Rob Roy knows firsthand the importance of a changed mindset. The BetterTrades coach had to alter his own thought process before he was able to become successful through trading in the stock market. Now Rob emphasizes to his students how a proper mental approach is a prerequisite to becoming a successful trader.

Rob was raised in Queens, N.Y., by a single mother. Because money was scarce, Rob grew up hearing things like, "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer," and "It takes money to make money." Those were early mental roadblocks that he had to overcome.

Rob's life changed when one of his colleagues in the manufacturing business told him about a stock market class he had taken. Rob was open to getting involved in the stock market; he was working too many hours and was looking for a chance to spend more time with his family. Rob took the class and got excited about the prospect of using it to change his life, even though some friends and family members (including his father) were instruments of discouragement.

"I've had people tell me my whole I life that I couldn't do something," Rob said. As usual, he proved them wrong again.

Rob was eventually asked to become a trading coach. In addition to helping students learn the material, he was helping them change their mental approach. He preaches positivity in the BetterTrades classes he teaches.

"You'll hear it 20 times in the last hour of my class. If you think you can, if you think you can't, you're right," Rob says. "I get emails from students and that's one of the things they remember the most. I got one the other day from a student who said that little statement was so meaningful. That's what's so great about being a coach; you're changing minds and changing lives."

Rob lives in New York with his wife, Rosaria, and their two daughters, Gina and Sabrina.