’s exactly what I did – I started small, and then gradually increased my capital over time. Of course, if you want bigger results, you’ll need to scale up. But you can absolutely get started with a very accessible amount.
Chelsi
Adriano, thank you so much for sharing your testimonial, for the energy you bring to the community every day, and for the time you’ve given us today!
Adriano’s trading systems (with equity)
Adriano
Actually, I don’t know if this is possible, but I’d like to show you something… Can I share my screen and show some equity curves? Is that okay?
Chelsi
Oh yes!
Adriano
I’d like to show you these structures. These are some of my codes – they all have one thing in common: they all include what I call the “Adriano Formula.” Yes, as I mentioned, I’ve submitted it for evaluation. Now let me show you some of the equity curves. The code itself is the same across different markets. Let’s take a look.
So this one is gold – gold performed very well. As you can see, from the beginning of 2024 we’re in out-of-sample, so everything after that point is out-of-sample data. I’d say this is a very strong equity curve.
Chelsi
Yes!
Adriano
Definitely a good curve. Using the same signal, let’s look at it on the S&P 500, for example. Here it’s a bit less smooth, but it’s still trending upward. Let’s check a few more… I don’t remember which ones were the best, but let’s take a look.
Chelsi
And here too!
There is also a bit of growth here.
Adriano
Yeah, there’s a bit of… Well, of course, these are difficult times. But overall, these are all upward equity curves, and that’s the key point. Let’s look at the European market, the DAX… I don’t remember exactly, I tested all of them just to compare. This one is good too.
You can see they’re all trending upward, even if they’re affected by the current situation.
Chelsi
Well, yes, a bit of flattening.
Adriano
They can’t avoid suffering a bit, let’s put it that way. It would be unnatural if they didn’t.
Chelsi
Still, it’s a pretty healthy growth I’d say.
Adriano
Yes, it’s definitely not bad growth. Like I said, I tested this across all instruments. You can see it here as well, even on the Russell, which isn’t used that often. But it works well there too. And I’ve submitted this one for evaluation as well. Here’s the Dow Jones, and then I’ll stop.
I’ve sent everything in for review, and if they can give me some useful feedback to improve these curves even further, that would be great.
Chelsi
Well, from our support, absolutely!
Adriano
I think they’re analyzing it, but you know… it takes time. You need a bit of patience.
Chelsi
No, no, thank you so much for sharing this too!
Adriano
Yes, well, it’s a structure – like I said, the code is the same across all instruments. Of course, the inputs are different, they’ve been optimized differently.
But you can clearly see there’s a solid underlying engine that works across markets. And that’s very interesting.
Chelsi
A nice chat!
Adriano
It works extremely well on gold, obviously – gold performed beautifully. A bit less on other instruments, but still consistently good.
Chelsi
Well, our students and also those watching this interview, I think they’ll really appreciate these charts, to see how one lives, even in these times.
Adriano
Like I said, strategy selection should be based on equity curves. They need to be rising curves, with at least a couple of years of out-of-sample data. That’s how you know the underlying logic is solid.
Chelsi
Thank you so much, Adriano.
And for those watching us, this is what it means to be part of Unger Academy.
We’re very lucky to have Adriano in our student community as well.
Thank you so much again, Adriano.
Adriano
Absolutely!
