It pisses me off that certain people would take advantage of others in order to turn a profit. Kind of like the old people that blow their retirement savings going down to the boats/casino. My grandparents fell for this nonsense. Hope is the enemy, I would agree with you there.
It is that you will get the same answer. You keep on asking for recommendations on where to learn. Everyone know Youtube is not the place. The fact is trading is extremely competitive and has been since the beginning. Understanding this is your first lesson. There are no shortcuts for the masses. You will learn more with self-reflection, a sim account, and the archives here on ET. You can try out many methods. It is not a matter of a winning or losing one, but about picking up parts, avoiding others and doing something that fits you. Also learn the various platforms. Learn how to do orders on IB. Learn on Quantower, write some scrips in Tradestation or Multi charts, etc. etc.
The bottom line, Bart, is that you are your own teacher. I had a great mentor when I started this journey 9 years ago, His basic tenet was, "What does the market do MOST of the time?" That's it. Nothing more. From that teaching I have learned a few nuggets. A. The market mentality changes. What the markets used to do in the past most of the time are not what they will do for most of the time in the future. His teachings worked up until Powell was named as the Fed Chair by Trump. Everything changed with Powell, and the general state of the economy (My mentor was dead at this point, so I had to go it alone. But I remembered what he said) B. Once he went away, and the market dynamics like PA started shifting rapidly, I realized that I was the one that had to learn from my own mistakes, and adjust my trading accordingly. I had to become my OWN trader. Adopt the styles I learned from the teachings I had, and adapt it into my own style. I think this is where you are at, @BartSimpson You just need to find your own trading niche that fits your personality and trading type?
Pretty solid advice, and I'm sorry for the loss of your mentor. I posted a lot and was just trying to be proactive and make a productive use of my time by not wanting to re-invent the wheel. I figured it might be possible to learn a thing or two and shorten the learning curve, but I now know it's a pretty solo endeavor. I'm going to go figure this out on my own now. I wish you the best of luck in your trading career. Thanks for taking the time to respond. It really means a lot. Take care.
Hi All - Well this topic is about The Pit Futures Trading and since I founded The Pit many years ago I figure I would chime in. Lots of comments about my appearance. Well let me start by saying I am 6'1 and 258 lbs. So yes I could lose 28 lbs to make my wife happy and I am currently working on that. The image I have on my webiste is what I trade in from my home office every singe day in some form or fashion. I do not show up to my home office in a 3 piece suit. I am generally wearing a long sleeve shirt and shorts or a t-shirt and gym shorts. You can see this on my YouTube live streams. I posted this particular picture on my website, as well as YouTube videos, at first as a total joke but then it kind of stuck. So if you all find it offensive then does the attached image strike you better? Does it make you want to join The Pit? Maybe just the picture of my beautfiul wife with the nice diamond ring I bestowed upon her on our anniversary? Maybe knowing I live in a 5500 sq ft home on 9 acres in a gated community and drive a Mercedes gives me credibility. In all seriousness if that is where you place your trust, in how someone looks, what they drive and where they live, then I would say that your trust is misplaced. Neither here nor there I appreciate your feedback and you are certainly entitled to your opinion. Maybe when I redo my website I will rethink the image. Now as far as The Pit goes and why I charge a one-time fee to be a member. First, have you ever been part of a free Discord Group? I am sure most of you have and you know what a disaster they are. Second, I spend the majority of every trading day running The Pit and providing support. Sharing premarket trade plans (all posted for free on YouTube). Sharing my trade screens and providing commentary. I help people with Sierra Chart and give out my chart book. Field all sorts of questions through DMs and even host open Zoom sessions where we can all just get together and talk trading or whatever. Yes I even help people understand how to read and trade using order flow and the applicable charts. That just touches the surface of what it takes to run The Pit. Is it hard? Not at all but it does take time and I am always making myself available and my time is not free. Now am I charging people a fee promising to make them a consitently profitable trader? No. I am simply providing an environment where anyone can come in, ask questions, watch videos and learn from any number of Members sharing on a day to day basis. You are paying to be a part of a group that is committed to trading and working with each other. Reviews... not a single Google Review is paid for or otherwise incentivsed by me through The Pit. I ask people to leave reveiws and that is it. Trustindex I just learned about recently. I have 4 shit reviews there. I will let them stand on their own merits. I will say this. 1 happy customer tells no one. 1 unhappy person tells everyone. So the fact I have 4 negative reviews... well I almost see that as a win. I put myself out there every single day. Good and Bad. Trading like a champ and trading like a chump. It is all out there for anyone and everyone to see. No doubt I have rubbed one or two people the wrong way. That is going to happen. I made a decision long ago not to provide statements. Instead I share my PNL in The Pit to Pit Members on my trade screens. Everyone knows I am trading live and they see my points gained / lost in real-time. There is no hiding it. Pit Membership is who I am accountable to. Not some random person asking on my website Live Chat. First they always ask for audited statements when really what they should be asking for are statements from a forensic accountant who performed a forensic audit. That is the only ones that would ever matter. Just fyi. Anyway, I made that decision. I stand by it. If that rubs people the wrong way, well I guess you wont join The Pit. I understand your position. Just know if you are looking for a forensic audit of my statements then you are not truly understanding what I am offering through Pit membership. Anyway, I am very proud of what I have created in The Pit. Each and every day I get to trade with my "coworkers of choice" and not sit alone in my office staring at screens and Twitter or on board like Reddit etc... I truly wish each and every one of you an amazing day tomorrow in the markets. - Bish