Introduction: The Allure of Automated Income

In today's fast-paced digital economy, the quest for passive income has become a central goal for entrepreneurs, investors, and professionals alike. The dream is universal: to create a steady, reliable revenue stream that works for you 24/7, freeing up your most valuable asset—time. If you've been wondering how to build an automated income through your online business, how to make money online, and how to secure that coveted financial freedom, you are not alone.

The landscape of wealth building is rapidly evolving, moving beyond traditional 9-to-5 jobs and conventional investment portfolios. At the forefront of this revolution is automated trading, a powerful fusion of finance and artificial intelligence that was once the exclusive domain of Wall Street elites. This blog post, inspired by an in-depth conversation with Aaron Richards, founder of ATN, will serve as your comprehensive guide. We will demystify automated trading, explore its potential to generate significant passive income, and provide a roadmap for integrating this powerful strategy into your own wealth-building plan.

Who is Aaron Richards? A Pioneer at the Intersection of AI and Finance

Aaron Richards is a visionary entrepreneur who recognized the transformative potential of automated trading early on. His company, ATN, is making significant waves in the realms of automated trading, business optimization, and strategic growth. Aaron’s journey began out of a personal realization. After moving to Los Angeles, he saw the lifestyle he aspired to—beachfront homes, financial freedom—and knew that a traditional salary, even a high one, wouldn't get him there fast enough.

This insight propelled him into the worlds of entrepreneurship and investing. After experiencing significant losses in other automated income models like Amazon and Shopify automation, Aaron honed in on the most potent tool he had found: algorithmic trading. His mission with ATN is to democratize access to these advanced financial technologies, making them available to the top 5-10% of earners, not just the top 1%. His unique background, growing up in a pastor's family that emphasized financial literacy and community stewardship, deeply informs his ethical and community-focused approach to business.

What is Automated Trading? Demystifying the Jargon

At its core, automated trading (also known as algorithmic trading) is the use of computer programs and AI to execute trades in financial markets. These algorithms are designed to follow a set of predefined instructions for placing trades, which can be based on timing, price, quantity, or any complex mathematical model. The primary goal is to generate profits at a speed and frequency that is impossible for a human trader.

Think of it this way:

• Manual Trading: You are the pilot, personally navigating every market shift. It requires constant attention, deep expertise, and is emotionally taxing.

• Automated Trading: You are a first-class passenger on a sophisticated airline. The AI is the pilot, and the trading team is the expert crew ensuring a smooth journey. You benefit from the speed and efficiency without needing to operate the controls yourself.

This process is fundamental to building a true passive income stream online. It's not about getting a second job staring at charts; it's about deploying capital strategically to work for you.

The Three Acquisitions of Wealth: Aaron’s Blueprint for Financial Success

Before diving into the mechanics of automated trading, it's crucial to understand the foundational principles Aaron outlines. He calls this the "Three Acquisitions of Wealth," a clear roadmap for anyone looking to make money online and build lasting wealth.

1. Acquire Knowledge: This is the non-negotiable first step. Whether through formal education or self-education, you must develop a high-income skill set. This knowledge is what allows you to generate the initial capital required for investing. For younger individuals or those early in their careers, this should be the primary focus.

2. Acquire Capital: Once you have a valuable skill, you can convert your time into significant earnings. The goal here is to minimize expenses and maximize your investable surplus—what Aaron calls "risk capital." This is money you can afford to lose without it devastating your lifestyle.

3. Acquire Assets: This is where automated trading and other investments come in. You use your accumulated capital to acquire assets that generate more wealth, ideally in a passive income capacity. This creates a virtuous cycle: assets generate more capital, which can be used to acquire more assets.

This framework ensures you build on a solid foundation. Trying to skip to step three without the knowledge and capital is a recipe for failure.

Automated Trading vs. Manual Trading: Why 95% of People Fail Alone

One of the most compelling reasons to explore automated trading is the stark reality of manual trading. As Aaron pointed out, approximately 90-95% of individual traders are not profitable. They lose money due to emotional decision-making, a lack of consistent strategy, and the inability to compete with institutional speed and resources.

Automated trading eliminates the primary weaknesses of human traders:

• Emotionless Execution: Algorithms are not driven by fear or greed. They stick to the strategy without deviation.

• Speed and Precision: AI can execute trades in milliseconds and monitor multiple markets simultaneously.

• Backtesting: Strategies can be rigorously tested on historical data before ever risking real capital.

For high-income professionals seeking to make money online passively, manual trading is simply not the answer. It becomes another demanding job. The power of algorithmic trading is that it leverages the expertise of top-tier traders and sophisticated technology, allowing you to benefit from market movements without the time commitment or emotional toll.

How to Start with Automated Investing: A Step-by-Step Guide

So, how can you realistically start building an automated income through trading? Here’s a breakdown:

1. Establish Your Financial Foundation: Ensure you have a stable income and have accumulated "risk capital." This is not money for your mortgage or your child's tuition. It is capital you can allocate for long-term growth.

2. Educate Yourself: Understand the basics of financial markets and the principles of algorithmic trading. Knowledge is your first defense against scams and poor investments.

3. Seek Professional Guidance, Not Just Software: The biggest mistake is buying a "black box" algorithm online and hoping for the best. As Aaron’s analogy suggests, you don't buy a Ferrari and expect to be a Formula 1 driver. The value lies in the team that maintains and optimizes the system. Look for established firms with transparent track records and a team of professionals managing the algorithms.

4. Start Small and Scale: Do not invest your entire life savings. Begin with a smaller allocation to test the waters, verify performance, and build trust in the process. As you see consistent returns, you can scale your investment.

5. Diversify: Automated trading should be a powerful component of a diversified portfolio, not the entire portfolio. This hedges your risk and provides a more stable growth trajectory.

Navigating Risks and Avoiding Common Pitfalls

The path to passive income is littered with pitfalls. Aaron himself lost over $60,000 in various automated income scams before finding his success in automated trading. The key is vigilant risk management.

• Trust but Verify: The most common mistake is trusting the wrong people. Always demand transparency, verifiable track records, and direct access to the people you're working with. Be wary of any platform that offers "guaranteed" returns—this is a major red flag.

• Beware of Prop Firms: Aaron highlighted the danger of proprietary trading firms ("prop firms") that target younger, less-capitalized traders. These firms often make money from the challenge fees and frequently reject payout requests on dubious grounds, even when traders are successful.

• Understand the Technology: An algorithm is a powerful tool. Without proper management and oversight, it can lose money as quickly as it can make it. Ensure the team behind your automated trading system has a proven history of managing and optimizing their algorithms through various market conditions.

Automated Trading in a Recession: A Unique Wealth-Building Opportunity

Many investors fear economic downturns, but Aaron Richards sees them as a prime opportunity. He argues that we have effectively been in a recession since 2022, characterized by periods of negative GDP growth.

During such times, automated trading can be particularly advantageous. Algorithmic systems can quickly adapt to volatile markets, identifying short-term opportunities that human traders might miss. While traditional assets like real estate or certain stocks may struggle, a well-designed algorithmic trading strategy can thrive on market volatility.

The key, Aaron emphasizes, is diversification. A recession is the ultimate test of a portfolio's resilience. Having a portion of your assets in automated trading, which can be an uncorrelated asset class, can help protect and even grow your wealth when other investments are underperforming.

The Future is AI: The Dominance of Algorithmic Trading

The trend toward automated trading is not slowing down; it's accelerating. Aaron shared a powerful statistic: while 80% of institutional traders (hedge funds, banks) already use algorithmic trading, only 10-20% of retail traders do. This gap represents a massive opportunity for early adopters.

AI and machine learning are continuously making these algorithms smarter, faster, and more efficient. The "race" is no longer about having access to the technology—it's about having access to the best-performing algorithms managed by the most skilled teams. This is the core of what companies like ATN provide. They level the playing field, giving retail investors a fighting chance against Wall Street giants.

The Spiritual Core: Building Wealth with Purpose

What sets Aaron's approach apart is the ethical foundation rooted in his upbringing. Growing up in a pastor's family, he was taught the principles of stewardship, community, and the "golden rule." This translates directly into his business model at ATN.

For him, building an automated income isn't just about personal enrichment; it's about creating a positive network effect. By helping one client achieve financial freedom, that client gains the bandwidth and resources to help others. ATN extends its value beyond automated trading by providing clients with access to experts in tax strategy, estate planning, and family financial literacy. This holistic approach covers all three pillars: wealth building, wealth preservation, and wealth education for the next generation.

This philosophy aligns perfectly with the idea of "redefining luxury from the inside out." True luxury isn't just about external symbols of wealth; it's about the freedom, purpose, and abundance that come from having your finances on autopilot, allowing you to focus on what truly matters.

Conclusion: Your Journey to Automated Income Starts Now

The dream of a sustainable passive income stream is more achievable than ever, thanks to the power of automated trading. The journey requires a solid foundation of knowledge and capital, a strategic approach to risk, and, most importantly, the right partnership with ethical and transparent professionals.

The key takeaways for building your automated income are:

• Follow the three acquisitions: Knowledge, Capital, Assets.

• Understand that automated trading is a sophisticated tool that requires professional management.

• Diversify your investments and always use risk capital.

• Conduct thorough due diligence to avoid scams and underperforming systems.

• View algorithmic trading as a long-term component of a balanced wealth-building strategy.

The world of finance is being reshaped by AI, and automated trading is at the epicenter of this transformation. By embracing this technology, you are not just trying to make money online; you are positioning yourself at the forefront of the future of wealth building. It’s time to unplug from the noise of get-rich-quick schemes and reconnect with a strategic, purposeful, and truly automated path to financial freedom.

Luxury Unplugged Podcast: Transcript

Title: Building Automated Income & The Future of AI in Trading
Host: Neeti Keswani
Guest: Aaron Richards, Founder of ATN

[Music Intro]

Neeti Keswani: If you've been wondering how to build an automated income through your online business, how to make money online, how to have that passive income, that coveted passive income, and loads of questions around it, you're going to get answers to those questions in this podcast.

Welcome to Luxury Unplugged. I'm Neeti Keswani, your host, and this is where luxury meets spirituality. In this interview series, we are exploring what it truly means to live a life of purpose, elegance, and inner abundance. But why leave the external environment too? So through our inspiring stories and conscious entrepreneurship, in each episode we are helping you unplug from the noise and reconnect with the essence of who you really are. Let's dive in and redefine luxury from the inside out.

Today, we are exploring an interesting topic that is at the intersection of technology and wealth building. Our guest, Mr. Aaron Richards, is someone who's truly ahead of the curve. He's the founder of ATN, a company that's making waves in the world of automated trading, business optimization, and strategic growth. Now, with a passion for innovation and a hands-on approach to leadership, he's building a career that's helping businesses not just grow, but scale with precision.

So if you are a seasoned investor, a curious entrepreneur, or just fascinated by how automation works, how automated trading works perhaps, then this is going to be the game-changer podcast for you. Welcome, Aaron.

Aaron Richards: Thank you. I appreciate you having me. Yeah, great introduction, and I couldn't have said it better myself.

Neeti Keswani: So nice to have you, Aaron. We are having so many questions around the interesting things that you are doing in your career. To start off, you talk about having a passive income, a steady, stable passive income. How did you sort of start making that? How did you venture into automated investing per se?

Aaron Richards: Yeah, great question. I mean, you know, it started back in like 2019. So, you know, that was something that I realized when I moved to Los Angeles and saw the big homes and saw, you know, kind of the lifestyle that people were living and I was like, well, I'm not going to be able to get there making $100,000 per year. You know, even with a combined household income of pretty much $200,000 per year, I was looking at the expenses versus the income. And I was like, it's going to be a long, long time for me to be able to afford a multi-million dollar home and, you know, be on the beach whenever I want and things of that nature.

So that led me to really diving into the world of entrepreneurship and then also into the world of investing, which is a completely different world than, you know, a 9-to-5 employee or someone who is stuck in the rat race. The worlds are completely different. So I just wanted to figure it out for myself. It didn't come without my struggles, and still, there are challenges that I face today, but, you know, fast forward six years later, I'm very happy with the trajectory that I've been on.

Neeti Keswani: Very nice, very interesting. Before we dive into that, let's understand for our viewers' sake, what is automated investing really and how do you go about it if you're really a newbie in this area?

Aaron Richards: Yeah, for sure. Well, you know, there's two great questions. So the first thing I'll start with the second one: how do you go about it? Well, the first thing that you have to do is actually have investable income, right? Or the ability to have capital to risk with an investment.

You know, and so for people that are, you know, 18 and young individuals that are trying to start a career, figure out what they want to do in life, focus on getting a high-income skill set. So for me, I have this theory, it's called the three acquisitions of wealth. The first is, you know, acquire knowledge, then you want to acquire capital, and then you want to use that capital to acquire assets, and then you can kind of rinse, wash, and repeat. The first thing is the knowledge piece. That goes into formal education, self-education, you know, developing skill sets, understanding how you can use those skill sets to earn you money. And so again, for the younger individuals that are looking to be able to invest, well, you need to start with having capital to invest.

Now, for those who are already there, you know, you may be late 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and on, and you already have a career, you already have a high-income skill set. You're just stuck in the time-for-dollars trap. You are someone like myself, you know, about seven-plus years ago, and you're looking for a way out of the rat race. Well, you just want to at that point minimize your expenses and maximize your investable capital.

With what we leverage—AI and technology—just several years ago, this was mainly for Wall Street. But as we got closer to 2020, that started to become more prevalent for retail investors, people like you and me, to have access to these high-frequency trading models, these algorithms. But you don't want to just go at it alone. You don't necessarily just want to buy an algorithm for $2 or $5,000 and then just put a bunch of money on it and watch it go to zero. That's not really advisable. You know, you want to have professionals that you're working with in order to help you and help that algorithm get the most out of it. And that's where, you know, our company comes in, where we have trading teams that we use to leverage their expertise and give our clients the best chance of success.

Neeti Keswani: Right. When we talk about automated trading, I came across a lot of inquisitiveness in teenagers to get into it. Is that a trend these days?

Aaron Richards: Well, it's a trend for them to do it themselves. They're the ones who are more so the type that will use prop firms, which is basically using other people's money. The problem with prop firms that we've seen is that they don't actually pay out. Like 99% of them don't actually pay out. They literally make their money off of someone who's typically younger by charging a fee to try to pass a challenge. So that's a trend for the younger generation.

The ATN community that we have, most of our clients, our average age is like 45 years old. So the trend for those individuals that we serve is they want to take advantage of AI. They want to take advantage of advanced technology. And they want to take advantage of something that's passive for themselves because they don't want a second job. The last thing that our clients want is to spend more hours sitting in front of a screen and not with their family.

Neeti Keswani: So, in terms of the audience you're working with, these are high-income individuals. With AI and automated trading, what kind of risk are we looking at if we go on an independent basis versus working with someone like you? What kind of risk mitigation happens?

Aaron Richards: It's easier to use an analogy. If you want to get from New York to Miami, you could walk—that's like saving your way to wealth. You could take a car—that's like investments making 5-10% returns. Or you could fly—that's AI and algorithmic trading; it's faster but has more restrictions.

With what we do, instead of you flying the plane yourself, we give you access to something like Delta Airlines. You are sitting in first class, and you're getting there comfortably. We are not the trading team; ATN is the go-between, the consultants. We provide a level of access. It's allowing for the professionals to do most of the work while you are able to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Neeti Keswani: So how does it work? Is it "invest this amount and we guarantee a return," or is it a long-term suggestion-based model?

Aaron Richards: Yeah, great question. So whenever anyone throws out the word guarantee, I kind of cringe. Nothing in life is guaranteed except for death and taxes. In finance and investing, there's nothing that's guaranteed. What we do offer is actual results. We offer the ability to look at the track record and performance over time. And of course, past results don't dictate future results, but you can look at our YouTube channel, ATN Unlimited_, for testimonials and case studies to make an informed decision.

Neeti Keswani: You talk about a $25,000 per month online income through automated trading. What are some key habits or routines that might help other people scale their online income in this fashion?

Aaron Richards: The first thing that has to happen is the ability to have income or capital to invest—what you call risk capital. Money that you can afford to lose. For me, making more than $25,000 per month passively is just a matter of how much capital I have allocated. We've seen historically between 3 and 5-plus percent on a monthly basis, or between 30 and 50 or so percent on a yearly basis. The more capital you have, the more you can earn. So I would advise someone to have capital available that they will not need in the very near future.

Neeti Keswani: What sort of mistakes do people generally make when trying to automate their online income?

Aaron Richards: Yeah, great question. Trusting the wrong people is big. There's a lot of people out there that do not have the best interest of their clients. For me, growing up in a Christian household, I was raised with values like the golden rule. So for most people, they've maybe trusted the wrong person.

I personally lost 60-plus thousand dollars in Amazon automation, tens of thousands in Airbnb automation, tens of thousands in Shopify automation. I remember a client of ATN who invested $150,000 into a trucking automation program and was making an average of $0 per month. So, you want to look at track record, see historical success, and not go in with multiple six figures if that's all the investable capital you have. You want to slow play it and protect yourself.

Neeti Keswani: Automated trading versus manual trading—why or why not? Which one should you opt for? Is it worse than manual trading?

Aaron Richards: Anywhere from 90 to 95% of traders are not profitable. For those of you that may be listening that have thought about trying it yourself, it's a pretty daunting profession. When you have someone who's a part of that top 5-10% of traders who are actually profitable, that's where we have a business.

People don't want to learn the years it takes, or lose hundreds of thousands of dollars themselves. Most of the clients that I work with, their goal is not to replace their current job with another job. It's to be in a position to where they can spend more time with the people that they care about.

Neeti Keswani: In terms of the current economic situation, possibly hitting a recession, what are your thoughts and what trading strategies should people have?

Aaron Richards: We've already pretty much been in a recession, but the government has not really set it. It's a good time to become wealthy if you allocate things accordingly. For me personally, back in 2022 is when I started ATN officially, and my net worth has grown by more than 30x since.

It's a matter of diversification. There's no one-size-fits-all solution. ATN allows you to have a sliver of your portfolio in alternative investments to boost your overall growth. You want to have plenty of eggs in different baskets. You want a mixed approach for a proper diversified, hedged, and uncorrelated portfolio.

Neeti Keswani: How do you see AI dominating trading in the future?

Aaron Richards: It's very interesting. The use of algorithms is not going to stop; they're just going to continue to improve in efficiency. It's a race to finding the strongest performing algorithms with the strongest teams to manage and tweak them. An algorithm is a powerful machine; it can create wealth and take wealth. Having the right team to maintain its optimization is key.

I see AI and algorithmic trading continuing to be the focus of the finance industry. Right now, between 60 and 80% of trading volume is from algorithmic trading. For institutional traders, like hedge funds and banks, 80% use algorithms, whereas for retail, it's only between 10 and 20%. That gap is going to close as retail investors realize the power.

Neeti Keswani: Your background coming from a pastor's family plays a big role in the kind of community you're building. Is that fair to say?

Aaron Richards: 100%. My parents were teaching financial literacy in church, talking about being proper stewards of the capital that God entrusted them with. They would help with job interviews, career counseling, and financial advice. The priority was always to clear out debt, limit expenses, and increase income.

That strength in the community is something I've taken into ATN. If I can help you and you can help five other people, the network effect is huge. We have almost 800 clients. We help with building wealth through algorithmic trading, but also the preservation of wealth through tax and estate planning professionals, and even family financial literacy for the next generation. So 100%, the way my parents ran their church was instrumental in me building the community we built.

Neeti Keswani: I think this episode has become the cusp of luxury blending with spirituality. With your kind of background and the work you're doing, I'm so happy to interview you. It's been so impactful. It's about bringing those values from spirituality and inculcating them in your day-to-day life. I think we have served the purpose through this episode. Thank you very much for being a guest.

Aaron Richards: 100%. I appreciate the time and I'm excited to be in front of your audience and hopefully we'll do this again in the future.

Neeti Keswani: Absolutely. I think we can do many episodes in the future. Excellent. All right. Thank you so much.

[Music Outro]