Patience is a Virtue

As a Christian Trader we should always display patience because we know that it is actually a form of discipline.  Well the trader part of us has a real hard time with that discipline when we get a market that goes into one of these long dragged out corrections......that just goes sideways for days and days and days.....uggggg.

Click on Image to Enlarge

As you can see from the screen shot above, the EUR/USD was going sideways for days.  This is a 240 minute chart (4 hours each bar) and it started to expand in the beginning of the correction, but then started to contract or coil up as we usually say.

Finally I ran a Fibonacci retracement on it and noticed that it rejected the .786 retracement really well.  Then it did it again the next day.....and then again.  

So we are supposed to maintain our composure and be patient....but then again we know Murphy's law all to well......and that would mean that this will probably break out during the early morning hours when we are sleeping.

In my case I knew it was going to break but being the optimistic type I figured that it would do that on Monday so on one of the accounts I went short.

And nothing happened!!!!  The next day the trade was still on and it didn't get stopped out so.....it stayed on for Tuesday.  And you guessed it......the trade was still on and again did not get stopped out.  But now the market was getting squeezed up against the triangle intersection so on Tuesday night I went short again in a second account.

Boy was I surprised Wednesday morning when they were still there and didn't get stopped out.  I don't know about you but it would seem that every time I try and let a trade run through the night.....it gets stopped out.

Anyway I was checking emails and replying to some of those emails this morning when I noticed that the chart on the right hand screen was moving.  I reduced the email window to see my other charts and wow......it was as if someone pulled the plug in the bath tub.  The EUR/USD was tanking!!!

Now the screen shot was taken early on in the morning and the trade actually gave us a little more but to me this was an excellent example of how patience can really pay off.  Each trade was only holding 20 pips of risk so it wasn't that difficult to let it run.....and yet everything inside of you keeps saying that it will get stopped out.  But then again.....it was a classic set up and should never have gotten stopped out.

The market had a tremendous amount of resistance above it that was tested and tested and tested again.  And each time it held its ground and didn't waiver.

So as Christian Traders we need to learn from the market and build our own attributes from these lessons.

In this case it was a great trade and have no fear.....this trade should just keep on going for a few days at least.

But I was reminded of my own personal attributes from this trade knowing that this is the end of the year.....and this swing will close out the year for us as well.

As most of you know......I had a challenging year this year.  And at times I had felt that I didn't have much more in me......and wasn't sure if I had what it takes to keep pushing on.  But my faith in my God kept me going.  And when you know that God has a purpose for you and a plan that has not yet come to fruition.....well you just want to keep on going and hang on to what ever strength you have left.

But this year to me was a long sideways correction that tested the resistance or in my case.....my faith....and tested it again.....and again.....and beyond my wildest imagination....again.

And just like this move when it broke out with such energy and purpose.....so I feel my faith has broken out as well.

So next time you see a trade set up like this and wait and wait and wait.......and your patience gets tested, think about your own attributes and your own faith.  Who knows, you may just find that your spiritual life is just like this trade......a chance to gather up your faith....your perseverance......your never failing faith in your God.  A God who loves you so much and will never let you down or fail you.....even though sometimes it feels like you are right there in the middle of the fire.

But when you come out of it my friend......you will be stronger and have a great degree of purpose....and a greater amount of faith.

Until next time.......may God bless you real good!!!

Baby Steps.....Pip Squeaks.....and your road to Success

When we start out trading, we can make some huge mistakes.  And huge mistakes can sting.....so we not only remember what they feel like.....we will adjust our methods in order to prevent them from happening again.

But it is the small mistakes that really get us.  In fact these small mistakes can actually keep us from ever becoming a successful trader.  The small mistakes just hang out unnoticed and pick away at our account.  Sometimes we even know that we have a problem.....and we are frustrated about it....but we just can't put our finger on the problem.

Well first we have to back track a little and understand some fundamentals.  And I am not talking about fundamentals such as supply, demand and the weather.  I mean a fundamental like.....trading is a business.

Ahhh....well duhhhh Dave!  Seriously, if we look at trading like it is a business.....which it is.....we can immediately see something that is blatantly obvious.  And that is......that most traders will fail......and that most new businesses will fail also.

Well now that I have your attention, why do most businesses fail?

There are two major reasons......and there are many more reasons, but two really are killers.  The first is under capitalization.  That's a fancy way of saying that they didn't have enough money to hang on during the hard times.....or they just blew it when they were calculating how much money they would need to start the business in the first place.

The second reason is that the new business owner just didn't have the experience to do what he or she was doing.  Sometimes they are experts on the product or service that their business is centered around.......but they do not know enough about business administration.....or money management.

Now experience is a funny thing and it reminds me of something that I said in a meeting once.....in front of my client.  We were in the middle of a project that was basically in trouble.  To me it was real clear what the problem was.  But the solution.....well......that was going to be complicated.  Anyway....my infuriated client asked me what was going on......what in the world is wrong with these people.....meaning the workers on the project.

I calmly replied.....without thinking too much about the reply......"well, they don't know what they don't know".

Basically I was just implying that they just didn't have the experience yet, to do what they were doing.  They were unlearned so to speak.

And that phrase became very popular with my client......and I heard him repeat it over and over again for years.  Well, lets face it.....it is true....we don't know what we don't know.  At least not yet anyway!

So now let's look at these two top reasons why new businesses fail and apply that to trading for a comparison.  Well when we start out in trading it is very obvious that we typically do not know what we do not know yet.  So we enter into a business.....that historically has shown that most traders will fail......and we don't know what we don't know yet.....and yet we jump right in.  And we are trading against high speed computers, using high frequency algorithms and don't forget......against some of the brightest people on the planet.  Gee......sounds like a walk in the park doesn't it?

So we need to learn as much as we can and we need to do that as quickly as we can.  The best way to do that is to have a mentor.  You see if we have a mentor, we have someone who is an expert.....has many years of experience.....and he or she already knows what he or she should know.  And the best thing is that they will show us the mistakes, before we make the mistake.

But let's face it......a lot of our experience will need to be earned.  They say that an expert is a person who has done something for at least 10,000 hours.  Okay......for a general worker there are 2,080 hours in a typical work year.  Take 80 hours off of that for a 2 week vacation and the basic work year is 2,000 hours.  That means in order for us to even start to qualify to be an expert, we need at least 5 years of experience.  And......that seems to be about right doesn't it?

So we either have to put in 5 years of making dumb mistakes.....or better yet.....we find someone who is doing what we want to do......and make sure that they have been doing it for at least 5 years.  Because that would sort of qualify the individual as an expert....and that's what we need as our mentor.

But make no mistake about it.....learning how to trade requires screen time and lots of trades.  So be prepared.....mentor or no mentor.

And when discussing a business we also noted that the business owner should understand business administration.....and money management.  This is critical!!!!  But the first step for us as traders.....and especially Christian Traders......is to take trading seriously and to learn how to run it like a business.  And....we need to learn proper money management.  But more on that in a minute!

Basically, that covers the second reason why a new business would fail....and why a new trader will also fail.  We need to learn the business.....we will make mistakes and there is absolutely no way of getting around that.....and we have to put in some time.

The first reason why most businesses fail is under capitalization......and guess what.....that is the biggest reason why a trader will fail also.  Almost all of the new traders that we meet today.....especially with this crazy economy, want to learn how to trade and only have $2,500.00 up to maybe $5,000.00.  And if you do not know what you do not know yet......that can disappear in a heartbeat!

Money to a trader is like inventory is to a business.  To a trader it is all about the equity in our account.  And with out proper money management rules.....something we do not know if we do not know yet.....we will most certainly fail.  It is essential....it is critical.....it is the absolutely most important thing that you can do in order to be successful as a trader.....and that is to PROTECT THE ACCOUNT.....AT ALL COST!!!

You have to be merciless at protecting your account balance.  Again......you have to be MERCILESS at protecting your account balance.

Say that 10 times...out loud!!!  It is that important.....or better yet.....it is the most important thing that you can do as a trader.

Let me put money management into a slightly different perspective than what you are mostly accustomed to and that is....preventing losses is one of the most important rules.....and if you do have to take a loss....make sure that the loss is the absolutely smallest loss that you can take.


And that does not mean that a tighter stop is the be all, end all answer......when in fact an improperly placed stop will actually increase your risk of loss over time, by constantly taking small amounts of money from your account!  It's like having a hundred or a thousand paper cuts......eventually, those small paper cuts can become lethal.  It's the same thing with constantly being tagged with those improperly placed stop loss orders.  Eventually they will deplete your account.

Stops have to be placed above or below the proper support or resistance point.......based on the current volatility.  Now how much the proper stop will cost you.......well that's something to think about as we go further with this discussion.  So think about that as we continue......where should my stop go....and can I afford that stop amount,  the way I am currently trading?


We need to filter our trades to make sure that our entry is not only a good entry at the right spot......it needs to be on time.  If we do that and we enter the market......the market should take off and not even look back at our stop loss.  If how ever it stalls.....and starts to flounder.....maybe we should rethink our entry.  The last thing that a newbie trader should be doing is trading the consolidation ranges.

We want impulse.....we want the market to drag us into profits.  So with this in mind, we want to protect our account from bad timing and bad entries.

To me and those who really understand trading and trading with probabilities, the most important rule would be.......make sure that your winners are larger than your losers.  If you understand trading with probabilities.....you can be a really bad trader.....and yet be a very profitable trader.  But that's a blog entry for another day.

Before you ever enter a trade, it should have a target that is at the absolute very least, a 2:1 reward to risk ratio.  And I say at the very least!!  If you study probabilities you will see that a marginal trader.....or a new trader just starting out, using a 2:1 ratio would end up being a break even trader at best.  We need to focus on swings that based on volatility and past swings, would give us a reward of 4 or 5 times what we are risking.

Think about this.....we get into trading to make money.....not to become a break even trader.  So stretch your self a little and make an effort to seek the trades that give you a decent profit.  If you do not seek.....you will not find!

If we do that and constantly aim for trades with rewards higher than 2:1......we are on our way to becoming successful.

So we want to get into trading and we know that most of us will either fail or give up.....and giving up is also failing when you think about it.  We know that we have a lot to learn.....and we know that it will take time, probably at least 5 years before we can walk the walk.  And we know what the biggest reasons are that will make us fail.....with under capitalization being at the top of the list.  And we also know that trading is a business and like trading, most new businesses fail also.

Okay.....now back to the title of this blog....."Baby Steps.....Pip Squeaks.....and your road to Success".  So we need to approach trading like baby steps.  If you have kids you remember the little ones with their arms out to their sides as they took their first steps.....and them falling down.  Some of them even get road rash on their noses because they even tried to run....before they learned to walk.

So we can just apply that to trading and I think we can relate to that in our journey in trading pretty easily.  Sometimes we can go faster by slowing things down a bit.....and learn how to walk....before we start to run.

Or in our case.....the proper methodology of taking on a trade....and managing that trade.

But what about the pip squeak?  We have all heard of the term.  Usually it comes from adults or parents and is aimed at the babies, toddlers....or someone small.  But what is a pip squeak?  Well we have all heard another similar term and that is a penny pincher.   Well a penny pincher is a stingy person....a cheap person....or maybe even a frugal person on steroids.  A pip squeak is even worse than a penny pincher......and is really, really cheap.  Let me explain that.

And a penny is represented as $.01 or two places out from a dollar....meaning of course that it takes 100 of them to equal a dollar.  Well a pip is even smaller than that.  A pip stands for a Price Interest Point.....which in almost all cases is represented as $.0001.  And the currency traders over in Europe and now in the rest of the world refer to it as a pip, or the smallest price movement of a currency price change.

Now to be technical about it.....in today's economy and with the popularization of currency trading....they now even go beyond 4 decimal places and they call that a pipette....but I think if you called someone a pipette, you may get punched.

So what does this have to do with our success?  Well we have a need to protect....at all cost....and to be merciless about protecting our equity or our account balance.  And that starts with a very sound money management system.  And that means that we have to establish rules of how much we can risk with each trade.....with each day.....with each week and with each month.  And we have to do that down to the penny.....right?

But wait a minute.....a penny is 100 times bigger than a pip!!!!!!  Say what?

If we multiply a pip which is .0001 times 100 it equals .01!!!!  So if we want to protect our account at all cost......we want to be merciless......we want to protect our inventory....our precious account.....and we are only a penny pincher......well we are missing a great opportunity by passing up an chance at being a pip squeak instead.  And by becoming a pip squeak.....especially if we are just getting into trading or.....in almost all cases....we are under capitalized....well then we may just increase our chances of success by 100!!!!

Helloooo........!!!!  Just checking to see if you were paying attention to this!

Now I already know whats going through your mind....and that's because it has already gone through my mind.  You see we all have pet markets.  We believe some where inside our heart or in some dusty crevice of our brain, that if we only trade the mini S&P.....or if we only trade Gold.....or if we only trade the Russell, well then that will make us successful.  Why....because that's what the experienced guy's trade.....right?  And we want to be just like them.

But if we accept the reasons why a business would fail.....and we accept the same reasons why a new trader would fail, we have to do something a little different then those folks if we want to be successful.  If we refuse to do that, well then we are destined to becoming part of the sad statistics.....and that is that most traders will fail!!!!

So what am I suggesting here?  And of course you don't have to listen to me......but I would at least ask you to think about this.

First of all implement a couple of simple rules for your money management.

These rules would be;

1. Do not exceed 2% of risk against your account....per day
2. Do not exceed 10% of risk against your account per week
3. Do not exceed 20% of risk against your account in 30 days and if you do....go back to the simulator for at least 30 days.

Now right off the bat understand that rule 3 does not apply when you talk to experienced traders, because in most cases, they will tell you that if you exceed 20% draw down.....it will be almost impossible to recover from those types of losses.

And if you think that you are so special that you are the one that can prove them wrong......odds are that you will blow up your account.

But instead, I would highly recommend that you stick with rule #1 as if your trading life depended on it.....and if you got to rule #2......get back to the simulator until you know that you have fixed the problem.

But wait there is a big problem here.  The problem is that most new traders are in fact under capitalized and are destined to fail......unless they become a pip squeak.

You see 2% against....lets say a $2,500 account....is only $50 per day!!!!!!  And trading the emini S&P.......well gee.....you can only risk 1 point and then that's it.

If you lose....you are done for the day!

And what about Gold......because you just have to trade Gold right?  Well lets not even go there.....because you can't afford the margin....so you can't even get into a trade there....never mind being able to afford setting a stop loss.

So how in the world is a newbie supposed to get started?  Well what about Forex?

But I don't want to trade Forex!!!  Well the Futures market also has mini and micro sized currency contracts so that is another option that we can consider.  Maybe we should even consider some other Futures type of contracts.....something that can get our risk down and make it more manageable.  Or....we could even quit!

But let's not be so hasty......let's go a little further and see if we can figure this out.

The fact of the matter is that if you have a small account and you are just starting out in trading....or you have been trying for a while and can't push it over the top yet, then you have three choices.  You can trade on a simulator until you can raise enough capital to be properly funded, you can trade something that will fit your money management rules and protect....at all cost.....your account equity.....or you can quit.

Well actually there is a fourth choice and that is to keep doing what you have been doing and expect a different outcome.  But a smart guy that we all heard of states that following that road....is actually the definition of insanity.  So maybe we should think about this a little.

But let's at least look at Forex.  With Forex you can scale down your trade size when ever you want.  AND if you were smart you will already be thinking that it also means that you can scale up any time you want.

So a full sized lot in Forex is worth $100,000 and costs about $1,000 for margin.  Each pip is worth $10.  Okay but if we have a small account that is still not going to work because we said a 2% risk on a $2,500 account is only $50.00.

Okay..........we can adjust our lot size down to a mini sized lot which is worth $10,000 and it will cost about $200 for margin.  And the pip value is now $1.00 per pip.  Okay.....now we are talking!

But lets say that we did that and still got into trouble........well they also have a micro sized lot which is $1,000 in value and is $.10 per pip.  Wow.....this sounds like we could manage our account very easily when we are having good days....and when we are having bad days. 

But wait.....there is also a nano lot size which is worth $100 in value and is $.01 per pip.

So Forex offers an incredibly flexible way of managing our risk......and protecting our precious inventory which is the money or equity in our account.  And remember we need to be merciless about protecting it.

Now let me tell you a little about some of my week this week.  Actually it is only about the last 3 days.....but it was very enlightening to me on a personal level......and it made me think about all of those new traders that are just getting into trading.  And even more so......it made me think of my frustrating years of trying to learn how to trade.

I started to trade an account that my new employer is "watching".  Oh the scrutiny is pretty intense as to what they are watching out for.  So right off the bat, there is a lot of pressure that I normally wouldn't have to deal with.  But its their money so its their rules.

Anyway I started out with the mini lot size.  $1.00 per pip is outstanding when dealing with extra pressure.  And the $.40 for commission makes me smile when ever I think about it.  But anyway the EUR/USD went into a bear flag and while attempting to catch a break out....I took a couple of small losses.  No big deal.....and then the next day....I started to protect that account with a vengeance.  If it even looked like it wasn't going to go....I scratched the trade.  And then finally caught the break out and got back into the black.

Now when I go back to my account and looked at my stats, my draw down for the week was .9%.  There is a decimal point in front of that.....so it is .9%!!!!!  And I went right back up into the black and my winners were more than my losers so that's the way I wanted to end the week.  Next week is a whole new week, but at least my equity curve is heading up again.....and a .9% draw down......well I can certainly live with that.

But it really impressed upon me about how much control that I now have.  I can go up in size when I am doing great.....or better yet....put on some small trades and get some profit cushion in the account....and then raise up the lot size to gain bigger profits as I trade during the day.  In that way I would never even have to  think about the daily 2% limit.

And if I have a bad trade.....I can instantly drop down to a smaller lot size.

And as far as money management goes......well 2% risk is no longer a problem for my account.  Because in Forex I have total control over my risk.......by choosing the right sized lot for the current situation.

So becoming a pip squeak can also become your new road to success.  Lets face it.....there is no shortcut to the 10,000 hour expert rule.  You have to put in the screen time and trade a lot in order to get the experience that is needed in order to become successful.

But if you have ever blown up an account in the past......or are still struggling with just being a break even trader......take a serious look at Forex trading.  You will have the control that you need in order to manage your account properly and your money can still grow.

But you are in total control now.

And lastly.....time is money.  We all know that if we could find a great set up on a 4 hour chart or even a daily chart, we could make a killing on that type of a trade.  But there is no way for us to afford that kind of trade......with a $2.500.00 account.  Well now its different.  Minimize your risk with a good entry, choose a small lot size so that you can use the proper stop that is required......AND add to the position when the profits start climbing on the position.

Huh......all of a sudden you can trade like a pro!  And now by becoming a pip squeak......your road to success is now smoother and has more scenery.  Huh......go figure!

I hope that this gives you some food for thought.....and may God richly bless you for becoming a better steward of His money.........

The Madness behind the Method

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Well today is the first post of some of the daily trades that we come across during the day.  As you can see in the chart above, the trend was very much down today and I just love the down trades.  It seems as if gravity helps you out....and sometimes we can take all the help we can get.

But while I was downloading the chart, I figured that most folks may be confused about some of what is going on...when looking at this chart.  Soooo...I guess I should explain the madness behind the method.

This methodology uses at least two time frames.  You would go to an even higher time frame to determine overall direction or bias in the market.  Then drop down to the chart that you will actually trade.....which in this case is a 15 minute time frame.  Then in order to reduce risk and fine tune the entry, we use something that is 1/5th of the size of the chart we are trading....so that means we use a 3 minute chart for timing.

BUT.....both charts must agree in order to take a trade.  So lets walk through a few elements of the chart....or at least some of the broad brush strokes.  This way in the future when you see the charts being posted, you will have a rough idea what we look for.  First I use two indicators which are located at the bottom of the chart.  I use a CCI (Commodity Channel Index) with a moving average that was added to it.  That moving average is a 5 period simple moving average and it is used for a trigger.  That's where those "B's" and "S's" come from.  The other indicator is a modified ADX which is a directional indicator but its best attribute is that it displays the strength of the swing or trend.

In addition it also uses two lines that are called DMI's, a positive one and a negative one.  We use those to change the color of the bars or candle's on the price chart.  And then we use a few moving averages on the chart which are basically used to display dynamic support or resistance.

But one of the moving averages changes color and is either blue (Cyan) or reddish (Magenta),  This is a very smooth moving average.....until the trend changes.  And then it turns real fast.....and it changes color.

So the basic premise is this.  Each indicator or moving average may be useful at some point.....but then again when used by themselves, can get you into trouble.  However if we use them as a trigger....in conjunction with strength....and then filtering both time frames with the moving average and the bars that change color.....then we have something.

So you could study the chart above and get a gist of what we are looking for.  And if you look at the last pullback all the way to the right and then look at the chart below.....you can see how they confirm each other.

(Click on the Image to Enlarge)

This chart is the 3 minute timing chart.  And right around the NY market closing time, one of the trading room members asked me if I was watching this set up that was forming.  I was.....but it was early and the 15 minute chart did not confirm the entry yet.

About 45 minutes later though, it triggered a sell signal on the 15 minute chart and that was confirmed on the 3 minute chart.  So when you look at the chart you can see the entry and the bar that the exit took place.

The blue dashed lines are a projection of ratio's when compared to the risk we took on when we entered the market.  And in this trade we got 4 times the risk for our reward.  And to me......a 4:1 trade is golden....especially at the end of the day.

So did you understand all of that?  No I didn't think so.....but its all good.  The important thing to remember is that we use two time frames and they have to agree.  The trigger for a Buy or a Sell is very fast.....so we have a heads up while we wait for the proper entry.  And because the trigger is very fast.......we have a very good heads up for the exit.  And even though we have a couple of indicators, by turning most of the information into a color......it makes it easier to interpret the information.

And lastly....but to me....more importantly.....we measure the trade using reward and risk ratio's to determine where we are in the trade.  Just think of it as the lines on a football field.  We know exactly where we are at all times.

So......this is our first post of some of the action in our trading room.  But for the real deal, come on in and join us.  We can explain it every step of the way in that venue.  And each of our members use their own set ups and as they share them with you, you may find something that suits your personality.

Until next time....may God bless you and yours!

Occupy This!

I was contemplating two different titles for this Blog entry……but my son and I were just discussing the Occupy Wall Street movement and so this title won out.

Now I was born in the 50’s and grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, so I have seen my share of movements before.  You know, the hippie’s and flower power and all of that. 

And of course we all have a right to speak out with our opinions.  So they can speak out all they want!

But the occupy movement is obviously one that has grown out of frustration by many age groups.  So it is a little different than comparing it to….let’s say draft age people who oppose the Vietnam War.

In the occupy movement you have college kids…..and then you have middle aged people who may have lost their jobs…and possibly even their homes.  And then you have older people who may have lost their retirement and savings.  But in any case the movement is different from what I have witnessed when I was growing up.

But when the anti establishment flower power movement died off and withered away……the young people went off and got jobs in the establishment……and many today are executives in the very establishment that they were opposed to.

Hmmmmm…..that’s a little funny and then again, not really surprising after all.

So what about the occupy folks?  Well because they span over several generations it is not a single answer, and yet…..the most obvious answer for all of them is in the very thing that they oppose.  But before I jump into a possible answer for these folks….we need to first look at some of the causes.

First of all, the younger folks….the college aged kids, are now being faced with paying for their college tuition.  And why should they be burdened with such a thing?  If the middle class is struggling to pay the bills, well then obviously they don’t have the money to pay for their kid’s college education. 

But that isn’t a surprise for me personally because I had to pay my own way through college and in fact it took me 9 years to pay off my loans.

But the real point is that these same kids were brought up on the internet where everything is free.  Any information that they would require is pretty easy to find on the internet….for free.  I mean Facebook is free right…..and Google is free…..even this Blog site is free.  J 

And when Google wanted to put all the books of the world on the internet…..so that all people would have equal opportunity at this information……some people were outraged that the authors wanted to protect their work through the copyright laws……after all…..they worked hard to write the book.  Why should the rights be taken away from them…….and given away for free?

So this young generation has a feeling of entitlement……to get things for free.  But we live in the real world and that’s not the way it works…..at least in most parts of the world.  And taking away from hard working individuals…..in order to give others information or provisions……is not the answer to the problem.

And then there is the middle aged and even the older folks.  They feel an entitlement to their badly needed job…..or their retirement fund.  And they do have a right to such things…..but the world has changed. 

Folks who know me know that it took me 2 years and 10 months to find a job.  And even at that….the new job will take about 3 months to start generating an income….and maybe up to 6 months to have that income, produce enough to where we could live off of it.

And I am ecstatic about my new job……but because it’s a new career…..there is a price to be paid.  In this case the price means I need to earn my way up the ladder and that will take a few months…..at the very least.

So I understand these folks….I really do.  And I thought for sure that in my industry….I would never have a hard time finding a job.  And not being able to find a job…..or get financially wiped out just before reaching retirement age……well I didn’t see that one coming.

But there are different ways to approach any problem.  We need to come up with an answer that not only fixes the problem……but also reimburses you for the time and money lost……because of that problem.

Some would say that we need to start a class war…….putting those who have, against those who do not have. 

Really?  Take from the rich to give to the poor?  Taking from those who work hard, in order to give to others isn’t the answer either. 

Might be a great idea for a fable like Robin Hood…..but it doesn’t really work in the real world.

Well if we look back into history we find two very important facts.  The first is that wealth redistribution doesn’t work.  It doesn’t.  The money always returns back to those who work hard, save their money, live below their means and invest their money…..in order to get their money to work for them…..instead of them working for the money.

The second fact is that a country is only as rich as its citizens.  So……taking away from the rich and giving to the poor and middle classed folks may sound great to the poor and middle classed folks who lost their jobs……..but it does not fix the problem.

Especially in a country that is going broke and digging a financial hole that is getting so deep, that the chances of getting out of the hole is becoming less likely as each new day passes.

Alright……alright……so what is the answer?

For all of us who lost our jobs…..or our retirement funds…...or even for all of those who have bills to pay, like college tuition…….well….we need to adapt to change.  It’s okay if we messed up and got into trouble. 

If we fix the problem…..we can get it all back…..and then some.

And instead of concentrating on finding someone to blame for our problems, what if we redirect that energy to find a new career.  Better yet……lets find a career that will pay us back…..not only with more money than what we used to make……but also repay us in the most precious commodity of all….and that’s time.

What if we found a career that gave us more time to do what we love to do…..spend more time with our friends and family…..AND…..more time to help those who need our help.

And for those of us who are Christians……more time to do what we were put on earth to do!!!!!

Well without re-writing War and Peace here…..lets look at a couple of possible answers……aimed directly at two of the avenues that the occupy movement either blames……or maybe one avenue that has a little credit in starting the movement.

The first new career could involve the internet.  Why…..because it’s free.  Well after you pay for the internet connection.

If there is something you really love to do…..maybe archery….or photography….how about camping and hiking…..what about writing…or reading?  You see….if you look you will find opportunities all over the internet to take what you really love to do…..and use the internet to share that love with others who love that topic as well.

But how do you get paid?  How does Google get paid?  Why would they give Blog sites away for free? 

They get paid for the little advertisements that you see off to the side on Facebook….and every other web site that you probably visit.  That’s one way of getting paid.

Another way is to market what you love.  Why try and do business in your small little town or city when you can reach the whole country?

Now you may ask…..how can I do that?  Well, maybe you love photography.

Let me tell you a little about a friend of mine.  He was in the same field that I was in…and he was also out of work.  He loves photography.  And he is really good at it. 

He now spends a lot of time taking photo’s…….and he is starting to post them on the internet to be sold as stock photo’s and maybe even photos for other purposes, like a photo framed for the wall of your office.  And they are that good!!!!

But the point is…..he is doing something that he loves to do.  When his income gets up high enough….to replace his first careers income…..I bet it would take a truck load of dynamite to get him to go back to the old career.

You see….he is taking a bad thing like losing his job…..and turning it into the career of his dreams.  And I am so happy for him.

Now…..what about you?

Maybe you like to travel…..ever think of exploring how to get paid by blogging about travel?

What about quilting…..ok there is one that you would think has no chance of making money…..to match the love and care that you put into the quilt.  But sharing tips and tricks…..sharing links for suppliers…..teaching people how to quilt……yes that would make for a great topic on the internet.

But what about traders…..after all….that’s why you are on this page right?

The occupy movement blames the banks for all or most of their problems.  And the money managers and traders who make all that obscene income…..that’s not fair.  They should give us the money…..I mean in order to be fair….right? 

And…..many people lost their retirement funds when the stock market went down.  After all…..weren’t they taught to buy and the market only goes in one direction, right?

What if we learned how to do….what it is….that those money managers and traders do?  Instead of blaming them for our problems…….what if we applied that very same energy, to learn what they do….and how they do it?

Well now we are cooking!!!

But it’s hard to do….and it takes years to learn how to do it……right?

Well yes and no……and I do mean that and it’s not meant to be rhetorical in any way.

You see most of us who get into trading, have taught ourselves.  And we repeat the same mistakes that all that have traded before us have also tried……and made the same mistakes.  Day after day, year after year, we make the same mistakes.

We fall into a very serious trap of constantly looking for a Holy Grail…..when in fact…..if we were to concentrate on one method and we followed specific rules without changing the rules everyday…..we would become successful.

So if we were to open our minds…..and follow someone who has already gone down the road…..and truly listened and obeyed…..we too could be successful.

Instead of blaming the banks…..the markets…..the big guys…..the corporations…..or even the government…….what if we truly embarked on a mission to really learn how to trade?

Well that is the purpose of this new blog site.  And no…..not all of the blog entries will be this long.

But this I will promise.  If you have fallen into the pit because of this economy…..and you will open your mind to learning something new like trading……you will find folks here…..in this trading room……that feel your pain and we will help you learn how to trade.

Now let’s be up front here and get it out on the table.  You have to put an effort into it…..and it will take some time to learn how to trade. 

How much time?  That is totally proportional to how much time you are willing to put into it….and whether or not you will waste your time seeking the Holy Grail…..and whether or not you will follow the rules, instead of reinventing the rules on a daily basis.

And…..we love free as well.  Just like the occupy folks….and the present day internet generation…..we also like free.

We can help you get a demo trading platform for free…..and it never expires.  So you can learn and trade along with us until you learn how to run on your own.

Why would we do this?  Because we know it’s not the banks fault…..it’s not the money managers or traders fault that we have suffered during this economy.  It’s called change.  And we need to adapt and concentrate on getting back what we lost and then some.

And we have compassion for all of those folks who have gone down this bumpy road that most of us in this room have also traveled.

In addition, when we become successful……we in turn will turn around and bless those who are less fortunate by giving.  It doesn’t need to be taken from us…..because what we were freely given…..we shall in turn freely give.

We are different than those who want to take…..we want to give!!!

So now is the time to roll up your sleeves and learn how to get a new career.  Not just any old career.  A new career that will not only get you paid better than what you have ever been paid before……but more importantly…..give you more time to spend with your family and friends……and do what it is that you were put on this earth to do.

Let’s do it!!!!!  No more games and no more trying to find someone to blame.  Let’s fix the problem once and for all……and let’s bless others in the name of Jesus….with the harvest that comes from our hard work.

Oh yeah….it’s still work…..but it is really a lot of fun J

Got questions……come on into our trading room and speak up.  That’s what we are here for!

And I didn’t forget about the internet and information on how to start your own internet business…..if that’s what you are interested in.  Again…..come on into our trading room and ask for me…..I’ll set you up.

Until the next blog entry….may God bless you…..a whole bunch!!!

Welcome

Welcome to the all new Christian Trading Room!

We are a group of traders who trade the emini's, currencies, options and the financial markets.  And in addition to trading, we are also Christian's and we enjoy getting together in a friendly Trading Room environment.

So we welcome everyone who would like to just visit.......or come and hang out with us on a regular basis.  All are welcome.....and you do not need to be a Christian.....we will still welcome you with open arm's.

AND....if you have a desire to trade and do not know how to trade yet....we will help you get started and even help you get a FREE simulated trading platform, so you can join in and trade with us.....with out risking any real money.  Then when you are doing well and are consistent with your profits.....then if you want to trade on your own with real money you can go ahead and trade with confidence.

So come and join us in our Chat Room and trade with us in a friendly environment....and meet some new friends!