Testimonials
SMB Testimonials
Justin Bliggenstorfer (WA)
Professional traders have one thing in common: A unique skill set. Yes, talent is important, but without proper training and skill development, deriving a consistent income from financial markets is not possible. SMB Capital trains and retains some of the best Equity traders on the street.
The initial 5wk training manual is comprehensive, almost overwhelming. Everything required to become a successful trader is covered in the manual; from the mental game, to trading plays, lectures, and video narratives.
However, because the marketplace is not a static environment, trading requires that you must continually learn and re-evaluate to improve upon your skills. Therefore, direction and oversight is necessary. Professional Mentoring is imperative; SMB holds the benchmark here. Mentorship has been a large part of my development. Improving on my skill set and correcting mistakes is a team effort. My mentor is currently helping me take my trading to the next level. He is consistently there for me, and under his guidance I am trading at a level that would not be possible without participation at the firm.
I could not envision myself trading at any other firm. They provide the infrastructure and oversight I desperately needed. This enables me to focus solely on my development.
Armor yourself with a ferocious work ethic and SMB will supply the tools needed to navigate modern Equity markets. I went monkey long SMB and know my potential with them is unlimited!
S. Vaughan Merrick (NY)
If you are self motivated and want to learn how to day trade, SMB Capital Training is fantastic! The course is very well paced and the instruction is very complete. The instructors are active traders who are thoughtful, deliberate, insightful, and directive. One of the great benefits of the program is being able to learn and observe the head traders execute what they teach. Their methodology is sound, covering the many setups that are the most likely to achieve winning results.
As a member of the remote program, I found the experience to be excellent. Between the structured program, the morning meetings, the video reviews and the webinars, there is an inexhaustible amount of information to learn from.
One of the great things that I’ve learned from this course is that trading is an adaptive exercise. Learning from experienced traders who adapt and adjust to changing market conditions is at first daunting but ultimately confidence building. The human dynamic is an important element that I never experienced from reading a book. This is a great course for those who have an active interest in markets and really want to learn the specifics of the day trading craft. Thanks to the SMB trading firm for their excellent guidance. It has been worth every penny!
Jonathan Steele (FL)
Before being introduced to SMB, I had taken several courses and read books on trading. The biggest thing that struck me after starting the SMB training program was the realization of how little I really knew despite my best efforts and how lucky I was to not have lost all of my money trading. From day 1 in the program I was amazed at the depth of information being taught. It is hard to imagine finding a more detailed training program. What I think really sets SMB apart is their focus on each individual trader. After finishing with the SMB curriculum you are guided by a mentor who patiently works with you to correct your weaknesses and build on your strengths. There are many other portions of the training program which add value to the experience but what was most meaningful to me was the feeling that the partners and the traders at SMB were committed to helping me become a successful trader.
Lavonne Luquis (VA)
I had been day trading for a year when I started the SMB Remote Training course, and wish I had signed up sooner. If you have a passion for trading, are persistent and willing to work hard, SMB provides a solid, well-structured curriculum that teaches a fundamental skill set and then progresses to daily self-review and one-on-one mentoring. It’s not an ‘easy’ course or a ‘quick fix.’ I came to the program with some bad habits: letting my losers get too large and closing my winners too soon. With persistence and repetition, I'm building good habits to replace the bad. Focusing on the program's fundamentals provides a clear road map to continual improvement and eventual excellence. I highly recommend SMB’s training program.
Dave Johnson (ID)
As someone who had been a trader for 11 years, working on a regional exchange on the West Coast, working for a trading desk and trading my own money during those 11 years – I knew that when I got back into trading I needed some more arrows for my quiver in order to survive in the markets. I took 3 years off from trading to try other things, life situations and kids. I spent many hours researching proprietary trading firms; I also knew something about proprietary trading firms from my 6 years trading my own capital with a different firm. So I felt I knew who not to look at. I came across SMB Capital, liked what I saw on their website and decided to learn more about them. I reached out to professionals in the industry that I knew and one’s that I did not know. The one’s that I did not know where names in the industry that you learn about from books, readings, blogs, networking, etc. Nobody had a negative thing to say about SMB, but with that said, they also warned me that I needed to do my own due diligence.
I made a trip out to Manhattan to visit SMB and to see with my own eyes what they were really about. SMB was very generous and hospitable, they invited me on to their trading floor for the afternoon, let me watch traders trade, let me sit in a review session (most impressive resource), talk with the owners and ask any questions that I might have. My experience that day was overwhelming. I knew at that point in time that SMB was right for me in what I was looking for in a trading firm. Their sincerity, integrity and the genuine feeling I got from them was very reassuring for me.
I would recommend SMB to anyone that is serious about being a professional trader. The program is very intensive and thorough – it will challenge you in ways that no other program will. SMB has put a program together that far exceeds any other program out in the market at this time or in the 11 years I have been associated with the trading industry. Bottom line for me was a strategy that works and has worked over time, a firm that provided resources/support for their traders, and as silly as it sounds, a group that cares about their traders – that is very difficult to find is this business.
Vladimir Valchev (Bulgaria)
Finding someone to teach me how to trade was a bit of a "Catch-22" situation. The real traders were too busy making money and frankly, why would they be wasting precious time, even if they were willing to mentor me.
Best case scenario, I could find an accommodating proprietary desk to have me over for a week of in-office training. They would hopefully sit me next to a successful trader and it would be up to me to pick his style. Good luck asking him questions about a decision making process while he was trading out of a 10000 shares position moving against him.
That was where the SMB training manual excelled. The video lectures for instance, covered different trading scenarios using screen recordings of actual trades and overlaid voice commentary by one of the partners. Personally, I believed that was the best way to look at the market through the eyes of an experienced trader.
The training program had certainly exceeded my expectations. It felt like being taken on a tour inside the Matrix and shown what really makes the Market tick. There was a lot to learn by traders who had been consistently profitable since before the dot-com bubble.
They taught me to focus on making One Good Trade at a time. I went heavily long the SMB training program and it felt I would never had to hit the bids out of it. Taking that course was the best trade that I had ever made. Chop, SMB!
Frank Cuffaro (NY)
A little over two years ago I came across the SMB Training website and I liked what I saw; however I thought the program was too expensive. I decided to learn trading on my own. After a year of trading on my own I had not even come close to reaching my goals and had already lost more than twice what the training program would have cost. It was then when I decided to seriously consider SMB Training as an option.
After talking with the guys at SMB and meeting with them, I knew that this program was what I needed. SMB Edge was full of detailed lectures created by professionals in three different media types; written, audio and video. They taught me the information and skills necessary to become a successful trader. It was almost like I spent 2 months with a profitable trader teaching me, letting me watch him trade and assigning me exercises to develop my trading skills. In addition to the online training manual, working with my mentor was and continues to be an invaluable experience. He has helped me develop the habits necessary to become a successful trader and to develop my own unique style based on the training program. Also, there is always a senior trader available to answer any questions I might have or to share insight. The SMB training program has been the best investment I have ever made in my trading career, hands down.
Victor Martindale (CA)
Dear Steve and Mike,
I would like to share some of my experiences and thoughts in taking your course. First of all, just a small bit of my personal history. I have studied the markets for the past six years on and off as my schedule allowed. My graduate work was in counseling psychology and I’m still licensed in the state of California. I got tired of listening to peoples dramas so went into business in the early 80’s and was quite successful. After selling my business in 2004 taught in the business department at San Jose State and San Francisco State Universities. Now I am devoting more of my time to trading.
I have thoroughly enjoyed your course. The service you have provided has been invaluable. The conversations you bring to the table through readings, videos, discussions with Roy were not available to me or if they were I didn’t know where to find them.
One of the most important contributions both of you have made to my education is your use of language and how you conceptualize the markets. Whether it’s an unusual hold on the bid/offer, what the inside market is telling me, adding or taking liquidity, etc--I’m more able to think clearly about the markets and what is actually happening. I ask questions like who is in the market, how will I make money today, what are the large traders doing at what price and level, are we range bound or trending, where is intraday support/resistance, what is my risk reward, am I in sync with the market or just making stuff up.
Looking back on my trading before I began your program it was random at best and more like casino action. After completing your course here are just a few of the things I have learned: Opportunity is really only a function of the quality of my trading skills and the patterns I see. My focus should not be on how much money I’m making but on the process of being a better trader day by day.
SMB is in the business of making consistent profits. It (the market and SMB) demands discipline, hard work, detailed plans, and “one good trade”. One also better have a plan that incorporates patients, limits impulsivity, entrance and exit plans, etc. Failing to plan in the market is simply planning to fail. I think it’s also true that I don’t get what I want (like being a good trader) but do have the possibility of getting what I plan for, create and enact—there are no guarantees, just the possibility—and that is what SMB has provided me—the possibility of being a good trader through your training.
Although the jury is still out whether I will make it as a good or possibly excellent trader your course has still been worthwhile. Worthwhile because I will never waste my time and money foolishly pretending to be a trader when in fact I did not have anywhere near the skills needed to do just that. Granted, I would love to be an excellent trader but if that is not in the cards—so be it. After working with you I’ll never make another trade unless I have an edge, a plan, and a reward to risk that is significantly in my favor.
And finally, Roy: from my vantage point he is a real keeper. Integrity is saying what you mean and meaning what you say and Roy did just that. Always there to answer questions, upbeat and very kind.
Sincerely, Victor Martindale
Trade Ideas (http://www.marketmovers.blogspot.com)
David visits NYC quite often and first bumped into Stephen Spencer years ago when he was part of a large group of traders trading at the edge of the Garment District. Steven Spencer and partner, Mike Bellafiore, designed a deep, extensive trading curriculum as well as a detailed interview process they use to pick up psychological and behavioral traits they know match well with the trading process. Training videos, audio and written lectures, one-on-one mentoring and virtually there technology round out their offering. The result is that traders they associate with are predisposed to doing well - a function of being able to pass the company's hiring process, follow their training, use the tools (like Trade-Ideas and others - it must be said), and learn from the more experienced trainers.
Trading impact: Trade with other professionals that share similar behaviors and preparation techniques. These similarities can lead to a form of shorthand in communication and trading that may add valuable time when it's needed most.
We suggest that readers of our blog take tours of the sites and see what it is all about, because at the very least seeing a pro doing it live can perhaps give you some valuable insight into what is needed in your own game...
