I Concur..........When it comes to the truth and reality of what makes us good or great traders, I concur with many of my colleagues and fellow traders.

I'm someone who trades for a living. I have 40 years of experience. The consensus is: “Traders who use setups and signals successfully have already built a mental map of the markets behaviors. Such a map takes into consideration a multitude of things that determine the markets condition and trends. The current position of the markets on this map determines the value of a setup and signal in a particular contexts. The exact nature of such mental maps is difficult for most professional traders to explain.”

I offer three different commodity index futures courses. 1) Intro. To Commodity Day-Trading, 2) Advanced Day-Trading, 3) Graduate Program. I do and have to be able to express and demonstrate how markets set up and when to enter and exit the trade. While 'mental mapping market behavior' is important, understanding the technical and fundamental behaviors of the markets is critical.

While it's true there's only about a 5% success rate when it comes to trading the markets, (we are a group of Outliers in that way) that doesn't mean YOU can't learn it. TRUTH: Problem is most people aren't willing to but in the time to learn to trade. It's a profession, it's much like if a doctor started a medical practice but never really hit the books or doing the residency, or if an attorney did the same. That's unthinkable, yet people think they can just read some books purchase some indicators and it will work for them to put on successful trades. Oh we wish it were that easy, but it's not. You have to be willing to put in the time and unlike doctors and lawyers most of your training comes from hands on experience, so it's critical to have an established mentor / coach who can walk you through all the different nuances of trading. And just like any profession it cost money for the education. In my case, my course fees benefit my non-profit charitable medical foundation, is tax deductible and therefore goes to a great cause. I love mentor students to financial success one-on-one coaching is what I do.

Always think about or ask 'what is my mentors motivation' to teach / coach.

If you don't know about my mentor go back and read this BLOG from the beginning when I first started it. My story begins there. I obviously believe in mentorship and apprenticeship as the one and only true way to learn how to be a successful trader.

Weekly Quotes:

“If you think you are outclassed, you are;

You've got to think high to rise;

You've got to be sure of yourself before

you can ever win a prize.

Life's battle doesn't always go

to the stronger or faster man;

But sooner or later, the man who wins

is the fellow who thinks he can. - Author Unknown

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier,

not that the nature of the task itself has become easier or

has changed, but that our ability to perform it has increased

and improved.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain.  

(As I do frequently. If you haven't read my whole story as to why and how I got into Commodity Trading, I encourage you to read this BLOG from the beginning.)

It's been a wild and somewhat disappointing week in the Asset Markets. DOW, NASDAQ &  S&P. But as always we are not handcuffed when it comes to trading the Commodity Index Markets. We're short-term trend traders and can take profits on the long or the short side of the price action.

However, the first week of the new year and the month of January in general, has over the last 85 years, proven to be a true bellwether for the upcoming year. That being said, we're a little concerned. We were only a few points short of a positive DOW for this period at the open of todays (Friday) open, and at the time of this BLOG being written. So we're really on the fence as the markets go. I'm still optimistic for the year and think the markets in general will be up. Don't forget however that returns on Commodity Trading are generally 3x that of the Asset Markets on an annualized basis.

The FOMC has today added Stanley Fischer to the No. 2 position behind Janet Yellen. I see that as an excellent move and I'm pleased Mr. Fischer would take that on. Whether or not you agree with having a Federal Reserve or not is a discussion for another day. We do have one and it is currently serving a very important position. Google: Stanley Fischer if you want to know his back ground.

Weekly Business Quotes:

“We simply assume that the way we see things is the way they really are or the way they should be. Our attitudes and behaviors grow out of these assumptions.” “Live out of your imagination, not your history”. “If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.” - Stephen R. Covey

Please contact us to see if learning to day trade is right for you: www.Learn2DayTrade.info

(Please read my BLOG from the beginning if you want to know how I got started in Commodity Trading.)

This year I'm going to be concentrating on the following areas. Trying to reach out to the #BabyBoomers like myself. Most Baby Boomers are still not prepared for their retirement years. If you want the retirement years to truly be “Golden Years” and not “Rust Years” then you need to take control of your finances. Statistically many are in denial and expect it's “just all going to work out”, they may have tried but just haven't figured out yet how they are going to have enough money to live on to anything close to what they need and have had in the past, let-a-lone the idea that they can have more income in their retirement years than they had in their productive years.

This can and needs to be fixed. How do we do that? EDUCATION.....what do I mean? We need to be willing to learn how to make money utilizing a skill that is repetitive, consistent and one that doesn't require anyone else to make it happen; such as a boss or a client or a product, etc. etc.

The other area I'm going to be concentrating on this year in my marketing and teaching/mentoring towards younger people and their need to learn and understand the value of, not only what I've described for the Baby Boomer --- EDUCATION, but the importance of saving money and investing money. Understand and utilize the “Rule of 72”. If you don't know what that is …. look it up. Google it.

One is never to young, well you should be at least 21, to begin saving and preparing for how you're going to earn your income. There is a new normal in the world that most people are not aware of . It's different now that the 9-5 job most people pursue, if you want to create a sizable net worth. Now let me be very clear for most people that's who they are. Fewer people are Entrepreneurs and Philanthropist like myself, and that's ok. We are so blessed however to have a system, with all it's faults, here in the United States that even allows an individual to have an opportunity to make whatever amount of money they want to make and keep most of it. Example: Sheldon Gary Adelson....Google him. His father drove a taxi and his mother ran a knitting shop in the Boston, Mass. area where he grew up. In 2013 Sheldon Adelson made $41 million dollars a day.....$15 BILLION dollars for the year to add to his already significant financial worth. What other country affords that type of opportunity? We all need to think BIGGER!

First thing I notice in working with people is they think too small in terms of what they want out of life and far too many give up far too soon. The other thing that's been fascinating about the people I meet and work with is that they are more and more immigrants who have come to this country to benefit from what we offer and I see fewer of our citizens with the same, “fire in the belly” to succeed that the immigrant population has and is understanding. I will leave for another time how that's going to dramatically change our culture; and it already it....in the future. Why is that? Well, we as Native Americans have gotten lazy and we have forgotten the benefits the American Financial System offers us. I've been trying, since I began mentoring / teaching Commodity Index Trading, to reach out and share the opportunities trading affords and at the same time help fund my non-profit charitable medical 501(c)3 foundation. Course fees for my three courses are tax deductible here in the USA and benefit my charitable foundation.

Well there are some of my goals for 2014. In reality there will be others but that's a good starting point.

As I do each week I write in my BLOG. Here are some Quotes that's I've collected and continue to collect regarding everything that interests me.

“We are on the precipice of the greatest retirement crisis in the history of the world.” -Forbes

“Satisfaction is the enemy of progress”. “I never want to be completely satisfied.” - Tom Clancy  

With four days down in the Markets and a little pop on Friday.....what's going on. Well the professional money managers have begun to take profits based on the excellent profits we've made this year.

Will there be a “Santa Claus Rally”........you know what that is? Follow me on Twitter@ECorpImages and I'll explain it. Will we finish strong and up on the month and for the year? I think we will.

Most economic indicators are and have been up and positive. DOW, S&P & Nasdaq have all hit new highs. During the week ( Wed. - Thurs.) we did have big sell offs.....heaviest in two months, and with Europe also at two month lows it looks bad – right? No it's just part of the profit taking and the correction that the markets take an a regular basis.

Having the ability to buy the markets (Trade) and/or sell the markets (any market index) we have the best of both worlds. It's just a matter education and the three “P's”. Proficiency, Patience and Persistence.

Learn2DayTrade means just that. Learn to day-trade and you'll have the skills you can utilize all of your life, even through your retirement years when 97% of Americans have barely enough money to live at half the income level they earned prior to retirement.

Weekly Quotes: “Information is the most valuable commodity” - Entrepreneur; -D. John

“Educated Traders know when to stay the course, adjust or reinvent.” - Professional Trader; - Jack Barnes.  

(REMINDER: Read this BLOG from the beginning to understand who I am as a trader and why I do what I do.)

As I wrote last time I posted my weekly blog, I spoke about “Don't Fight the Fed.”. Well it seems that the Fed. isn't fighting us.....at least until the QEIII is turned down or off.

This has been the worst week for the DOW in 4 months and yet year to date the DOW is up some 22.9%. With the S&P up year-to-date some 27.6% and the Nassie up 36% year-to-date. My 401K is only up around 18% year-to-date; I'm conservative as an investor. However, when it comes to Commodity day-trading year-to-date we're up 30%.

Even when markets are down one can off-set / supplement income by trading the Commodities Index Markets......by knowing how and when to trade. It's just a matter of education, experience and practice. I adhere to the three “P's” rules for success….. Proficiency / Knowledge, Patience and Persistence.

If anyone, no matter their background educationally, what to learn to day-trading the markets....well, that's why I'm here. To mentor/coach those who want to learn.

QUOTE: “We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction. - Malcolm Gladwell  (The Power of Thinking without Thinking - 2005)

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