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Conference nyoss1::market_investing

Title:Market Investing
Moderator:2155::michaud
Created:Thu Jan 23 1992
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1060
Total number of notes:10477

181.0. "TWMPMMC" by FIELD::LOUGHLINI (William the Complacent) Fri May 01 1992 06:45

    I recently received some 'junk mail' from a guy called Ken Roberts
    touting his training course/book called "The World's Most Powerful
    Money Manual & Course".
    
    Has anyone else heard of this (or decided to subscribe to it) ?
    
    The course basically shows you how to be successful in the Futures
    and Commodities trading markets through "secret" formulas.....
    
    I normally dump this kind of offer but this one has some powerful
    testimonials to back it up.
    
    I am aware of the dangers of trading in Futures/Commodities as outlined
    elsewhere in this notesfile, I'm simply looking for comments on this
    training course, which by the way sells for �250.
    
    Ian
    
    
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181.1If they're selling, it's probably not a golden gooseMINAR::BISHOPFri May 01 1992 11:3914
    The standard response to all these offers is:
    
    	If you have a system which makes money, why are you
    	selling it to me rather than using it yourself and
    	becoming insanely rich?
    
    The fact that this secret is being sold for �250 means that
    the seller thinks he'll make more money selling it to N people
    (making some smaller amount due to overhead expenses) than he
    would keeping it secret and using it.
    
    What does that suggest about the value of the secret?
    
    		-John Bishop
181.2SSBN1::YANKESFri May 01 1992 12:1815
    
    	Plus, adding to John's good comments, keep in mind that if this
    "secret" really did work that well, it would probably fail if everyone
    knew about it and was buying/selling these options using the same
    rules.  (The way to get ahead in these games is to have a method that
    says "buy" or "sell" *before* other people come to the same conclusion.
    If everyone uses the same rules, everyone gets the same signals and
    thus the opportunity to "profit by beating the rush" is lost.)  Therefore,
    if it is a great secret and the author is using it, you have to ask
    yourself why would the author destroy what is working for him?  And,
    of course, if the author isn't using it to become rich, why not?
    None of the potential answers to either question would convince me to
    buy the book.
    
    								-craig
181.3In partial defence of Ken RobertsVMSDEV::HALLYBFish have no concept of fire.Fri May 01 1992 18:2140
    You guys have a right to be cynical, but I don't think this is such
    a case.  From some of my more objective industry sources I hear that
    the Ken Roberts course is pretty much honest.  I don't KNOW what the
    course entails, but apparently it's a matter of doing your homework
    and placing orders every day.  Sounds simple.  It isn't.
    
    Hume & associates sell a series of flashy overpriced but effective
    trades that have historically done well; these have been discussed
    in the old INVESTING file.
    
    Frank Taucher's "Supertrader's Almanac" has for many years now averaged
    $1000/week doing purely seasonal trades.  Highly reliable, yet I don't
    trade it.
    
    There's no shortage of actual working systems for sale.  The problems
    are that people almost never follow the system, or overtrade, or get
    discouraged after a few losses.  Sometimes systems need intraday data
    or otherwise need closer following than users are willing to supply.
    Sometimes systems need attention at night.  There are lots of reasons
    why the world isn't full of millionaires, even though the systems
    continue to work well on paper.
    
    It's hard to believe, but I have seen first hand how systems work but
    people fail to follow them.  Believe me, this is well known in the trade.
    
    As I recall, Ken Roberts offers a 6-month money back guarantee.  If you 
    show him your 6 months of charts and orders, and aren't profitable, you
    get your money back.  Of course he knows the people who won't make money
    are the people who won't follow his advice, so won't have the records
    to prove they failed, thus in a sense he's not really risking anything.  
    But isn't that a fair offer?
    
    Now why isn't the guy trading his own system instead of selling it?
    For one thing, he may be trading a different and stronger system.
    Or he may have made enough money to retire and would rather teach than
    make money he doesn't need.  Some people prefer that route; ultimately
    successful speculation is hard work and if you don't really need the
    money, well, why not do something more enjoyable?
    
      John
181.4Oh what the heck.FIELD::LOUGHLINIWilliam the ComplacentTue May 05 1992 09:0713
    Guys,
    
    Thanks for your advice and words of caution. I have decided to
    purchase Ken Robert's course and see what it's all about. I had an
    unexpected "bonus" of �250 from another investment recently so that
    will fund this course. I regard this cost as a 'toy' that perhaps other
    people would spend on their hobbies or whatever. When I make my first
    million I will post the details here...
    
    Oh well, easy come - easy go !
    
    Cheers, Ian