Tick Talk

DD (author of Smartbomb) says a hot shot’s credibility is only as good as his trading history. He is framing up a non-profit religion of trading aces. Anyone with C’s from high school can pass a Series 7 test. The bottom line here is to start an institution for successful traders. Designations such as CMT, CFA, RIA, Series 7, etc., just don’t cut it. If you can make money consistently, it is the easiest thing in the world to prove and sustain. Notice how many braggarts are all hot wind.

Charismatic charlatans will always want to win your trust through winning your hearts. Do you want to know their game? I did, so I asked my brother, who has been a professional sales star for 2 years. Here is the party line: They say to themselves, by default most of the audience will like me, I need to make them all LOVE ME. Because if they do, that emotional influence will force reason (the need to verify credibility) out the door. The audience won’t make someone they love prove ANYTHING. If emotion is your greatest enemy in making rational trading decisions, and you just bought a program based on emotion, you have one thing going for you and one thing against you. The good thing is that you have the self-confidence to act independent of others, which is absolutely necessary for success. The bad thing is that you may be vulnerable to emotional trading.

Axiom: Great traders have great results as proof. Print the confirms, get them notarized, and then publish them to the world. Truth has nothing to hide. If you bought in to ANY investment notion and failed to verify the confirms or back-test the system proposed, blame yourself if/when you fail.

My trading results will always be open book. If you can learn as much or more from my successes and failures, power to you.