About | Index and Forex Trading | Mechanical Trading

Let me tell you the story behind how a private trader came to put up a web site that would in time become one of the most respected web sites within the trading community

You see not many trading educators do as I do since they flat out don’t trade.

In the late 90’s I was a member of one of the most popular Australian trading forums. From memory there were over 2,000 members, which today may not sound like many, but back then was quite a lot. However most of the members never posted. I was one of only 5 or 6 traders who posted live trades with the analysis behind it. So the majority of members were voyeurs watching the few of us trade. It was good fun and a valuable chat room with no BS for those wishing to watch and learn.

I didn’t have a web site then.

I was a private trader doing my own thing.

I was a private trader who from time to time would share some of his live trades on a popular forum.

As you can image us few traders were critical of the many so called “experts” in the trading education field and the banter and criticism was colourful and entertaining.

And at the time the majority of our colourful criticism was levelled at Australia’s largest trader education business. At the time they peddled W.D Gann courses starting from their introductory AUD1,500 course and finishing with their AUD20,000 plus advance course that promised to unlock Gann’s secrets.

They boasted at the time that they had successfully taught over 20,000 people to trade.

What they do today I have no idea, but back then they nailed their flag to the W.D Gann pole.

Certainly at the time in the late 90’s they were giving trading “education” a bad name amongst experienced traders.

Well at that time their high profile General Manager left the business.

This ex-General Manager subsequently joined our trading forum.

In the beginning he was well behaved posting harmless comments.

And then he posted an example of a Gann tool discussing how useful it could be to a trader.

Well that was like a red flag to a bull and I reproached him for introducing an unproven and subjective idea on a “traders” forum. I suggested the only reason why he would post a non-trading chart was to help promote himself and his new trading course that he had recently launched.

I said words to the effect that he was just trawling for business.

I said words to the effect that he was a fraud and was taking advantage of new private traders.

I then declared that I would go off to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, get myself licensed, set up a web site, make available a simple mechanical model, trade it with real money in real markets and make my real time results available.

I said I would demonstrate how a real trading educator should educate …. and that was by demonstrating that they actually traded what they taught/sold/promoted.

I also told the ex-General Manager that I would not reply to any of his posts on the forum as I knew he would only make me look foolish with his smooth and clever words. This ex-General Manager was an ex-English teacher and a superb wordsmith – one I didn’t want get into a slanging match with.

That all happened in the late 90s.

Well I did what I said I would.

I eventually got myself licensed (which isn't easy).

I eventually learnt how to build a web site in Microsoft’s Front Page.

I eventually put the web site up onto the internet (you're visiting it now).

I eventually made available (for a price) a simple mechanical model.

I released SpiTrader to the public in April 2001 and officially renamed the model IndexTrader in April 2003.

So I finally achieved what I said I would in 2001.

I traded my simple mechanical model with real money in real markets.

I made my real time results available.

I demonstrated how I thought someone should go about educating traders … by demonstrating that they actually trade what they taught/sold/promoted.

That was a long time ago.

And guess what?

I still trade that same simple mechanical model in real markets with real money and I still make available my real time results for those traders who are interested in the model.

And to my knowledge …. I’m one of very few real traders who educate who can demonstrate that they actually trade what they teach.

I’ve helped restore credibility and integrity to trading education through 100% transparency.

And since I originally put up my web site I have maintained my philosophy behind why I did it.

And that is 100% transparency.

I personally trade everything that is available off my web site.

And very, very few other owners of trading web sites can say the same.

If people choose to select a service or product off my website they can elect, if they choose to, to be able to watch the vendor (me) personally trade what they have selected/purchased … whether it be one of my models or newsletters.

You see, I’m very unusual in this business of trading education.

People can actually watch me personally trade everything I make available off my web site.

They can see my fills, they can see my loses, they can see my wins, they can even talk with my brokers if they choose to.

And this all started because I took exception to a self serving gentleman who at the time was the ex-General Manager of Australia’s largest trader education business.

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