ABOUT TRADER TACTICS
Trader Tactics is a trading education and training company.
Trader Tactics was founded by Ryan Watkins, an active professional trader and investor.
At the age of eighteen, Ryan invested $2,500 in 1993 in Dell Computers and enjoyed one of the strongest bull markets in US stock market history. He would cash out portions of Dell as it rose and invested in other technology companies like Yahoo, CMGI, AOL, E-Trade, Cisco Systems, among many other high-flying tech stocks.
Throughout the mid and late 1990s, his account grew significantly more than he anticipated due to the explosive technology bull market. He saw how easy investing could be with the right skillset, and he decided to commit himself fully to professional trading. Ryan invested money, time, and effort into learning how to trade and invest. Between 1999 and 2001, he worked at Block Trading & Momentum Securities, one of the largest proprietary trading floors in Irvine, CA, where he learned the technical details of trading as well as the emotional and psychological aspects.
During that time, he acquired valuable knowledge and honed in on his skill, but it did not come soon enough. When the “Tech Crash” came in 2000, his accounts went down with it. The inability to recognize a change in trend and, of course, a lack of experience and discipline when the market fell played a major factor in why this loss was so great. He lost the majority of his gains in his investment account as well as trading confidence.
To make matters worse, he lost over 90% of his day trading account by breaking several major rules. He logically knew not to make these mistakes, but due to the emotional rollercoaster that often troubles traders, he did so anyway. He knew trading could be done properly if he only understood how to do it right, with emotional discipline. If he learned the proper techniques and followed the instructions, it would be possible to prosper in trading. Rededicated, he spent long days and nights learning how to trade actively. He took as many courses and classes as he could, reading books, internet blogs, self-teaching, practicing skill development drills, studying and analyzing his own trades, and more.
It wasn’t until his father advised him to write a book that he fully understood and was able to put it all together in an organized way to fully “get it.” Ryan refers to this as “coming out of the fog”; meaning there is so much information on trading and investing out there that it overwhelms new traders, resulting in a high rate of mistakes and tremendous frustration. Once the information was sorted, what was essential was prioritized. The rest was discarded, which led to the coming out of the information fog and into the clear sky of comprehension. It also helped him to develop the “One Page Trade Plan” that makes trading significantly easier to understand and allows him to focus exclusively on what matters most.
Ryan’s teaching and training has impacted tens of thousands of traders and investors over the years, and his method of instruction has earned him several industry awards. His teaching has been featured on numerous platforms, including CNBC, The Street.com, Trader's Magazine, numerous radio and internet broadcasts, as well as in private classrooms.
Additionally, he was contracted by leading trading educational companies, Online Trading Academy and StockAbility, to develop several of their courses, content, webinars, and Live Trading Rooms. He was also contracted to train their instructors' in teaching and trading methods and personally mentored many other trading coaches and instructors while continuing to be an industry leader.
Ryan's trading and investing knowledge is truly extensive, but he has distilled it to the essentials. With over 28 years honing his knowledge and skills, he hopes to leave a legacy for his children and future generations, so he founded Trader Tactics. His background in business and entrepreneurship allowed him to create a website, YouTube channel, and business that makes all of his trading knowledge and skill development available to the public.
Ryan is married to his best friend, whom he refers to as the “woman of his prayers,” and the couple has three young children. When he is not working, Ryan enjoys “cooking it up” in the kitchen with his 5-year-old “sous-chef” daughter, hiking, reading, going to church, and gardening, although he has not yet won the gardening battle against the squirrels, who continue to steal his tomatoes.
ABOUT OUR PURPOSE
Trader Tactics is a company dedicated to training and education. What Trader Tactics wishes to accomplish is to share our knowledge and offer valued training so you have the tools to prosper.
We believe if we can train a team of highly skilled traders, we can help you plan not only for immediate financial needs, but also for future generations.
Many people consider King Solomon, whose worth was an estimated two trillion dollars in today's dollars, to be the wisest man to ever live. He said “A good man leaves an inheritance to his son's sons...” Proverbs 13:22 LITV
We want to teach you skills in trading and investing that will have an impact on generations.
ABOUT OUR PROCESS
Trader Tactics believes there is a better way to trade. A big part of that belief is based on a well-thought-out, proven learning process. When learning to trade and invest, a trader must master three primary factors:
1. Specialized Knowledge
2. Skill Development
3. Emotional Control
To successfully learn all three factors, you must use a deliberate trading and investing process.
Trader Tactics believes that “training” is more important than “education.” Every good trader needs both, but with training, a trader can truly progress through the learning curve and achieve real, actionable skills. This is the heart of Trader Tactics.
Our process is simple and robust:
1) Only learn what you need to know through specialized education. Traders often try to learn everything about trading, rather than only what they need to know. This saves time and allows traders to focus on learning what matters most. Our self-paced courses allow you to pick what is most important to you and not learn everything.
2) Train like a champion through skill development. If you want to achieve results, ask yourself, are you training to achieve or just “interested” in getting results? Think about professional boxers or athletes; all the best train hard, smart, and with deliberate purpose. This is where skill development happens. Focus on skill development; it is critical!
3) Master your emotions through emotional control. This is one of the most challenging parts of trading. People do not realize how much their emotions play a factor in their trading. Mastering your thought habits is critical in trading. For most traders, this skill takes the longest to develop. Many traders wait months, or even years, to see results. Yes, we said years! It can feel like pushing a rock uphill at times as you learn to master your emotions in trading. That is why we are here to help.
We believe these three primary aspects of trading are critical to becoming the trader you want to be and achieving your goals.
God Bless and Good Trading!