Copy Cat or How to Use a Successful Trading System

How many books have you read about successful traders? How they did this or that and made a fortune and are still doing it. You say to yourself, "I'm going to follow his method and get rich".

So you subscribe to his newsletter (they all have one, $250) and buy his course on CD Rom ($495)and next time he is anywhere near you attend his seminar with a $500 discount for only $2495. You do understand you must do exactly as he does and you try your best to follow the directions, but for some reason you still are not making money. At least you are not losing as much as you did before (I hope).

Go look in the mirror. You are not Richard Russell, Richard Wyckoff, Bill O'Neil or any one of the great gurus of the market place. Each one of them has devoted every minute of his life to understanding the market. Each one is very successful and each one has a completely different way of approaching trading. Can you copy any one of them? It is very doubtful.

These great teachers can help you, but you have to develop your own method and style of investment. Whether it is long term or short term it must be something with which you resonate. When I was a floor trader there were a thousand guys trading and I know there were a thousand different guide lines. No one had the same buy or sell signal. If they all followed a pat program they would all be buying and selling at the same time so it could not work.

I have stood in the pit and watched the same person offer to buy and when there was no seller he would then offer to sell usually at the same price. Yes, he was scalping for one or 2 ticks, but he knew what he was doing even if it looked strange. A friend of mine could arbitrage by standing in the middle of the gold pit and hit buys and sells that were off by one or two ticks because they could not hear each other due to the noise of other traders who were shouting their offers.

You can look at the basic trading style of one of the "greats", but you must adapt it to your method. I have not seen anyone able to successfully copy a trading program exactly. You will improvise and find a slightly new approach that becomes "yours". It then becomes part of your cellular being. It works for you and probably won't work for anyone else.

If the programs the hype masters are selling work so well why aren't there more rich traders? And if the programs are so darn good why are they telling you?

To be a successful trader you can't copy cat an existing program, but you can take a basic trading vehicle and modify it your own plan. Turn that cat into your own tiger.

Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.



Investing Pointers for Neophyte Investors

If you know next to nothing, how do you go... Read More

Annuity Investment Guide

While there is not a lack of information on annuities,... Read More

Remembering TEOTWAWKI and Learning from It

Its only been about 5 years since we had major... Read More

The Economy Is Not The Stock Market

Several days ago, the Commerce Department reported that May's factory... Read More

The Economys Greatest Depression Downturn Ever Is Now Just A Few Years Away

What really controls the economy? Forget interest rates, forget deficits,... Read More

Stock Market Leaders and Laggards

Leaders are stocks that breakout immediately when the market confirms... Read More

Stocks, Oil, and Bonds

A barrel of oil bounced to over $60 Thu, which... Read More

Commodities - The Next Big Wave of Fortune Building

Have you often wished you could have got in on... Read More

Scots Beat Yanks in China Bank Deal

With visions of an ATM in every neighborhood in China,... Read More

Invest or be Pink Slipped

Firing an employee seems to be easier and easier for... Read More

Playing With Money - And Making More

Ready to start playing with your money? Not interested in... Read More

Why Should I Use Penny Shares to Build Wealth?

A strategic question. Why indeed?1. A penny share would usually... Read More

Coca-Cola - A Value Stock?

There has been much talk lately about Coca-Cola and its... Read More

The Benefits of Laddering Your CD Investments

If you've decided to stock some money away in a... Read More

Your Portfolio and ?Old Ironsides?

The USS Constitution first ventured into the waters in 1798.... Read More

Buy: Hold: Sell: Jump

I'm sitting here at my computer desk with a cup... Read More

Critical Options Investing Tip When Trading Naked Calls and Puts

An option is a derivative trading product that is best... Read More

How to Use Annual Report

There are many steps in calculating the fair value of... Read More

How to Analyze the Veracity of Investment Newsletters

When trying to analyze whether a promotional ad for an... Read More

Fundamentals of Option Pricing

When one begins to consider an option, it is very... Read More

Risk and Reward

If you are doing your own investing in the stock... Read More

Investing and the Fear of Regret and Greed

People tend to feel sorrow and grief after having made... Read More

Stock Market Money Management Skills

Let's start by saying: You can't be afraid to take... Read More

Should You Put Your Annuity in an IRA?

Let me start by answering that question...if an annuity fits... Read More

Time is Money and We Are Running Out of Both!

One of the fundamental principles of finance is the concept... Read More

If you'd like to keep up-to-date,
please complete the form below and we'll put you on the mailing list
to receive our twice-yearly newsletter for supporters

* Your email address:
* choes your language: