The Day Hugh Dodged a Bullet

It is a somber day as I reflect on what took place 15 years ago. Every year, my memory shakes me to the core regarding what happened on that fateful night of February 12, 2009.

I was in Florida, waiting for my early evening Continental Airlines flight back to Buffalo. Having arrived well in advance at Orlando International Airport, I checked in at the desk and was told there was an earlier flight, if I so chose. The additional cost was $75 to New Jersey, then a transfer to Continental’s commuter airline company, Colgan Air, arriving only about an hour sooner than my original flight. I placed my credit card on the desk and was ready to make the purchase. But on second thought, I decided that, with inclement weather, I did not want to make a second landing in a snowstorm.

The Northeast was hit hard that day, enveloping everything north of the Carolinas. Buffalo’s lake effect snow squalls are harsh, so I knew this would not be fun. I almost agreed to go, but due to my frugal manner, I decided to hang out in the southern sunshine for a few more hours instead.

Upon arrival in Buffalo, I commended Captain Cool for landing in such weather and watched the slush fly up into the wing as the wheels touched down. He looked a bit frazzled, politely thanked me and quickly scurried me out of the plane. Oddly enough, Buffalo Airport was also strangely quiet, with a heavy presence of police and television crews. I wondered what the heck was going on.

I immediately logged onto the internet at home only to find that the inexperienced and tired pilots of that Colgan Air flight 3407 missed the runway by about five miles and set their Bombardier Q 400 on a house in Clarence, N.Y., killing all 49 souls on board and one person inside the home.

I was almost on that flight.

In fact, the young lady at the desk had my credit card in hand and was just about to process the payment when I pulled it back.

Dear reader, I don’t believe in luck. That was divine intervention that saved my butt. It was 100% God’s will.

Have you ever thought about how events shape up to take you to a special place? Ever wonder how certain doors open, inviting you to walk through, or certain books get handed to you just at that right moment when you need them the most? Has a particular person ever entered your life to bring you special news, or have you ever opened that one-in-a-million email that would normally have been sent directly to your trash, only to discover a life-changing moment? One of our beloved subscribers, Khalilah Wilbourne, put it so eloquently when she wrote, “I literally thank God for Hugh because he was heaven-sent to be a blessing to me.”

I am unworthy of Khaliah’s comments, and I am too humbled to accept such well-meant praise. But I understand where she is coming from. In retrospect, was I “saved” in making the right decision that day — perhaps to start training others how to day trade SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) options a year later?

Is there a special reason that you may be reading this now in an effort to perhaps better your lot in life? We all know dozens, if not hundreds of emails land in our inboxes every day, promising the sun and the moon; how is it that this one grabbed your attention enough to pursue further?

I have no doubt that someone was watching over me. My perspective has changed. I knew I had to master something very powerful, something that could help others. I knew I had yet another purpose. Suddenly, the big houses, fast cars and hot vacations weren’t as important anymore.

That was when I paid attention and honored those requests from friends and associates to help them learn to be financially independent and to learn to trade. That’s when DayTradeSPY was conceived. And since then, thousands have learned the art and science of making money on a daily basis, focused on one stunning stock: SPY.

If you already know what calls and puts are, you belong in the Trading Room. If you have no clue about options, please join us Sunday night at 8 p.m., ET for our exciting Intro to Trading webinar.

Maybe, just maybe, with all the notices you’ve been given, you should be here. With us.

P.S. We are excited to invite you to a free, live webinar with George Gilder on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. In this Startup Investing Masterclass, George is teaming up with Jon Medved, the founder of OurCrowd, to discuss investing in private placements. George and John Schroeter from Gilder’s Private Reserve will be interviewing the CEO of George’s latest AI startup pick… so you’ll be receiving a great startup pick just by attending! Click here now to attend this amazing event.