Feedback in:
Hi Michael,
I am a trend following trader and entrepreneur based in Miami and Toronto.
I have to tell you that you have become a mentor to me, even though we haven’t met. You have helped give me the tools, conviction, and confidence to believe in trend following and put it into practice. Admittedly, it took me a long time to fight through the noise, particularly because I spent 10 years on an institutional equity desk in NY and Toronto. Ironically, a traditional commission-based institutional broker/investment bank is the absolute worst place to gain confidence as a trend following trader. The brokerage house is all about “the story,” and predicting the future, never even touching risk management, position sizing, or exit strategies.
I first bought your TurtleTrader course around 2000 after devouring the website and wanting more, but I was 26 and on my way up the corporate ladder at Merrill Lynch. My ego always got in the way, and I didn’t have enough quiet time to think, read, and gain the confidence that is so critical. I also was still searching for the “holy grail,” not knowing I’d already found it.
Years later, I picked up my study of trend following again after rereading “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator.” I then read your books and ordered your current course. I now turn to the podcasts when I want ideas refreshed or motivation, and I look forward to hearing your interviews.
This message could not have asked for a better messenger, Michael. You kick ass with your podcasts; you are honest and direct and even funny at times. I’ve even got my girlfriend to listen to a few. The episode with Vernon Smith was particularly powerful. Putting this out there for free is mind-blowing, and I’m very grateful to you for putting out such an incredible body of work. You are affecting people’s lives, and I thank you for affecting mine.
Okay, enough smoke up your ass.
Tim Ferriss should be on your podcast and/or you should be on his. In his most recent episode (63), he talks about his investing style toward the end and why he is scared to invest in public markets. He can’t deal with the ups and downs of staring at rising and falling equity, so he only invests in startups. What struck me is that he is basically following a trend following risk model in his angel investing: he accepts that less than 50% will be winners and diversifies with the assumption that the winners will more than pay for the losers. Considering Tim’s expertise is in breaking down and mastering skills that have scientific and mathematical track records, it seems to me that he would be interested in your work. I find it hard to imagine why anyone who wants to make money in the markets wouldn’t be interested in your work. Anyway, worth exploring even just as a reference in your own podcast.
My question is on constructing a model and automating a fairly basic trading system. Is there a data feed you recommend and/or software that can generate signals with a data feed? Do you recommend any particular broker that is very reliable, execution-based, with competitive fees and an online platform?
Thank you very much.
[name]
Thanks for the kind words. Tradestation is one option.
How can you move forward immediately to Trend Following profits? My books and my Flagship Course and Systems are trusted options by clients in 70+ countries.
Also jump in:
• Trend Following Podcast Guests
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Performance
• Research
• Markets to Trade
• Crisis Times
• Trading Technology
• About Us
Trend Following is for beginners, students and pros in all countries. This is not day trading 5-minute bars, prediction or analyzing fundamentals–it’s Trend Following.
