You can learn new things in two ways:
Either through self-study using books, YouTube instructions, webinars, etc., or through a coach who lets you benefit from his experience and knowledge, but charges money for it.
According to a study by the “Autorité des marchés financiers” (AMF) from 2014, 89% of traders lose money. I definitely didn’t want to be one of those people.
I got into a conflict relatively quickly. Trading got me. It’s incredibly fun and fascinates me. It’s also a fantastic way to make money. At least if you know what you’re doing.
And there came my “dilemma”. At the time, I had already realized that my financial education was the best investment opportunity for me. But how do you find a suitable coach? There is a wide range of others that promise quick money, present overloaded charts, bet on a variety of indicators and oscillators, and explain what the perfect and unbeatable trading strategy is that works in any market situation.
That was definitely not what I wanted. There has to be an easier way, I thought to myself. Underlying all things in life is a simple structure that makes things work. Be it the universal laws, be it mathematics, or just the 10 commandments of the Church. Practical, correct, and limited to the essentials. It cannot be otherwise in trading.
I then became resourceful with a webinar offer from WH Selfinvest. “DAX Trading for Busy People” was the title. Thomas Hartmann was the speaker. When I registered for the webinar, I didn’t realize that my search had come to an end.
Thomas trades exactly the style I was looking for. Simple charts, support and resistance areas, and a strategy that made perfect sense to me. Not infallible, he openly admits, but definitely profitable thanks to a clear risk/reward ratio. Which, by the way, he can also prove by his own trading protocols.
The relaxed and unexcited way in which Thomas approaches trading was and is particularly important to me. Trading is a thrill. You can’t do that without concentration. In my view, unnecessary emotions should be out of place. Thomas approaches things calmly and with a balanced dose of self-confidence. No illusions, no nagging or demeanor behavior. That had convinced me.
An appointment for a first conversation was quickly agreed upon. Like trading, so does the phone call. He was sober, factual, and professional. To be honest, I was surprised when I was offered the apprenticeship. I definitely lowered my budget. But given the accomplishments that come with it, and the fact that Thomas can’t trade himself (which is what he does for a living) at the time he’s teaching me, it made sense to me.
So my journey began in April 2022 with a visit to Pforzheim. In a first on-site session, I was introduced to a set-up consisting of recognizing and drawing important support and resistance areas. First live trading with my (money) account was also part of it.
With the good feeling that I had made the right decision, I started my journey home the same day.
Today I look back on a large number of zoom calls that we have had in the meantime. Initially, I sent Thomas the logs of my trades. With patience and calm, he drew my attention to my mistakes and gave valuable tips on what to look out for. Above all, however, where my correct entry would have been. Above all, always with the question of where I see myself currently and how things are going. Self-reflection is an important prerequisite for (not only) correctly assessing your own development when trading. Thomas also attached great importance to clean documentation of the trades. Anyone who deals with the matter knows how important a trading journal is.
In the meantime, we have switched to live trading once a week. I will trade, then Thomas only watches without comment. He will only intervene if there are fundamental errors such as a position size that is too high. In the end, it is evaluated.
These trading have it all. If you are forced to disclose the thoughts you have about the course of the chart, you first become aware of what is going on in your head. Should I get in or better not? Will the course continue to rise or is the correction coming now? Is my stop loss in the right place or should I have placed it further away?
And this is where the experience that a coach can impart comes into play, which justifies an investment in training. Thomas quickly recognizes where the mistakes are in trading or where there is a problem in the psyche and gives valuable tips on how to behave and what to look out for. If you teach yourself, you have to recognize your own mistakes, often through “trial and error” until it is recognized. In most cases, this is not good for the account.
I can say today that through trading and especially through Thomas, I have learned a lot about trading but also about myself. If I used to regard trading psychology as unimportant, I now know, among other things, that a successful trader does not start on the chart but in the head.
After all that has been written, you might be wondering why I haven’t appeared in the press as one of the richest people in this country. Do I want this? NO. My goal is to have fun trading. Knowing what I’m doing, being sure my strategy is profitable, and sometimes not wanting to trade when there are no clear entry signals. Success then comes naturally.
Today I’m still at the beginning, I’m still very excited when it comes to trading. Success for me is that my account still has a balance of 65% in relation to the starting capital. I am sure that this would not be the case without Thomas’s training and support. We will keep working on my skills. For me, Thomas’ knowledge is a shortcut to success. “Learning by doing” is also great. No question. I admire all those who have become successful in this way. For me, however, it wasn’t an option.
And as for the account, I look forward to the day when, as a small partial success, it’s back in the black and steadily growing in size. Having made a decision that I felt was absolutely the right one leaves me with no doubt that the day will come soon.
– Mike B.