Are we making trading too complicated?

I’ve just spent 2.5 hours staring at my computer screen.

I’m trying to figure out what should I write about today, but the problem is, I simply can’t see anything overly complicated about trading anymore.

So, I can’t think about any specific trading problems to write about.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying trading is easy.

But I’m saying that it is WAY simpler than many traders think. A huge section of the trading industry wants traders to make things more complicated than they should be. They spend so much time focussing on unimportant things, just so they have something to talk about, and something to keep them busy. They feel like they’re going somewhere, but they’re really getting nowhere.

But after more than 10 years being a trader, I can’t think about trading in an overly complex and complicated way anymore.

To me, it’s as simple as this: You wanna be a trader?

Then go do it. Period.

Stop wasting your time talking about stupidities like latency, brokers, the latest indicators, and how it’s not possible to make a living from trading. And rather go and actually DO it.

It really requires SO little. For example, for almost the last 10 years all I did was work repeatedly and successfully with this one simple model:

(Source: 7 proven tips to build profitable breakout strategies fast)

And I rarely felt the urge to deviate from it.

To me, trading is as simple as this. A powerful model – and that’s it. And then add occasional fresh ideas to fill this model with. Add robustness testing to it and start building portfolios. And think about some clever ways for better risk management or position sizing, to get another edge at this level too. AND THAT’S IT.

To be honest, profitable trading can even be achieved with an Excel spreadsheet. I know because in the past I coded a whole statistical arbitrage model in Excel (and then connected it to a broker through an API).

Even all the specific trading solutions I’ve shared over the last 3 years here at BetterTraderAcademy.com don’t require brain surgery. Anyone should be able to implement them and make them work in a few days, or weeks.

IT’S SIMPLE.

Unless you want to complicate it, to show yourself how good you are at solving puzzles.

Humans have a tendency to think complicated = better, but honestly, that’s got nothing to do with making money.

So, SEE it as simple and KEEP it simple.

Only then it can actually BECOME simple.

Happy trading.

Tomas