MarketVVizard

Welcome to my homepage. I am a professional speculator who has traded the markets both full time and as a second job when doing other contract work. I've done extremely well over the years and have never had a losing year in my career depite both wild bull markets and devastating bear markets. If you want to be a successful speculator I recommend you read as many high quality books as you possibly can on the subject. Make the bookstore or library your second home. I also recommend you make it your goal to get completely out of debt, this includes owning your own home (not renting) without a mortgage and owning your own car(s) (not leasing) without loans. To achieve this, live well below your means at all times. Do not even consider trading as a full time career until you are completely out of debt. Yes, advisors will tell you this is stupid, and there is "good" debt, but I'm just telling you my philosophy. I have seen many people disregard this advice and lose money that was not even their own. Once you are debt free you will have more confidence. Not only will your trading improve, but you may find that you will be offered higher salaries and better opportunities within your field. Do something with your life; be productive. It is NOT necessary to quit your regular job to be a successful speculator; in fact I believe you can often get great ideas from within your own area of expertise which may include your career outside of investing. Furthermore, if you are trying to trade full time you will more often than not overtrade your account and become distracted by the Wall Street shills who are designed to separate you from your money.

Some of my thoughts on trading: Whether you are a novice investor or a seasoned speculator, one of the first lessons you need to learn is to take responsibility for your own actions (this applies not only to trading but to life in general). Dont go around blaming others for your problems, take control of your own life. Success starts with the right attitude. Your actions and behavior are indeed a product of outside influences, however you alone are responsible for the paths that you take. If something or someone has negatively impacted your life, get over it. Learn to overcome your problems by dealing with them and correcting destructive behavior. If you are unable to do it on your own, seek help from others. Know and understand what motivates and influences you, and make important decisions based upon your own research, confidence, and understanding of the risks.

I admit to being a very cynical person. This often rubs people the wrong way, and I apologize to anyone I have offended. This part of my personality is a major contributing factor to my success however. I believe that one key to becoming a good speculator is to develop and relentlessly employ solid critical thinking skills. BE A CONTRARIAN THINKER. Test everything and everyone. Take nothing for granted. Do the research and analysis on your own. Question everything. Expose and discard the bad while holding on to the good. The average person would rather be wrong but with company than right but alone. You must break this destructive mindset.

I do not recommend anyone use leverage of any kind unless you are an aggressive speculator with the freedom to incur serious losses under adverse conditions and/or poor trading decisions. You will not make money on every trade, so dont act like you will. Never blame anyone for your trading losses but instead learn from them. Although I have outperformed nearly every public mutual fund and market index by a wide margin it was not without hard work and learning the lessons of trading. During the best of times, I have made nearly $100,000 in a single day, but I have also lost close to $200,000 on a single trade. What lessons have I learned? Do not repeat your mistakes, EVER.

I could go on and on about my own personal trading experiences and thoughts, but I wont bore you. Everything you need to know about speculating can be found in two must read books:

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre
Trader Vic, Methods of a Wall Street Master by Victor Sperandeo

The most important thing a speculator can do is have a mentor. If you do not know someone suitable in person, at least learn from the best though their own words. The above books will do this. In addition, you should read "Market Wizards" and "The New Market Wizards" by Jack Schwager.

Keep in mind that Reminiscences (my all time favorite book on the topic of speculation) is about a man with a compulsive gambling disorder. While this is by far the greatest book on speculating ever written, you should realize that he lacked self control and probably did not lead a fulfilling life. The book does not tell you that after losing his shirt in the great crash (1929-1932) he was unable to recover from his loses and eventually committed suicide.

Which brings me to my closing thoughts... Remember that there is much more to life than money. He who loves money never has money enough, and he who loves income is never satisfied with his income. The MarketVVizard alias actually started as a joke -- the idea was to create a fictional personality based on legendary trader Jesse Livermore. He was supposed to be an egomaniac (hence the arrogant sounding handle 'MarketVVizard' which by the way, contains two 'V's and not a 'W' and should be pronounced with a thick German accent :). In reality, I believe you must be humble and willing to help others in order to self actualize. But there is something even more important than success in this world: getting right with God. By no means am I perfect, I have many faults and weaknesses, but I am forgiven. When you die, if you must stand before God and he asks you "Why should I let you into heaven?" what will you say? Ronald Regan was asked this very question. The result:

"He was silent for a long time. Finally, after about 30 seconds he answered in somber tones that I shall never forget, I dont deserve to go to Heaven. The only thing that I could say would be, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).

As with the market, the world clings to destructive myths when it comes to God. Hollywood says the devil is trying to get you to sign over your soul -- the reality is that he already owns it. There are no "good" people in heaven, only the forgiven. Until you understand this, you will not be free or alive. Have you ever questioned what you believe? Do you believe something just because of the way you were raised? Do you think life is "what you see is what you get" and nothing more? I know faith is a very sensitive and personal issue, but I honestly believe everyone should make it a priority to get a hold of a Bible, read it, and decide for oneself. At least discover what Jesus claimed about himself and what his death might mean to you. Research the scriptures yourself and discover the evidence that demands a verdict. Even if you have no interest in the subject this just might be the most important thing you ever do in life.

-VViz