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Eric Smolinsky has three key investment tips for retail investors in 2026.
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He encourages all investors to think about what the world will look like in three to five years.
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He also insists on putting his money to work immediately. Wait until 2026 to start.
Eric Smolinski makes a living trading options.
The 34-year-old Marine veteran has been at it for more than half his life. Since he first started trading in 2007, he has posted just two negative years — his first two — and, between 2018 and 2022, returned an average of 24.6%. Business Insider verified his claim by looking at screenshots of his summary statements.
Smolinki’s strongest year was 2023, when he returned three points. By 2025, he says his portfolio has returned 79% and he’s on track to hit his third strong-performing year.
While he prefers active trading, he’s the first to point out that it’s not for everyone — and many experts agree that the everyday investor looking to build long-term wealth should stick to low-risk passive investment strategies.
Smolinsky, who runs Outlier Trading, shares three pieces of advice for the everyday investor heading into 2026.
A simple thought experiment that any investor can benefit from is to ask and thoughtfully consider the answer: What do you think the world will be like in a few years?
“Make sure your holdings are what you think the world will look like three to five years from now,” Smolinsky said. “I’m usually a growth factor guy, which means I’m usually bullish. I generally think that people will be more innovative, companies will become smarter, and more value will be created. Because of that, I think about where it can be centralized.”
The answer, at least for him, is AI.
As an investor, “there are many different ways to play AI broadly,” he said. “Large-cap stocks that are directly or indirectly related to AI, so semiconductor manufacturers like Micron, or enablers like NVIDIA or Intel. Or, you can zoom out one level and go to sector ETFs, so you can look at technology sector ETFs like XLK. You can do one layer above that, and use people like QETQ, tech QET, like Nas, QETQ.”
Don’t let the AI bubble chatter get to your head, he added. It is impossible to predict the market, as well as, “If you average the cost of dollars, in the long run it does not matter.”
The question you should be asking is, “Do you think a technology like AI is going to be important and disruptive enough to make these companies valuable three to five years from now?” He said. “And I think you’d be hard pressed to bet.”
