SMR Trading Philosophy

First of all, let’s get real about trading.

• There are no black boxes that churn out 80%-plus winning trades
• There are no perfect indicators
• And there ain’t no Holy Grail

Trading is a tough game. There are many more losers than winners. If it was easy, we’d all be multi-billionaires by now.

Now for some good news. Some traders do make money consistently. They are able to work from home, trading for a living. Pretty nice gig if you can get it.

So, how do successful traders do it?

It’s not really a great secret. They have worked out their own methodology. They stick to their rules, and stick to their trading plan. They are consistent in what they do. They don’t jump from one thing, and then the next, and then Plan C. They have “settled in” to their own unique way. For the most part, they have their few favorite indicators and a few favorite set-ups that they like. They look for pretty much the same 3 to 5 things, day in and day out.

They are realistic about their percentages of winners and losers. They know that, even with all their experience and skill, they will lose more often than they win. So they have learned how to keep their losses small, and give their winners room to run. They are also realistic about the size of their winners. They know the big moves don’t come very often. So they don’t swing for a home run on every trade.

What else? They have patience. They wait for the charts to set up nicely, and then they act. They don’t chase a move, they let the markets come to them. As Jesse Livermore once said, “I wait until I see a pile of money sitting in the corner, then I walk over and pick it up.”

Above all, they have discipline. They have the discipline to follow their money management rules, and the discipline to exercise their patience. They have the discipline to stick to their plan, and to stick to their methods, even during a string of losses. That last part requires a rare kind of tough-mindedness. And that’s a big reason why successful traders are relatively few in number.

Here’s How it Really Goes

In real-world trading, you have a lot of small losers, and a lot of small winners. Then you’ll have the occasional medium-sized winner. And then, maybe, 2 to 4 big winners per year. If things go well, your small to medium winners will cancel out your losers, and then you’ll be able to book some profits off of those few big moves.

Now, the above scenario only happens after you’ve refined and mastered your trading approach. It happens after you’ve gained confidence in your 3 or 4 favorite set-ups. It happens after you’ve learned how to keep your losses small. You don’t get there in a few months either. It may take a while.

Why Should You Use the SMR Approach?

The methodology and concepts that we present in the trading guide are all geared toward giving you an extra edge in your trading. It’s all about finding ways to increase your probabilities of entering a winning trade, and to decrease the size of your loss when the trade goes against you. We feel confident that we have presented an overall approach that is logical and consistent. It is based on sound principles of technical analysis, and sound principles of price momentum trading. And, it is specific enough to easily be put into action.

Here are the key SMR trading concepts that help you to increase your odds of winning:

Entering only with the trend. That is, entering when the TrendRider is GREEN or RED, or when the report has generated a First Turn alert.
Entering on a stop, using the SL Turn or SL Cross. This mean you enter as the market confirms a set-up. And you automatically avoid the trade when the market does not confirm.
Using a consistent strategy, such as the SMR Stop Lines, to set your stop levels and take profits.
Using a combination of Relative Strength and risk assessment to help pick the best available option.
Waiting for some sort of pullback or consolidation in the price action. As we like to put it, you wait until the market pulls over to the curb and offers you a ride.
Only entering trades when the chart has low volatility, and appears to be in “Trade-able Mode.” To put it simply, only entering when the risk appears to be low.

Yet, even with an approach that is as good as SMR’s, you will still have those pesky losing trades. That’s why risk management, and especially correct position sizing, is still absolutely paramount.

Making SMR Pro Work For You

Our goal in creating both the software and the trading Guide is to give each trader a lot of guidance in making their trading decisions. We have outlined an approach that’s quite specific, that basically tells you “Here’s how you execute trades using the SMR approach. Do it like this.” We think there are way too many trading books and courses out there that don’t get specific enough. They may have a lot of good ideas to offer, but you still walk away without having a clear, simple, straightforward plan of action. Simply put, you still don’t know what to do. We think that’s a mistake, and we’ve sought to do better.

Still, SMR Pro is a discretionary trading tool, not a “black box.” The final decisions are always up to you.

Everyone will approach trading differently, and that’s the way it should be. You really do have to find the approach that works for you. There is plenty of room with the SMR approach to add your own judgment, your own experience, your own methods, and your own intuitions.

We believe that you can take SMR Pro, and the concepts from our trading Guide, and develop your own methodology, your own unique approach, that suits your trading style and temperament. Take the ideas that feel right to you, the things that you know instinctively make sense.

You can add what you have used in the past. Whether you like Elliott waves, Fibonacci retracements, Bollinger Bands, MACD, Stochastics, Moving Average Crossovers – we have added all the extra technical analysis tools because not everyone wants to trade using only “pure SMR.” And that’s fine with us, because that’s the way it should be.

A Real-World Approach to Trading Success

Here’s our advice for increasing your chances of becoming one of those successful traders yourself.

1. Read the SMR Trading Guide.
2. .Pick 3 or 4 set-ups that most appeal to you. Those are the ones you will focus on the most often.
3. Often you will see several decent set-ups within a given sector, on the same day. You need to determine beforehand how you will pick the overall best trade. Write down your set of rules and guidelines for picking trades.
4. Study a lot of charts, and develop your own feel for when a chart is in “Trade-able Mode” and when it’s in “Stay-Away Mode.” This is one of the most important skills you can develop.
5. Make sure you have enough capital to trade. We suggest $30,000 minimum to trade futures. To trade stocks, $10,000 minimum. If you don’t have that much, then do paper trading until you’ve saved enough for real trading. The extra practice will be a good idea anyway.
6. Be consistent with your trade entry strategy. For example, if you enter using stop orders at the SL Turn and SL Cross (which we recommend), then enter that way every time.
7. Always have your exits planned out. For example, how much will I take on the Tight Stop? How much will I let ride? At what price can I take a quick profit in order to get a free ride on the rest of my position?
8. Write down your money management rules.

Example: The maximum to risk on any one position is 3% of trading capital.
Example: Never add to a losing position.
Example: ALWAYS honor the stop. Take the loss now, while it’s still small.

Here’s one more important point. You will sometimes break your own rules, despite your best intentions. But it’s how well, or how poorly, you follow your plan the majority of the time that will play the biggest part in determining your ultimate results.

Just like any other skill, it takes time to get good at trading. Most good traders became good by gaining experience. The experience they gained was during the time that they were bad traders. So they got good by losing money, usually a lot of money. It’s tough, but that’s the way it is. Sorry.

So you really have to avoid being a bad trader. The way to do that is to remind yourself constantly:

• Be consistent
• Be realistic
• Be patient
• Be disciplined

Come back to this page often, and re-read it.