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We are 100% here to help you succeed in becoming a Topstep Funded Trader™ and offer free coaching to get you there! Get the coaching that works best for YOU.
Spend the day with our experts as they trade live and discuss what’s happening in the markets. Expect breaking news, tips, community stats, shout-outs to our best performing traders, and special guests. Let’s prepare for the trading day together and crush the markets! We’re live Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–3:00 PM CT.
Join the #group-coaching channel to meet our team and connect with other traders. Each Coach also has a dedicated Discord channel, so if you have previously worked with Coach Robert, you can now find him in Discord under #coach-robert. Each Coach posts their hours to their channel each week so you know when you can catch them.
Join our Discord
Join us for some group futures trading! Our free Group Coaching is live on TopstepTV every Monday–Thursday from 12-1 PM CT. Learn from our team of experts and get your questions answered live. Our Performance Coaches are here to support you on your journey to becoming a Topstep Funded Trader™. Send your burning questions to our Coaches so they can answer them on-air at [email protected].
Topstep’s trading dashboard features Coach T, our digital performance coach that provides tools and personalized trading stats to help you become a smarter, more disciplined trader. Coach T will guide you in achieving Funded Trader status every time you get in front of the trading screens.
Build stronger, more sustainable habits so you can approach the markets with confidence.
Make note of what worked well and what to be mindful of tomorrow.
Coach T is constantly analyzing your trade data and will reach out with guidance and tips.
Our experts are here to help you build healthier habits and stronger skills so you can become a Topstep Funded Trader®!
MICHAEL PATAK
Founder, CEO & Performance Coach
Michael started in the live markets at 18, losing three $30K accounts. Through an unpaid position at a prop firm, he learned the importance of growing skills in SIM. He traded with his own capital at the CBOT, rising from the bottom step to the top step, becoming one of the biggest locals in the Dow futures pit. This led Michael to create a place where others can learn and trade live without risking their savings.
JOHN HOAGLAND
Senior Performance Coach
John has 35+ years of futures trading experience. He traded on the CME floor for 20 years before moving to the screens in 2009. He’s developed thousands of traders at Topstep and is passionate about improving individual performance. Catch him in Group Coaching and on Topstep’s live broadcasts, like the Forecast & Recap, Coach’s Playbook and Make Hoag Money.
EDDIE HORN
Senior Performance Coach
Eddie started his career at the CME in 1985 as a runner for Thomson McKinnon Futures. From there, he gained experience in Currencies, working in the pits. Eddie’s advice and direction has given thousands of traders a more straightforward path to better habits, stronger skills, and long-term success, in his 10+ years at Topstep. Watch his Funded Trader interviews on YouTube.
MICK IERONIMO
Risk Manager
Mick has 20+ years of futures trading experience. After getting his start on the CME floor in Grains, he made the transition to full time discretionary trading on the screen. In addition to trading his own account, he operated as a market maker for a proprietary trading firm, as well as execution for a hedge fund prior to joining Topstep in 2015 as Risk Manager.
ROBERT COONEY
Performance Coach
Robert has been trading & investing since 2002. He began day trading full-time in 2017 with stocks and crypto, switching to futures in 2018. His focus is on intraday, short-term trades on NQ, ES, RTY, and YM. He uses the “Occam’s Razor” approach meaning, “the simplest explanation is usually the best”. He codes custom indicators and automated trading bots.
DAN HODGMAN
Funding Coach
Dan has traded for 10+ years between Chicago prop firms, as well as his personal accounts, while simultaneously serving in the US Marine Corps. As you might guess, he’s big on discipline, and it shows in his coaching philosophy. He looks forward to working with active traders and helping them achieve their goals. Catch Dan on the Coach’s Playbook and LimitUp! Podcast.
JACK DOHERTY
Performance Coach
Jack is a veteran of the trading industry with over 50 years of experience, making him an invaluable asset to Topstep. He started with Heinold Commodities in Chicago as a runner, back-office clerk, phone clerk, and then finally a floor broker in 1975. He strives to pass on to the next generation of traders what is required to make it, and what traders may expect in return. If you haven’t already, you’ll soon hear Jack say, “Success takes time.”
RAY TROUNDAY
Performance Coach
What’s that across the range? It’s Coach Ray Trounday—A.K.A. “Wildebeast Trader!” His wild nickname comes from his time working with John Hoagland as a trade location prowess. Ray has traded for 25+ years and started futures trading in 2017. He’s now a self-identified order flow, supply and demand, and Volume Profile trader. Ray spends most of his time trading CL and GC but also looks for opportunities in ES, NQ and YM.
JASON COOK
Performance Coach
Jason comes to Topstep with 8 years of experience in financial markets, to of which he spent in the Trading Combine and Funded Account. Drawing on his background as a basketball coach, Jason’s approach to coaching is to create a trading plan much like a tailored game plan for athletes. He believes in empowering traders not only with technical knowledge but also with the right mindset and resilience.
JOHN DOHERTY
Performance Coach
John is a 20 veteran of the futures trading industry. In 2001, he joined a high volume market making group where he managed large positions in the 30-year Bonds and 10-year Treasury Notes. In 2007 he transitioned to full-time electronic trading. John joined Topstep in 2019 and is a regular contributor to the daily Market Forecast and Recap, The Coach's Playbook, and Limit Up! Podcast.
NICK DOLBY
Performance Coach
Nick AKA Dolbytime is a long-time Trading Combine veteran and member of Topstep. He was born and raised as a trader in the Trading Combine, starting in 2012, and has been funded multiple times on different account sizes trading Crude Oil. He loves chatting about the psychological aspect of trading and what we can do as traders to improve our mental edge.
VINCENT CAPRIA
Performance Coach
Vincent has 20+ years of trading experience studying Market Profile, Technical Analysis, Delta, Volume, Open Interest and Flow of Market. He mainly trades ES, GC, CL, 6E, and is versed in numerous trading strategies. Recently, he has been studying trading psychology and started using an emotional trade journal to help to recognize patterns of emotion while managing positions.
PAUL SAMANO
Performance Coach
Paul Samano brings 40+ years of trading experience to Topstep. He traded Grain and Treasury Futures on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade for 20 years before moving to the screens in 2001. He’s a seasoned veteran with deep and wide experience as a trader, brokerage house executive, and fund manager. Paul’s coaching style stems from two decades of coaching high school basketball.
Coach T™
Digital Performance Coach
Coach T aims to help you build a daily trading routine so you can achieve consistent performance. You can look forward to alerts from Coach T to keep you in the loop with what's going on in the trading world. Coach T is here for you from onboarding your Trader Dashboard to your end of day journaling.
