About Us

My name is Eddie Z, and I’m a full-time day trader and a total computer geek. I believe it's important for you to know a bit about my background and experience in both the markets and computer technology, so you can better understand the passion and motivation behind this site. As you may already know, the connection between technological advances and Wall Street is nothing short of remarkable. In fact, many of the major innovations over the past 175 years were born out of the need to track price information and process transactions. Wall Street has been a key driving force behind the development of the telegraph, the telephone, and the computer.

A Passion for Computers That Started Early

My interest in computers began in 1980, when I was 11 years old, and a friend of mine got an Apple II. Back then, the leading computer brands were Commodore, TRS-80 (by Tandy, aka Radio Shack), and Apple. Shortly after, I got my first computer—a Commodore VIC-20. I was so disappointed with its performance that I took it apart to see what was wrong. My goal was to figure out how to make it more powerful. What I discovered was that my computer was seriously underpowered compared to my friend’s; it had just 5 KB (kilobytes) of memory. Today, even our coffee makers have more memory! This was my first dive into the inner workings of a computer, and it sparked a lifelong hobby, passion, and—if I’m honest—obsession.

As you'll read in the following paragraphs, my Wall Street career began in 1987, and ever since, I’ve been building my own trading computer systems to stay ahead of the curve. In the mid-1990s, I was the first stockbroker at my firm to connect more than one monitor to my machine, and my colleagues were definitely jealous!

A Commitment to Educating Traders About Computers

Over the past 30 years or so, I’ve built and tested hundreds of trading computer configurations, all in an effort to find out which components work best together and provide the stability and reliability we need as full-time traders. During that time, I kept my trading colleagues and peers equipped with the latest and greatest technology, never even considering the business potential. Then, in 2010, a friend suggested I do a Google search for “Trading Computers.” I nearly fell off my chair when I saw what some builders were charging for trading technology.

What started as a lifelong hobby and passion for computers has now become a mission.

My mission is simple:

• Educate fellow traders about trading technology and offer them the highest quality computers at the lowest possible prices, with the best technical support on the planet.

As a trader, it makes me queasy knowing that some technology suppliers take advantage of traders' lack of computer knowledge. Part of my mission is to represent us traders in the world of trading technology to ensure we don't get ripped off. If you haven’t already, be sure to grab my FREE Guide on “How to Buy a Trading Computer.”

Who is Eddie Z?

I founded EZ Trading Computers and EZBreakouts to share my passion for trading. Trading is a constant balancing act between having a sound methodology and managing inner emotions. It’s a battle of discipline versus greed and fear. To succeed, you need both a system that, when followed, generates profits, and an understanding of how your mind operates. Over my 35+ years on Wall Street, I’ve developed a winning set of strategies to tackle both sides of this game. Feel free to grab a free copy of my trading playbook, "The Ultimate Guide to Trading Stocks." I actually draw up the "plays" daily for the members of EZBreakouts.

Introduction to Trading at a Young Age

My fascination with trading began in the mid-1970s when I was just seven years old. My dad, a commodity futures trader on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), would take me to work with him. I was mesmerized by the crowd huddled in the ring, shouting and gesturing wildly—it was electric. Even at a young age, I could feel the intense energy of the place.

As I got older, my dad taught me how to draw point-and-figure charts by hand, using pencil and graph paper. He explained some of the chart formations and how he used them to predict price movements, which is how he made his living. It was so different from what my friends' dads did, and I thought it was incredibly cool. I became obsessed with charts and graphs. It wasn’t until later in my career that I realized my dad was one of the earliest day traders and swing traders, long before those terms became popular with the rise of online trading. My dad, standing in the pit and hand-charting, was a true old-school original!

Wall Street Experience

I started my first full-time job on Wall Street in 1987, right after graduating high school. I worked on the floor of the NYMEX, where one of my primary responsibilities was keeping the brokers' charts up to date by hand. Just a few years later, computerized charting services replaced hand-charting, and the art was lost forever. Throughout college and graduate school, I spent every summer, Christmas break, and spring break working on the NYMEX floor. One of my most memorable experiences came while working for a trader in the crude oil pit. It was January 15th, 1991, when Tariq Aziz, a key figure in Saddam Hussein’s regime, left a meeting with U.S. diplomats at the United Nations. The deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait had passed, and when no deal was announced, crude oil prices skyrocketed from around $27 to over $40 per barrel in just two minutes—a move that was unheard of at the time. The pit went absolutely crazy, and the trader I was working for made over $100,000 that day. It’s a number I will never forget.

Hard-Won Lessons as a Stockbroker

After graduating college, I initially planned to become a floor trader on the NYMEX. However, a friend who had graduated a year earlier convinced me to become a stockbroker instead. In the 1990s, picking stocks was relatively easy. You didn’t need a deep understanding of charts or fundamentals—holding onto a stock long enough usually worked, especially if it was tech-related. I was also lucky to be part of the early stages of the dotcom boom, when finding new clients was easy and everyone was eager for stock ideas.

The 1990s were an extraordinary time for stocks. It wasn’t uncommon for stocks to double or triple in a short period. I was in the right place at the right time, and when the dotcom bubble burst in March 2000, I happened to be on my honeymoon in Hawaii. Thankfully, I had taken all of my clients out of the market before I left, so I didn’t have to worry about their accounts while I was gone. The six months leading up to that moment, from October 1999 to March 2000, were unlike anything I had ever seen. Stocks were exploding—I’d buy stocks for clients at 9:45 AM and sell them at a 10% to 25% gain by 3:00 PM. My daily commissions exceeded what I used to make in a month, and referrals were pouring in. The phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Believe it or not, people were even taking cash advances on credit cards to buy stocks. It felt too good to be true—and it was.

I wasn’t a genius for getting my clients out of the market before the crash; I just didn’t want to deal with it while on my honeymoon. Unfortunately, when I returned, I thought the correction was over and got my clients back into the market. Big mistake! Over the next 9 to 12 months, I fought the market with no success. I lost money for my clients—some were down as much as 80%! I knew I had to change something, so I went to the library (yes, we still used libraries back then) and started reading every book I could find on the stock market. Despite having an MBA, I realized my knowledge at the time was lacking a fundamental understanding of market cycles.

Refining and Mastery Evolves Into EZBreakouts

As time went on, I started applying the system to my personal account with great success. At some point during my learning curve, I realized I could make far more money trading for myself than worrying about other people's money. Finally—no more hand-holding! The more I practiced the system, the more I developed my own set of rules, adding precision to both entry and exit points. With this more exact approach, I could enter at my precise buy point and sell the stock the same day or the next day after it made its initial move. This methodology has become highly profitable for me over time.

I’ve spent years refining and mastering this approach. Essentially, I’ve taken the core concepts from O’Neil’s system and added further precision to my buy and sell points. Over time, I created my own set of rules, adapting the method to shorter time frames. My experience has shown that this approach yields much higher returns while reducing the amount of time I hold positions. In fact, I rarely keep a stock overnight anymore, and I no longer worry about what’s happening in the world after the market closes. I sleep much better now!

The purpose of EZBreakouts is to share with you my hard-earned knowledge, experience, and passion on a daily basis. Feel free to visit the site, and I sincerely wish you success in all your trading endeavors.

May the trend be with you!

“Eddie Z”

(Eddie Z is how I’m known in the trading computer world. My real name is Russ Hazelcorn.)

Professional Career Timeline:

1987-1994: Worked on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange every summer, Christmas, and spring break as a floor clerk while attending college. Graduated from Penn State with a degree in Accounting, followed by an MBA from Lehigh University.

1994-2003: Worked as a stockbroker for several NYSE member firms. Won the “Top Gun” Broker award in the Fort Lauderdale office of Janney Montgomery Scott LLC for the year 2000.

2003-2010: Opened an independent trading office with a partner, specifically utilizing the EZBreakouts trading strategy. Transitioned from trading others’ money to trading my own capital.

2010-Present: Launched EZ Trading Computers after discovering through a Google search what traders were being charged for trading computers. My goal was to bring value to traders across all markets. Also launched EZBreakouts.com to share my trading knowledge and experience.