Carolyn Boroden, The Trading Zoo, Larry Levin

Does anyone have any expereince with or know anything about the following trading gurus?

Carolyn Boroden
The Trading Zoo <- Dedicated topic.
Larry Levin (Secrets of Traders)

Wanting a great place to learn and don't want to get taken.

Please feel free to e-mail direct at [email protected]

Thanks,

wan

[Edit by day trading: Link to dedicated topic for TradingZoo.com]

I haven't - but tell us what type of trading you're looking to do and what you are looking for and we may be able to help recommend and check them out for you.

If there is someone that you are interested in taking up a course with, we can also invite them to partake in a conversation here where we can ask them questions about their styles and risk-profiles to see if it is suitable for you.

you can view some free presentations by Carolyn at:
http://www.hotcomm.com/virmeetCID_EVENTARCHIVE.asp?CID=YMDZYQ

i have not taken any courses from her, but her site offers some free material and a free trial week to her trading room and EOD video wrap-ups:
http://www.syncmt.com/

i suspect that in a week, you'll have a good idea if her style meshes with yours, or if you can pull anything from her methods to incorporate into your own.

dunno about TTZ or LL.

hth

I am familiar with Trading Zoo. How can I help you?

ahk: Is there any course or any guru our there who you do not know?

It seems like you have taken all the courses and know all the gurus!!

Who or what is The Trading Zoo?

(I did not ask the question originally but I am very curious. In fact I do not know Carolyn Boroden or Larry Levin either.)

Elite,

Yes, I am very familiar with quite a few of these trading systems. However my intial interest into advisory services and the like wasn't to bedunk them and become a self-made slueth. That happened by default.

Instead, I was seeking a technique for lack of a better word that would consistently produce high probablty setups using sound money management techniques, thereby giving me a trading "edge" regardless of the methodology employed. I really couldn't care less if the system used indicators, price action or a parrot as long as it produced the results, and putting the odds in my favor. The mantra that 90% of non-institutional traders lose money was my marching call. I wanted to be in the 10% club.

Unfortunately, with one exception, all I found was a bunch of quick buck artists who decided it was easier to make money marketing things (seminars, cds, books, systems, indicators, etc) to eternally hopeful traders than using their knowledge to trade for their own accounts and actually try to make a living from doing it. Some were smart, others were silly; some were unethical liars and others were honest but offered little of value. It was an interesting journey and I did learn alot about human nature, but very little about trading that would help make me a consistent winner and an independent successful trader who could live very comfortably earning a high six figure income.

Although on these threads I sound like a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic, I actually happened to find a mentor who met all my requirements and passed an extensive due diligence analysis with respect to his system, trading results and perhaps most important, integrity. I didn't feel as though I took a leap of faith sending his company $5000 either (which is really a lot of money). I simply viewed it as a capital investment with a very high potential return for my trading business. I couldn't be happier for it now.

I am not going to use this forum as an advertising vehicle to tout this entity. Suffice it to say it consists of a small group of professional traders--most very seasoned, some new--who meet daily for comraderie and profit to daytrade ES. The owner of the business (who personally teaches each member) calls out all the trades he takes in his own account in real time. His interests are aligned with his traders.

If anyone is seriously interested in learning more, I'd be happy to call to discuss it and you can make a determination if this is worth exploring in greater detail. Kindly send your real name (please no handles),phone number and a time which is good to talk, to my email address on the profile.

Thanks for all the information ahk. Do you remember how many people and how much money you went through before you found your mentor?

Please forgive me for trying to out-skeptic you right now but would you not agree that an exceptionally elaborate scheme would be to come on to this (or any) forum and debunk a bunch of trading systems and gurus and then offer to connect people up with your mentor?

You could easily be a shill for this person and gain credibility through your former thread contributions.

My opinion is that you are NOT a shill and that you are being 100% honest here but if you re-read what you have written then I think that you will probably agree with me that it could look like that.

In fact, by the very nature of the business I would say that it is almost impossible to promote any genuine trading system on any forum without appearing as if you are a shill.

From my readings of the threads on this forum the best suggestion that I have seen is that a trader gives his broker permission to publish his trading statements on the brokers web site. This way the statements cannot be altered before publication and are in effect self-audited.

One of the drawbacks of publishing great statements is that every shill and con artist out there will be sending emails to their marks telling them that they are the ones who traded those statements.

elite,

Thanks so much for the thoughtful reply.

I pondered long and hard before I wrote that post, wondering if it was a mistake and so I tried my best to be low key. Of course I realize some might believe this all sort of a grand and clever marketing plan. But guess what? I have no control what other people think so why worry. I have no axe to grind here; I am not soliciting anything nor being proactive. No one is being asked to send me a red cent. Not now and not ever.

Furthermore, If someone takes the initiative to contact me, there is no assurance that I will even disclose my mentor. One size does not fit all in the trading business and I have no desire to waste anyone's time if I conclude his/her objectives don't fit with the trading system and the culture of the group.

Happy Thanksgiving

I think that what you are doing is great and a great service to traders. I do NOT think that you are a shill. It is difficult to continuously try out different systems, mentors, gurus because each time that one of them fails you then you lose a little bit of faith that there is a genuine one or honest one out there. So this makes people like you and me more and more skeptical at each step until we get to the point that we believe that everyone is like that. I have not yet reached that point that I think that everyone is like that but I have seen my fair share of con artists out there, and of course shills.

I am familiar with the work of Larry Levine when he used to ACTIVELY sell his Secrets of Traders course. He basically uses Market Profile and bullish and bearish engulfments off of the 10 minute chart. I beleive you would learn more from reading Mind over Markets by Dalton.

FOR AHK - you said the following "passed an extensive due diligence analysis with respect to his system, trading results and perhaps most important, integrity. I didn't feel as though I took a leap of faith sending his company $5000 either (which is really a lot of money)."

Could you elaborate on what your criteria was? Did you actually see a trading statement? I've been looking for a vendor for almost 9 years in the eminis who can provide a one or two year Profitable record with trading statements.....The situation you describe sounds a lot like these BlueFalcon folks I've been trying to nail down.....so I don't think you are doing anyone a diservice if you reveal your mentor. How long have you been trading alongside this group of traders..? Thanks

Bruce,

I know nothing about Blue Falcon.

I have been in this system for three months.

Although I didn't see trading statements, I did witness day in and day out trading by the owner for his own account and the results were fabulous without scalping. He made money every day for three weeks, averaging three points per contact/day. This system is for pros--people who make their living trading--and pros trade size. One cannot make a decent return trading a couple of contracts. The mentor teaches all students, however, to trade small (four contracts)until they get consistent and comfortable. If found it interesting that the old timers usually made their daily goal early and rarely stayed for the after lunch session.

I also had many conversations with members, new and old, and they were most helpful. Yes, the owner admitted there were some people who washed out. His explanation for this: they wouldn't let go of old tading baggage (systems) and they drove too hard for money rather than consistency in taking the setups which, after you learn them, couldn't be any simpler. This seemed plausible as I had the natural tendency at first to overlay my methods for extra confirmation which I rarely got.

So my prior post still stands. The system is not for everyone and it is in the prospective members best interest to be vetted by another member to increase the chances of success.

quote:

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Originally posted by BruceM

well that will be cool AHK! I suggest that everyone should wait at least 6 months before taking the trial so they can see all those statements....and of course make sure any and all statements you receive from any vendor are reviewed by a neutral 3rd party and don't just take the brokers word....in this case I ASSume it would be Mirus futures as they are the ones that the tradingzoo.com room suggests to trial members...so don't rely on them only ....you will need at least one impartial review to make it legit if you are thinking of using this vendor or any other...ok nuff said on this...thanks for getting to those questions


Bruce

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No problem Bruce. I would hope that anybody who receives statements directly from a broker would accept those as actual copies. I can't imagine a reputable broker engaging in a willful fraud when there is nothing to gain and everything to lose. At any rate, I'm not sure yet if the confidentiality agreement will allow for the sharing of the information with third parties who don't have a need to know.