An Unconventional Start

My name is Kraig Kern, and I’ve worked in financial services for close to 20 years—but finance didn’t come naturally to me.

I didn’t grow up wealthy, and I wasn’t taught how to budget, save, or invest at a young age. By the time I graduated college in 2009, I was overspending, leveraged with debt, and saving nothing. By any definition, I was financially illiterate. Over time, financial services changed my life—and ultimately allowed me to serve others in meaningful ways.

For most of my professional career, I’ve focused heavily on commercial and consumer lending, financial analysis, and risk management. Along the way, I developed a deep passion for—and proficiency in—trading and investing in the stock market.

True Alpha Trading is an extension of that journey. Our purpose is simple: to shorten the learning curve and help others gain the knowledge, tools, strategies, and confidence to take greater control of their financial future.

The Turning Point

I was sixteen years old when my aunt and uncle first sat me down on Christmas Eve and encouraged me to start learning about—and investing in—the stock market. At the time, I didn’t yet realize how much of an impact that conversation would have on my life. It took a few years—and some growing up—before I understood just how meaningful that moment truly was.

Years later, they showed up at my house with a large brown box filled with materials from their own investing journey—thousands of dollars’ worth of books, DVDs, software, and workbooks. But more than that, it carried something far more valuable: their belief in me. Their belief that I could build something meaningful from what they had learned. That belief pushed my resolve and determination to a higher level.

For more than 15 years since then, I’ve managed 100% of my brokerage and retirement accounts, investing my own money through every type of market environment. I’ve spent thousands of hours studying, testing, and refining what truly matters—and what doesn’t.

Now, I’m ready to help you do the same.

The Road Less Traveled

“I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
— Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

If you’re going to take the road less traveled when it comes to managing your hard-earned savings and retirement dollars, it should truly make all the difference.

Much of the financial industry promotes the same conventional playbook—recycled strategies, familiar talking points, and one-size-fits-all advice. At True Alpha Trading, we acknowledge the fundamentals—but we don’t stop there.

More importantly, we show you a road less traveled—a disciplined, risk-aware approach we believe can make a meaningful difference in how you think about and manage your portfolio.

Educating and empowering people to do more for themselves financially is what we do at True Alpha Trading.

Join our community—and start taking a more intentional approach to your trading and investing.