Jeff has been my mentor for 8 months now. I first started as a participant in his mentoring program. This phase lasted 3 months, during which I talked to him on a daily basis. I am now talking to him twice a month.

When I first contacted Jeff, I had been researching trading strategies for some time. In addition, I had been working in the industry for 3 years. I started my career on the execution trading desk of a major US investment bank in Tokyo, and I am now working as an analyst for a hedge fund in London. Despite the appearance, I did not find these jobs fulfilling, and I wanted to go on my own and become a successful independent trader.

I contacted Jeff, and our first discussion gave me a very good impression. Jeff was very friendly, and I could feel that he had a real passion for coaching younger traders and helping them become more successful. When we hung up, I knew that I would be able to learn a lot from him, and that it would be fun. And the actual experience exceeded these expectations.

Naively, I thought at the beginning that he would teach me a strategy with an edge that would easily turn me into a profitable trader. This naive thinking was the result of what we are taught in school, and later at work – learn the method well from your teacher/boss, execute it without mistake, and you will be rewarded. Trading is very different, and Jeff really helped me understand this.

He did give me a framework to work from, but it was just a starting point, from which he helped me discover and craft a unique trading strategy adapted to my personality and way of looking at the market.

More than teaching me a system, Jeff helped me understand trading and the mindset that goes with it. This is the most valuable thing for a beginner, and it helped me develop quickly and avoid a lot of costly mistakes.

At the beginning, we covered the basics – his view of the markets, and the basic rules that a trader should observe to maximize his chances of success. Every day, I drew on my charts the trades I had made on the simulator, and Jeff gave me feedback on each trade. This interaction was extremely valuable, as it showed me how a successful trader thinks, and instilled in me the right mindset and attitude.

I believe that what differentiates consistently profitable traders to consistent losers is the mental attitude, and this is the most valuable thing I learnt from Jeff.

At the beginning, Jeff also helped me write my trading plan, and as my trading developed and more questions came up (such as, for instance, shifting from a system with fixed profit targets to flexible profit targets, how to improve the profit/loss ratio, how many contracts I should trade, how large should the account be, maximum daily / weekly / monthly losses, etc.), he was there to discuss and guide. He also helped me write a very precise and logical trading plan, which had a very positive impact on my trading.

At the beginning, I was making more than 20 trades in the afternoon session, and was consistently losing money. My trading was relatively random, not disciplined, and characterized by psychological pain.

Now, I am consistently profitable, and the pain is gone – trading has become fun and rewarding. This could happen in 8 months thanks to Jeff’s guidance and dedication. I still have a lot of work from here, and a lot to learn from Jeff. Our bi-monthly discussions are as interesting and beneficial as our first meetings. I think any person seriously considering trading as a profession should learn with a mentor, and Jeff is definitely one of the best out there.
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