Zach Kleinwaks

Zach Kleinwaks
Born	1998 United States
Nationality	American
Other names	Zach Austin, zachaustintrades
Alma mater	New York Institute of Technology
Occupation	Trader Social media personality Mentor
Years active	2018–present
Known for	Futures and options trading, Stock Dads mentor

Zach Kleinwaks (often known online as Zach Austin or by his social media handle zachaustintrades) is a U.S. day trader, retail investing influencer, and mentor based in New York. He is known for his work in futures and options trading, his role with the membership-based trading platform Stock Dads, and for sharing investing education content via TikTok, Instagram, and other social media. He gained prominence among the newer generation of retail traders seeking actionable trading guidance and risk management strategies.

Early life and education

Zach Kleinwaks was born in approximately 1998 (he is 27 as of 2025) and grew up in a family with exposure to the stock market, since his parents traded stocks during his childhood. He attended New York Institute of Technology, where he was a student and also played college baseball. While still studying, he began part-time trading in 2018, balancing his academic, sports, and trading activities.

Trading career and public profile

Kleinwaks first started trading part-time while in college, but shifted to full-time trading in 2022. He trades futures and options, often sharing market analysis, trading ideas, and risk management thoughts with his audience. His social media presence includes a considerable following on TikTok and Instagram, where he posts about his trades, favorite stocks, and mentors others who are entering retail investing.

He is also connected with StockDads, a premium membership platform where subscribers can access trading tips, mentorship, and curated content from him and others. He has been described in media sources as a “mentor” in the trading/investing community.

Style, philosophy, and trading education

Kleinwaks emphasizes that education is critical for anyone entering trading. He has spoken publicly about how he could have saved considerable time and money if he had invested more effort early on into learning trading basics, risk management, and how to distinguish legitimate trading strategies from hype. In his advice to beginners, he advocates having “zero expectations” around rapid gains, expecting possible losses, improving gradually, avoiding FOMO (fear of missing out), and developing discipline. He warns against blindly following trades posted by others on social media without understanding the underlying rationale.

One of his more successful trades mentioned in interviews was placing a call option on Alibaba, from which he realized around US$17,000 in profit over a few days.

Public reach and influence

As of mid-2025, Kleinwaks has garnered thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok. His content focuses on retail investing and trading futures, options, with frequent posts about market analysis and trading psychology. He also runs or contributes to communities (e.g. via Discord, membership platforms) where retail traders discuss trades, learn about risk management, and exchange tips.

Articles profiling Kleinwaks tend to include him in discussions of the new generation of retail trading influencers those leveraging social media to provide more serious or disciplined approaches compared to meme stock-style hype.

Key events and milestones

While many details remain emerging, some of his noted milestones include:

• Transitioning from part-time to full-time trading in 2022.
• Establishing presence on social media under names like zachaustintrades where he flags trades and posts analysis.
• Becoming an analyst / mentor with StockDads, which provides paid mentorship and trading content.

Criticism and challenges

While popular among a segment of retail investors, Kleinwaks’s style, like that of many trading influencers, is subject to criticism and caution. Observers point out that futures and options trading involve high risk, especially for less experienced traders. There are concerns about social media-driven expectations (e.g. anticipating fast returns) and the temptation for beginners to follow trades without sufficient understanding of risk. According to interviews, Kleinwaks himself warns about these pitfalls.

Personal life

Kleinwaks has indicated in interviews that his college baseball experience was significant in his early development, especially in instilling discipline and time management. He relocated to New York for his education and trading career. He also frequently credits his upbringing having parents involved in stock trading as shaping his interest in financial markets.

External links

• Zachary Austin Kleinwaks on Instagram