I just got back from the first ever Truth About Forex Conference in London, England and it was a blast!

It was only the second trading conference that I have ever been to and the first one was good, but this was much better.

…and I'm not the only one who loved it.

Here's what some of the other traders had to say about it.

(This is also what it looks like when you shove six traders into a tiny ass Pod)

So why else was it so cool?

Here are the top 7 things that I learned at the conference.

Although it was more beneficial to be there in person, I hope that you learn a few things from my experience too.

1. Hanging Out With the Right People Makes a Difference

We all know this deep down.

But it's purely intellectual until you actually experience it.

There are many examples of full-time traders who learned how to trade successfully…by themselves. But when you hang out with people who have similar goals, it can really accelerate your learning.

In addition, their positive energy rubs off and can help you get excited about trading again…even if your trading isn't going that well at the moment. One person who personified that was Alex Upton.

When you meet him in person, his enthusiasm is infectious. His presentation on positive psychology was very useful and I'm going to have to watch the recording a couple more times because there was so much that I missed the first time.

Alex is just starting his speaking career and he did a great job. If you are looking for a speaker for your next event, you should watch Alex's recording.

As soon as I left on the last day of the conference, there were a couple of takeaways that I implemented right away. That's one of the biggest benefits of hanging out with the right people.

They get you to take action.

2. Ordinary People Can do Extraordinary Things in Trading

I have demonstrated this fact on my Podcast, but hearing trading success stories never gets old. One example was Frank, who was a TV reporter before he learned to trade.

As a reporter, he had some really cool stories, including meeting Jim Rogers.

A post shared by Hugh Kimura ?? (@tradingheroes) on Jun 17, 2017 at 2:17am PDT

But after he learned to trade profitably, that's when things really started to get fun. He talked about his experience trading for a family office, going into business with other traders and much more.

Denis was another trader who kept at it and ultimately became the #1 trader on one of the signal platforms. Now he trades for clients. He showed us his exact setups and how he achieves solid returns with very low drawdown, only taking 1 to 2 trades a month.

…and yes, profitable trading is not sexy.

Caroline also shared her story of how she manages FX trading at a company and how she applied to be a trader at a hedge fund.

It was really cool to get an idea of what goes on behind the scenes at a company that needs to hedge its FX exposure.

I also enjoyed her story of how her son became an elite chess player and how that applies to learning to trade.

3. Whenever You Think You've Seen Everything in Trading, Someone Usually Surprises You

The trading strategy that had everyone at the conference talking was the Coastline Strategy that Gonçalo Moreira from FXStreet presented. Before learning this method, working at FXStreet gave Gonçalo unique access to successful traders from all over the world.

One thing that he noticed was that traders who won trading contests were usually trading one type of trading method. He learned the method, backtested it and started trading it in the FXStreet account.

You can see his verified results here.

The actual trading strategy might be unlike anything you have ever seen before. There are two things that make it very different…

1. You are always in the market
2. Your entry and exit are not important

Yeah, they aren't important…at all. If you feel like trading, you can just pull your phone out of your pocket and start trading. If you don't want to trade, you can take the day off.

Now, that might sound crazy, but when you hear Gonçalo explain it in person, everything makes sense. You can listen to his interview with Walter here.

To learn the entire strategy, listen to the conference recordings.

4. It's Actually Really Weird to Talk About Forex Trading in Public

Have you ever talked about Forex trading in public for more than 5 minutes? How about being in a group of people where everyone was talking about trading?

Yeah right, good luck with that

I never thought about it before, but when that actually happens, it's kind of a surreal feeling. When you think about it, we go through most of our lives trading alone at our own desks.

When people ask us about our trading at parties, they are usually just being polite. Most of the time, you can see their eyes glass over in the first 10 seconds.

It's not that they don't understand, it's usually because they just aren't that interested in trading.

But after we got on the train to head back to the hotel, after the VIP dinner on Friday night, there were so many trading conversations going on at the same time, that a few people commented on how strange that felt.

I agreed.

One of the many insightful conversations that I had over the weekend was with Raul. We talked about how he trades at a bank and the restrictions that come with that type of trading. He also shared his experiences with going from trading at a bank to trading full-time at home.

5. Resources I Discovered

One of the reasons that I like talking to other traders is that I always pick up some great resources that I would otherwise have difficulty discovering on my own. I uncovered a lot of resources over the weekend, but here are just a few that might help you too.

• Book: Presence – Amy Cuddy (books thanks to Alex)
• Book: Grit – Angela Duckworth
• Book: How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big – Scott Adams
• Self Improvement Tool: Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) – Totally free complete course here (thanks to Adam)
• Meditation App: Insight Timer (thanks to Caroline)

Adam's presentation on EFT was especially helpful for me. I have heard about EFT in the past, but I had not taken the time to explore exactly what it is and how to implement it.

He did a very simple demonstration on how to “erase” negative beliefs.

Of course, this isn't going to work on everyone and everything. Some issues take longer to solve than others.

But it is simply one of the tools that we can use to help us improve ourselves. I've started using it and I already feel the difference.

6. The Most Successful Trading Methods are Usually Very Simple

I always talk about this, but sometimes it can be easy to forget how simple trading can be. We just need to get out of our own way.

This theme was present in the talks by the traders mentioned above, but this was also evident in another conversation I had was with a trader who started trading for a fund.

He only trades one strategy and one currency pair.

Of course it depends on the strategy and your goals. But sometimes, you really don't need more than that.

Enho also brought up a great point in his talk when he mentioned that he had a simple technical trading method, but he actually needed more. So now he trades a simple fundamental trading method and it fits his personality much better.

So just because you have a simple strategy, that doesn't mean that you should stop there. Maybe you need to refine it or even change it altogether.

7. Refinements to My Own Strategy

Finally, there were a couple of conversations that helped me refine my own trading strategy.

One of them was with Reima. He shared how he built confidence in his trading system and how he actually trades.

This was very useful to me because we trade a similar system and his presentation gave me some refinements that I can test and possibly implement too.

Conclusion

One more thing that I didn't learn, but I was reminded of on this trip, was that traders are some of the coolest people to hang out with. I met many traders at the conference that I've only known from their online thumbnail image.

There was way too much great information to cover in one blog post, so be sure to purchase the seminar recordings if you want to watch all the presentations. For a limited time, get $197 off the purchase price, when you buy through this link.

Disclaimer: Some links on this page are affiliate links. We do make a commission if you purchase through these links, but it does not cost you anything extra and we only promote products and services that we wholeheartedly believe in. TradingHeroes.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The post 7 Things I Learned at the Truth About Forex Conference 2017 appeared first on Trading Heroes.

Update: Learn what happened at the Conference by reading my recap here.

One question that I get a lot is:

Can you really become a successful Forex trader?

Well, I could tell you that it's possible, and you can listen to trading podcasts until your phone runs out of battery. But until you actually meet real traders in person, it can be tough to believe it.

That's why I recommend attending at least one trading conference per year.

…and if you do decide to attend a conference, I would highly recommend that you attend this conference. Not just because I'll be part of it, but because I believe that is will be the best FX event of the year for independent traders.

Of course, I'm a little biased. But here are the facts, so you can make your own decision…

It's a No-Selling Conference

If you have been to trading conferences before, you know that these things can be pitch-fests. Sure, the speakers do provide some valuable information.

…but they almost always have something to sell you at the end. Needless to say, it gets a little tiring when you have to sit through all those pitches.

“…but only for today, the price is just…”

Yeah.

The biggest difference benefit of the Truth About FX Conference is that there is no selling allowed.  All of the presenters are there to teach you something that they are really good at.

That's it!

They have nothing to sell you.

Like you, they just want to hang out with other traders and drink a few beers.

Meet Some of the Traders

Here are just a few of traders that will be speaking:

• James Kensington (listen to interview here): Learn how he went from being a paramedic to a large FX fund manager.
• Caroline Hui (listen to interview here): Learn how she went from Accountant to Forex trader.
• Enho Kuo (listen to interview here): Listen in has he shares his high reward trading system.
• Denis Switalski (listen to interview here): Hear about how he trades high probability setups and why he is one of the top signal providers on his platform.
• See the complete speaker list here.
• Plus bonus surprise speakers!

On top of that, you get to meet successful traders that will be in the audience. Like this guy, for example.

The Details

• Dates: June 17 and 18, 2017
• Location: London Heathrow Airport (map)
• Dress Code: Super Casual
• Attitude: Stoked

Special Discount Since You Got This Far

If you are still reading, then you are probably at least thinking about going to the conference. But yeah, these trips can be expensive.

So to make things a little easier on you, I have a special discount for Trading Heroes readers. Use the coupon code:

HUGH

at checkout and get $275 off the regular price.

If you are interested, act now, because there are only a limited number of tickets still available. When you sign up, you will also get a discounted rate on a hotel room at the event (subject to availability).

Click here to reserve your spot >>

A bonus about the location is that the event is at a hotel right in the airport. You don't even have to leave the airport, if you don't want to!

Conclusion

So if you are interested in meeting a small group of cool traders who are only there to hang out and talk trading, then the Truth About FX Conference just might be the one conference that you want to attend this year.

I hope to see you there!

Disclaimer: Some links on this page are affiliate links. We do make a commission if you purchase through these links, but it does not cost you anything extra and we only promote products and services that we wholeheartedly believe in. TradingHeroes.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The post Meet Successful Traders at the 2017 Truth About Forex Conference (London) appeared first on Trading Heroes.

Yes, I admit it…

I have never been to a full-blown trading conference before.

Why?

Well, I have been to a lot of real estate investing seminars and they are all pretty similar. I have also helped organize a real estate conference.

So I know what goes on behind the scenes.

They do give you some good education, but they are mostly there to pitch you on courses from the speakers.

…and they pitch hard.

I felt that this blog has given me access to enough resources and traders, so that I didn't have to subject myself to a pitch-fest. But at the same time, it isn't that easy to meet other traders in my area and it is really hard to get in-person access to the best traders in the world.

Trading can also make you feel a little isolated.

So at the beginning of this year, I made it a goal to attend at least one trading conference. It was one of the best decisions that I have made for my trading, this year.

In this post, I will show you which conference I went to, what I thought of it and why I feel you should make the effort to got out to at least one a year too.

Let's get started…

The Market Doesn't Matter

Before I begin, I think that it's important to mention that you don't have to only attend Forex related conferences. Learning about options, stocks, futures and even bitcoin, can actually be a refreshing experience.

Sometimes, we get too comfortable in our little Forex world and we forget that there is a lot more out there. I'm not saying that you should jump into these other markets blindly. But there may be trading concepts that you can use.

That's why I went to the Trader and Investors Summit, put on by Tim Skyes. It was primarily a penny stock conference. Here are the top 5 things that I benefited from.

Maybe they can help you too…

1. The Live Trading Session

It wasn't all penny stocks, but that was the majority of the content. There were also speakers who talked about how hedge funds invest, bitcoin, Forex and futures.

It was a really good mix of different markets, trading styles and opinions. Tim Sykes did a great job of providing a wide range of viewpoints and education.

I also liked the fact that there wasn't much hard selling.

There has to be some selling, that is just how it works. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense for the speakers to come out.

But in this case, I felt that it was very tastefully done.

There was a ton of value, especially the live trading session with Tim. Understanding the thought process of a professional trader, in real-time, is worth the price of admission.

In this session, he took one trade and made about $500. The biggest lesson was to stay out of the market, if you don't see anything, or you are tired.

A great lesson for a trader at any level. 

Others in the crowd made $4,000…but who knows how much risk they took and how big their account was. It was actually a lot of fun to see people in the crowd making money.

2. Get New Trading Ideas

Good trading is good trading. The markets are a little different, the strategies might be a little different, but at the end of the trading day, it is all about making money.

If you get just one good idea or learn a new way to improve your trading, it could be worth the price of admission. Sometimes all it takes is hearing something you have heard before, in a different way.

3. Learn the Successful Trading Mindset

For me, this was the biggest benefit. When you hear about what these successful traders had to overcome and where they are now, that reminds you that you can do it too. 

These speakers can also reinforce things that you know you should be doing in your trading, but maybe aren't. For me, that was keeping better records of my trades. For others, it may have been to do more backtesting.

So don't underestimate the transformative power that seeing a great speaker can have on your success. It might sound cheesy, but once you have experienced it, you will want more.

4. The 5% Show Up Too

Let's face it, most of the people at trading conferences haven't placed a trade yet, or are still in their first year of trading. That's just the nature of the beast.

Want to know how to tell a newbie at a conference? They have an exotic car as the wallpaper on their laptop.

Give it a try and see how it works. Now you know who NOT to sit next to.

This seems to be pretty similar across the board. Regardless if you attend a conference for trading, real estate, online marketing or whatever, the fact is that most people are there to kick the tires and “see what this _____ thing is all about.”

…and as we know, 95% of those people will fail.

But that's OK.

Hopefully, they will move on to something that really excites them and they will succeed at.

So why should you spend a bunch of money to go to a conference, only to talk to newbies? Well, guess what?

The ballers show up to these conferences too.

500 people signed up for this summit. So if the 5% success rate is is applicable to this event, then there were about 25 legit traders in attendance.

There were about 10 speakers there, so that would leave about 15 people in the audience. One of the speakers asked how many people traded for a living and I would say that about that many people raised their hands.

Some of then may have been full of shit, but there were some legit traders, for sure.

My point is that you will have access to significantly more successful traders than you will have access to in your real life. It is a tremendous opportunity to meet professional traders.  

5. Change Your Environment

Sometimes it helps to get out of the house.

…or your state.

…or your country.

We can get stuck in a rut sometimes and a change of scenery might just be the thing you need to start making some progress. Having the same routine every day can get boring.

Shake things up a little and you might be surprised at what happens. 

Conclusion

So if trading is getting a little lonely and you feel like you are stuck, going to a trading conference just might be what you need to kickstart your trading mojo again.

Obviously, not all trading conferences will be good, some might really suck. But if you start going to one or two every year, you will learn to pick out the good ones and they can be a lot of fun.

If you can't find a trading conference near you, a Meetup group could be the next best thing. I hope to see you at one soon!

The post 5 Reasons You Should Attend One Trading Conference a Year (Minimum) appeared first on Trading Heroes.