Mav, I think the numbers are way off. I know your NFL combine analogy was not meant to be taken even close to literally but the defensive backs showing up there are probably running the 40 in 4.6 or less. Their bedrock skills and years of grinding up from high school etc.make them so close to a professional level it's scary. In baseball the average AAA player is two whiskers behind a lower level guy in the show. The distance you'll have to bring these guys is big ... very big. Maybe one in ten make it and, unless it is designed to wash them out prior to you risking a dime, nothing computes.
Lucias, by successful I mean that SMB is not letting their traders bankrupt their company. And I think they are making enough out of the fees to justify the effort. I doubt any of their traders are very profitable if at all. As far as prop firms in Chicago, Lucias, we have been over this 100 times. Almost all the prop firms in Chicago back their traders. This is because all these firms have edges in which they pay their traders to execute. This is very different from what you are proposing. TST is using a very different model. They are letting guys like you trade anything you want, anyway you want to trade it. That is very rare. Most of these firms own you and tell you exactly what you can and can't do. TST is not like those other firms. Lucias, spending $200 on a combine that you can get re-funded is not the same as risk capital. If you have so little confidence in yourself to spend $200, then you are not ready yet. Michael even mentioned allowing one person from ET to trade for free. I actually wanted that cool trader dude to do it. The reason being I think you will blame TST if you fail. And what's the point in that if you will not take ownership of your actions. Just my opinion.
Fair enough but the term combine as used in sports describes a process that takes in extraordinary talent ... guys that have dominated many of the fields they played on. And very few of them step up that last step. You will, my guess is, not be able to back any significant number of traders. You need a whole lot of washout to absorb the losses they will inflict on your capital.
I have stated at least a dozen times on this thread that I have ZERO intention of backing any traders. This thread was an exercise. Nothing more. I accept that fact you probably have read little of this thread or the other two threads detailing TST so I'll leave it at that. I backed traders in the past and will never do it again. I stated on this thread I would rather run an airline.
Even in a theoretical exposition of a topic you try to make it within a solar systems distance from reality. The only way this gets into this galaxy in terms of a business proposition is if you wash out 90% of those that start the process and everyone should be aware of that lest someone ever take this nonsense seriously. And I know you know that. As I once heard a friend of mine tell a guy "the only difference between you and I is I jack off at home". Are you kidding me with this thread!!
Swan, you obviously have read zero of the other two threads. This thread is in response to 10 posters who ASKED me to post this thread. I gave them my word that I would and I did. Do you understand. I'm trying to be civil with you. Lucias and GMST both asked me to write up an alternative to the TST model. I told them I would. I did. And I stated I would never attempt to execute this model as it's suicide for anyone that tries it. I demonstrated that on this very thread. What exactly do you want me to do? It's a fucking message board for Christ sake. And furthermore, if you actually did bother to read the other threads, you would have read my explanation for why I even got involved in this TST discussion. It was because one of the traders in this thread, Lucias, sent me 150 e-mails asking me to back him. I told him I had no interest in backing him. This was some time ago. I then found this company TST which I told him to look into. I read over the site forwards and backwards and thought it was a good fit. He has since found 500 reasons not to risk $200 to give it a shot and would rather trade his own underfunded futures account while STLL sending me e-mails to back him. Honestly, dude, I just tried to help another trader out. Lay off the 3rd degree.
refunds ? What % of the 180 min new combines sold do you think get refunds every month ? Have you exactly read all of the requirements for it ? There is a reason the owner won't tell you what the numbers are I can tell you right now that even though I have successfully traded futures since 2005 with real money, I don't think I could meet the combine requirement to pass with all of the conditionals they have. I never said it was making 750k I believe this grosses a min of 336k per year. Throw in 240k annual in over head which I think is on the high side and the net is still a min 6 figure net. The fact remains the owner is not doing this for charity and considering the performance of the 27 live traders the revenue has to be coming from something or do seriously think he is just throwing money away on something unprofitable ?