Preface
In 22 years, from modest beginnings and even after leaving school without a degree I found myself responsible for millions of dollars and making decisions about money and risk that most people would never experience in their lifetimes. It was extremely humbling, although I didn’t realize or understand that emotion at first—I guess I couldn’t. What I did realize was that I didn’t have the gift of an Ivy League education, nor did I have the risk capital to throw into too many ideas that might not work. What I did possess was an extreme focus and obsession for the markets and, most importantly, derivatives. I was also following my passion without a real mentor or guide, which led to inevitable, but tolerable mistakes.
I realized as I became successful that there was no specific guru, method, or model you need to follow per se, and there was not even a perfect personality suited to being a trader (although some may be better suited than others). I also realized that there were literally hundreds of ways to make money (and lose it) in the markets and many of them seemed so logical and some of them realistically ascertainable. Unfortunately, all of these possible paths seem to lead to confusion and failure for many, partially because there is not really one concise guide to becoming a successful trader or investor, and once you start down one path you may pick up a book or listen to a speech that sends you down another.
I believe that what most of us really need is someone to ...
