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What I Learned Watching 500 Tim Sykes Video Lessons

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Written by Timothy Sykes
Updated 4/18/2022 17 min read

Is watching 500 Tim Sykes video lessons the gateway to smart trading? Recently, I challenged a student to quit complaining and give it a try.

I confess: My teaching style is definitely on the ā€˜tough loveā€™ end of the spectrum. But sometimes, thatā€™s what it takes to get students motivated.

My goal isnā€™t to make friends. Itā€™s to create self-sufficient traders.

Too often, people get into trading because they wanna get rich quick. They see traders like my newest millionaire Challenge student Roland Wolf and think that theyā€™ll start making $1K a day right away.*

They donā€™t realize that it took him four years and a lot of studying to turn his $4,000 trading account into over $1 million.*

Starry-eyed newbies see what they wanna see. They think itā€™s as easy as opening up the first no-fee broker account they come across, then raking in the big bucks.

If you think thatā€™s how trading works, have fun blowing up your account. But donā€™t waste my time.

Most new traders are lazy, unmotivated wannabes and degenerate gamblers. Thatā€™s why Iā€™m a tough teacher. Itā€™s why I make potential students apply for my Trading Challenge.

Itā€™s my way of making sure that theyā€™re ready to put in the effort necessary to find consistency in the market. If they donā€™t have the right mindset, if theyā€™re not dedicated, theyā€™re not worth my time.

Profit.ly user haafamillion is a dedicated student. Sheā€™s not profitable yet, but sheā€™s an incredible example of the mindset that all new traders should have. I want more students like this! Hereā€™s her story, in her own wordsā€¦

500 Tim Sykes Video Lessons: Haafamillionā€™s Story

haafamillion studying tim sykes video lessons
Photo courtesy of haafamillion

It took two years of saving before I spent half my net worth on Timothy Sykesā€™ Trading Challenge. The last thing I needed was to be called stupidā€¦

Or was it?

A week into the Challenge, Iā€™d already watched three of the 10- to 20- hour DVDs ā€” ā€œPennystocking,ā€ ā€œPennystocking Part Deux,ā€ and the ā€œNew Rules of Penny Stocking.ā€ I was working on ā€œTim Fundamentalsā€ and, for reasons Iā€™m about to share, still am.

I donā€™t know whether I was frustrated, amused, or both. Sykes describes in these videos parabolic moves of stock pumps. He details his classic short strategy.

Mind you, this is in ā€œPennystockingā€ and ā€œPennystocking Part Deux,ā€ so he hadnā€™t yet formulated the ā€œPennystocking Frameworkā€ and all the viable plays therein.

Time and again ā€” on more than one occasion ā€” heā€™d point to what would become number 5 and number 6 in his ā€œPennyStocking Framework.ā€ Then heā€™d say, ā€œThereā€™s no play here.ā€

I wanted to go back in time, kick in the door to the conference, and yell at the top of my lungs: ā€œDip buying morning panics will one day be your favorite pattern!ā€

Itā€™s frustrating. Time is valuable. Iā€™m burning through these ancient DVDs where past Sykes is telling everyone, including me, that thereā€™s no play where future Sykes is playing.

Of course, I took it with a fat grain of Himalayan sea salt and kept watching. Because those DVDs have gold in them.

The Catalyst

On Monday, August 25, 2020, the alert went out. Sykes had exited his position in GreenPower Motor (OTCQB: GPVRF) for a $4,350 profit.* He called it a ā€œperfectā€ morning panic dip buy in his exit comments, but he said something else in chatā€¦

ā€œYouā€™d have to be deaf, dumb, blind, and stupid not to make money on this play.ā€

I wasnā€™t upset or personally offended by the comment. Trading is an individual thing. All traders have their own patterns, set of rules, and ways of trading. My way isnā€™t making me any money ā€” but I have one.

Iā€™ve been practicing on listed stocks exclusively because the commission-free structure allows me to take small position sizes. And unlike paper trading, it puts some skin in the game. So I get emotional exercise while practicing trading and looking for patterns. Sadly, Iā€™d been using it as a crutch ā€¦ I didnā€™t realize it at the time.

I wanted to tell Sykes, ā€œLook, Iā€™m new to this. Iā€™m studying. Iā€™m trying to figure all this out. Iā€™m not stupid. I just havenā€™t learned yet.ā€

That seemed a bit long-winded for a comment during the morning rush. Instead, I quipped, ā€œrude.ā€

He quipped back, ā€œhonest.ā€ 

I was mad. How many hours did I waste watching DVDs where he told me not to do the exact thing that he just did? How many times has he said to trade to your comfort level?

I called him out. ā€œOr maybe you have other reasons for not trading OTCs? Like, you havenā€™t studied them enough and know that itā€™s not your strong suit?ā€

The Teacher I Need

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Some people in the chat tried to come to my rescue. I donā€™t need rescuing ā€” not then and not now. Sykes knew what I needed. ā€œStudy up then, no chatting in chat until you watch 500 video lessons ā€¦ go.ā€ 

So I did. I took it to heart. I was on fire. Iā€™m chatty and not being able to talk about ideas, processes, or trading is like being locked in a cage for me. But I took it a step further. I was determined, resolute. Yeah, I was going to NOT talk in chat until I watched those videos, AND I was also going to stay off Twitter and Reddit.

I was going to burn through those videos and learn it all. 

On day one, I wrote Sykes a note at the bottom of my tally card. What I said in that note doesnā€™t matter now, but Iā€™ll tell you it wouldnā€™t have been helpful. And as I went through those videos, tallying and taking notes, what I wanted to say to Sykes changed.

It took me seven full days to watch 500 video lessons.

At the end, I sent him a picture of my tally page and thanked him. He is the teacher I need.

500 video lessons checklist
Photo courtesy of haafamillion

Prospectus

Through my video lesson journey, I took haphazard notes, scrawling thoughts and questions as I often do. It took me hours to categorize and organize them into comprehensible and repeatable statements.

There are dozens of things to learn in each video. Iā€™ve been studying for a while, no matter what my P/L tells you. A lot of it was review for me. I mostly collected things that I didnā€™t already know or found to be so fundamental that they merit repeating over and overā€¦

Say it with me now: ā€œCut. Losses. Quickly.ā€

I did and am still doing this for myself. This is to help me learn and remember facts and details. And since Iā€™m already doing it, if someone else can benefit, they may as well. So hereā€™s what Iā€™ve learned from watching 500 Tim Sykes video lessonsā€¦

Study!

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Sykes can get upset and impatient. Thatā€™s because heā€™s been putting up with students not studying for over 10 years now. And thatā€™s why in every video he says to watch his other videos.

Stop asking dumb questions in chat that heā€™s answered in a thousand videos and go watch the videos. Theyā€™re all neatly categorized thanks to Mark Croock! If I want to know anything about anything trading related, I can find it in the video lesson library.

The video lesson library is SO cool. Just watch videos until you find a trade you like. Then go back in history, find the beginning of that trade, and watch it from start to finish. Watch it play out!

Check out all your favorite tickers. See which ones survived, where they are now, and if theyā€™re still in play. In doing this, you get to see Sykesā€™ experience in fast forward. You can have years of experience in hours. Do it.

Seriously. If you paid the tuition, get your moneyā€™s worth. Get Sykesā€™ timeā€™s worth, and watch all the Tim Sykes video lessons.

Be Self-Sufficient!

All of Sykesā€™ top students study on their own. They learn how to handle the markets on their own.

They donā€™t ask for other peopleā€™s opinions on stocks, what everyoneā€™s trading, or if thereā€™s news. Top students know to look on their own because theyā€™ve studied and learned how to do it on their own.

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Studying leads to competence, wisdom, and comfort. I have to learn so I can earn.

No one is studying. If you look at a lot of people on Twitter ā€” the questions they ask, the way they behave ā€” theyā€™re clueless!  All you have to do is be 10% smarter than they are. Is that enough? Iā€™ll answer that in a second. Firstā€¦

Treat Your Trading Like a Business

Treat this like a business. So many consistent traders say it. Almost to the point where it doesnā€™t make sense anymore.

Itā€™s like when someone asks how we are. As long as weā€™re not dying, most of us say, ā€œGood.ā€ It doesnā€™t mean anything anymoreā€¦

But I had a moment when I was watching 500 Tim Sykes video lessons and he said it again. ā€œTreat this like a business.ā€

I realized Iā€™ve run a successful business. It was tireless ā€” ironic since one of the things I did was changing tires. You have to think about your overhead, the best tools, investment, capital management, and profit margins.

You have to think.

When you own a business, it doesnā€™t matter if you make $1,000 in a day. Thatā€™s not your money. It belongs to the business. You canā€™t go out and spend it. You canā€™t pay rent with that money.

You grow a business by reinvesting your capital back into the business. Until your business reaches critical mass and you start earning more than youā€™re investing, nothing you make belongs to you. You have to rememberā€¦

Most Traders Fail

70% of small businesses fail. Itā€™s said that 90% of traders fail. Itā€™s not a coincidence!

Every business has clients or customers. If I treat my trading like a business, who are my customers?

Iā€™m my number-one customer. Iā€™m the only customer and the product is both my trades and me as a trader. So I have to be someone who Iā€™d go to for these things and focus on the product.

I have to be the most excellent trader I can be. That means focusing on the craft and being a trading master. Donā€™t just be someone whoā€™s 10% better. Be 100% better ā€¦ Better than Tim or Tim or Tim or Tim (more on Tims shortly.)

Being competent and meticulous are my edge. I have to be my own best customer.

And if you donā€™t like trading, donā€™t trade. Trading is finance, filings, numbers, charts, hype, and press releases. Itā€™s being awake and prepared. Trading is learning and growing.

You have to study and develop yourself as a person. If you donā€™t want to do it ā€” if youā€™re not into these things ā€” thatā€™s OK. Find the thing you are into and do that.

Coolers, Closers, and Cleaners

Tim Grover trains athletes to be the best. I didnā€™t learn this from watching 500 Tim Sykes video lessons, but it applies. In his book, ā€œRelentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable,ā€ Grover separates professional athletes into three categories: coolers, closers, and cleaners.

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Coolers are great athletes, terrific teammates, and support.

Closers are team leaders. They direct the coolers, and coolers turn to them for support and guidance in a clutch.

Cleaners stand above the rest. Theyā€™re a league of their own, beyond comparison. Theyā€™re the record makers and breakers. Theyā€™re the Michael Jordans, the Tiger Woods, the Kobe Bryants, the Tom Bilyeus. Theyā€™re the Tim Grittanis.

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They make what they do seem godly, inhuman. The average person thinks itā€™s impossible. Cleaners donā€™t tell coolers or closers what to do. Theyā€™re too busy doing what needs to be done. No one turns to a cleaner in a clutch because if the cleaner hasnā€™t done it yet, itā€™s beneath them.

Coolers wake up, see a hot stock, buy it, and sometimes get lucky.

Closers wake up before them, read the news, mark their charts, and plan their trades.

Cleaners know the name of the CEO, the CEOā€™s spouseā€™s name, and where the lawyer who wrote the SEC filing went to college. Does that help them trade? Maybe. They donā€™t care if itā€™s important or not. Theyā€™re too busy nailing trade after trade.

The average person dismisses their own faults by glorifying the cleanerā€™s ā€˜innate giftsā€™ but thereā€™s nothing innate about it. Cleaners work.

Be hard on yourself. Kick your own butt until you learn your lessons. After that, forgive yourself and move on andā€¦

Donā€™t Be a Closer

Be a cleaner. If thatā€™s too meta for you, walk away now.

Who do you think of when you think of trading? Tim Grittani?

That dudeā€™s a cleaner. Thatā€™s because heā€™s studied diligently and meticulously. He tracked stats for years. His spreadsheets are legendary. For what? And what did he do with them?

Through studying, you can find what works for you. You can find the setups and patterns that can be your bread and butter. And you can find your comfort zone ā€” and your comfort zone is golden.

Trading outside of your comfort zone can be disarming. It can mess with your psychology and lead you to make questionable decisions, which can lead to catastrophic disasters. So itā€™s important to study until you find your comfort zone.

Once you find the patterns and setups that you know and feel, you can wait until those patterns emerge in the market and trade them. One challenge, though, is to only trade in your comfort zone ā€” or to at least trade safely outside of your comfort zone with smaller size or paper trading.

Bret Steenberger calls it risk resilience. As you study, as you trade your patterns and grow accustomed to them, you increase your risk resilience. That enhances your ability to avoid emotional decisions.

You should always make your decisions based on the pattern youā€™re trading. Grittani is the master of this strategy. He doesnā€™t even have his Profit/Loss column active when heā€™s trading. Instead, he turns it off so he can focus on the pattern and on the price action.

That guy is a cleaner and doesnā€™t even look at his profits. He doesnā€™t know how much heā€™s up or down ā€” he knows his entry and the moment.

So donā€™t worry about the money. Play the chart as perfectly as you can.

The process and technique are what attracted me to the Trading Challenge. Yes, I want the money. I know that if I focus on being the best trader and study until I know my best patterns and take those trades, the money will come.

So I need to study and master these setups and patterns, wait for my best setups and patterns, and consistently take advantage of them. Once I do that, in the words of Sykes, ā€œItā€™s just rinse and repeat.ā€

Trading Challenge

Tim again.

What makes a ā€˜successfulā€™ trader is subject to interpretation. But if you ask me, it all starts with the right mindset.

My student haafamillion was willing to watch 500 Tim Sykes video lessons to improve her trading. I donā€™t see a lot of students with that level of dedication.

Iā€™ve seen plenty of ā€˜get rich quickā€™ schemers come and go in the penny stock market. Theyā€™re full throttle for a while, then they blow up their accounts and move on to the next hot thing. Forex! Crypto! Options!

Theyā€™re on a hamster wheel. Wanna get off the hamster wheel of following alerts? Become self-sufficient.

If you wanna become self-sufficient, knowledge is key.

Youā€™ve gotta understand ā€” as a trader, you have two accounts. Youā€™ve got your knowledge account and your money account. There are no guarantees that youā€™ll fill up your money account ā€¦ But experience tells me that filling up your knowledge account gives you a much better chance.

Do you get it? Are you ready to work for it? Consider joining my Trading Challenge. Itā€™s based on my 20+ years of trading experience.

Youā€™ll have access to webinars, my incredible chat room community, thousands of video lessons in the library. All of my current millionaire students* started out as Challenge students. Theyā€™ve learned the methods and adapted them into their own trading styles.

My Challenge student haafamillion is a Challenge student who shows great potential. Are you ready to take control of your trading and start working toward making your goals a reality?

Leave a comment! How many Tim Sykes video lessons have you watched? Do you have haafamillionā€™s dedication? I want to hear from youā€¦


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Timothy Sykes

Tim Sykes is a penny stock trader and teacher who became a self-made millionaire by the age of 22 by trading $12,415 of bar mitzvah money. After becoming disenchanted with the hedge fund world, he established the Tim Sykes Trading Challenge to teach aspiring traders how to follow his trading strategies. Heā€™s been featured in a variety of media outlets including CNN, Larry King, Steve Harvey, Forbes, Menā€™s Journal, and more. Heā€™s also an active philanthropist and environmental activist, a co-founder of Karmagawa, and has donated millions of dollars to charity. Read More

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* Results are not typical and will vary from person to person. Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. There are inherent risks involved with investing in the stock market, including the loss of your investment. Past performance in the market is not indicative of future results. Any investment is at your own risk. See Terms of Service here

The available research on day trading suggests that most active traders lose money. Fees and overtrading are major contributors to these losses.

A 2000 study called ā€œTrading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investorsā€ evaluated 66,465 U.S. households that held stocks from 1991 to 1996. The households that traded most averaged an 11.4% annual return during a period where the overall market gained 17.9%. These lower returns were attributed to overconfidence.

A 2014 paper (revised 2019) titled ā€œLearning Fast or Slow?ā€ analyzed the complete transaction history of the Taiwan Stock Exchange between 1992 and 2006. It looked at the ongoing performance of day traders in this sample, and found that 97% of day traders can expect to lose money from trading, and more than 90% of all day trading volume can be traced to investors who predictably lose money. Additionally, it tied the behavior of gamblers and drivers who get more speeding tickets to overtrading, and cited studies showing that legalized gambling has an inverse effect on trading volume.

A 2019 research study (revised 2020) called ā€œDay Trading for a Living?ā€ observed 19,646 Brazilian futures contract traders who started day trading from 2013 to 2015, and recorded two years of their trading activity. The study authors found that 97% of traders with more than 300 days actively trading lost money, and only 1.1% earned more than the Brazilian minimum wage ($16 USD per day). They hypothesized that the greater returns shown in previous studies did not differentiate between frequent day traders and those who traded rarely, and that more frequent trading activity decreases the chance of profitability.

These studies show the wide variance of the available data on day trading profitability. One thing that seems clear from the research is that most day traders lose money .

Millionaire Media 66 W Flagler St. Ste. 900 Miami, FL 33130 United States (888) 878-3621 This is for information purposes only as Millionaire Media LLC nor Timothy Sykes is registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any of the securities mentioned in communications or websites. In addition, Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns.

Citations for Disclaimer

Barber, Brad M. and Odean, Terrance, Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors. Available at SSRN: ā€œDay Trading for a Living?ā€

Barber, Brad M. and Lee, Yi-Tsung and Liu, Yu-Jane and Odean, Terrance and Zhang, Ke, Learning Fast or Slow? (May 28, 2019). Forthcoming: Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Available at SSRN: ā€œhttps://ssrn.com/abstract=2535636ā€

Chague, Fernando and De-Losso, Rodrigo and Giovannetti, Bruno, Day Trading for a Living? (June 11, 2020). Available at SSRN: ā€œhttps://ssrn.com/abstract=3423101ā€