In this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Anthony Sapountzis is joined by Louise Bedford, an acclaimed financial educator, author of six bestselling books and entrepreneur, best known as the founder of  Trading Game and host of the Talking Trading podcast. With a background in corporate finance and early experience running her own business, Louise has dedicated over a decade to mentoring traders across the globe, helping them develop the discipline and systems needed to thrive in the share market. Her unique blend of self-development, structured planning and real-world trading experience has empowered thousands to approach investing with confidence and clarity. Louise’s journey into trading began at just 20 years old, sparked by a seminar that outlined three paths to wealth: property, business and shares; and led her to choose the share market for its flexibility and potential income streams. Her first three years were emotionally turbulent: repeated losses, tears and moments of self-doubt taught her that success on the market demands a calm mindset and a rigorous trading plan. Drawing on lessons from a failed early business, she learned the importance of responsibility, clear communication and a structured approach, principles that now underpin her mentoring programmes. Central to Louise’s philosophy is the construction of a bullet-proof trading plan built on three pillars: precise entry criteria, disciplined exit rules and sensible position sizing. She explains that short-term trades span hours to days, medium-term trades last weeks to a year, and long-term positions can endure for years, with automatic contingent orders and stop-losses set on the broker’s platform to free traders from constant screen monitoring. Louise also champions ETF and index strategies for instant diversification and an inherent upward bias, while advising traders to maintain a day job during their early market endeavours to preserve financial freedom and reduce emotional pressure. Louise and Anthony explore the role of AI as an augmenting partner rather than a standalone adviser. While tools like Gemini and Claude can expedite deep industry research and data analysis, they caution against relying on generic chatbots for specific financial advice, noting their tendency to hallucinate and lack real-time data. Instead, they advocate a collaborative workflow: perform initial planning manually, use AI to refine and translate complex algorithms into plain English, then meticulously review every output to preserve critical thinking and guard against over-reliance on automated responses. Finally, Louise challenges the conventional chase for dividends alone, demonstrating that capital gains from trending shares typically outpace dividend yields. She recommends enrolling in a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRP) so that dividends automatically purchase additional shares supercharging returns through compounding. Framing investing as a strategic “game” of maximising returns with minimal effort, Louise combines DRPs with indices’ natural upward drift to achieve both strong financial outcomes and personal freedom. Her message is clear: with the right systems, mindset and disciplined use of technology, the share market can become a powerful engine for long-term wealth and fulfilment. Here's the Simulcast on Louise's Talking Trading: https://talkingtrading.com.au/ai-meets-trading/ #TradingPlan #TradingEducation #AIinTrading #FinancialFreedom #DividendReinvestment #ETFTips #DevReadyPodcast