What about journalists and researchers who write text books on starting or improving a business. According to your theory they're all snake oil sellers. The whole $10 bln Dollar industry.
Here are a few worth your time: Trade With Passion and Purpose: Spiritual, Psychological and Philosophical Keys to Becoming a Top Trader http://www.amazon.com/Trade-Passion...1370100386&sr=8-1&keywords=trade+with+passion The Psychology of Trading: Tools and Techniques for Minding the Markets http://www.amazon.com/The-Psycholog...=1370100411&sr=1-3&keywords=brett+steenbarger Trading in the Zone: Master the Market with Confidence, Discipline, and a Winning Attitude http://www.amazon.com/Trading-Zone-...=1370100411&sr=1-4&keywords=brett+steenbarger The Rookie's Guide to Options: The Beginner's Handbook of Trading Equity Options http://www.amazon.com/Rookies-Guide...0660&sr=1-1&keywords=rookies+guide+to+options And most important, Your Own Carefully and Crafted Trading Journal after thousands of hours of screen time and actual trading (with miniscule capital).
Cheers. Read all except Rookie's Guide to Options (but read Natenberg) and Trade With Passion (will check that one out). From this list, I can confirm that Trading in the Zone is really top-notch, but it is psychological stuff, nothing actionable. I like Carter for his actionable ideas. Is it worth reading Rookie's Guide to Options if one read Natenberg's Options Volatility? Thanks.
Many of these books are not that original. They may appeal to junkies who tend to collect this stuff (and often never read it) the same way the self-help books appeal to many and too have their junkie fan base. But most of the self-help literature is just a sham meant to make money off the people hooked on it. Some authors of this genre write many books. You would think that one would be enough. Very little of it is really useful, let alone grounded in solid science. Same with diet books, etc.
Nope. Sorry, I don't buy it. >90% of wannabe traders end up as losers mainly because most of them never come within ten miles of an excellent strategy. The notion that most of them would still lose even if you handed them an excellent strategy just strikes me as a trading urban legend.
I'll continue the legend then. Of the 11 people with whom I shared an excellent strategy, only one is trading it and the rest have admitted they are not yet net profitable (they don't trade this strategy by the way). With regard to the one who is trading it: I really don't know if she's trading it or not because I've never seen an actual trade log, but she claims to be trading it and claims to be nicely net profitable using it, and has frequently sent me a list of her trades demonstrating that she fully understands it. The thing is, she applied the strategy to 100 trades in testing prior to trading it, so she came to trust it. You can't make money on any great strategy unless you trust it and trade it!