Exchange Traded Funds

Most people tend do the exact opposite of what big funds do and they pay a price for trading this way. For example, some people will buy a stock after hearing that a fund manager really likes it. However, by the time the retail investors buy it, the fund manager is about ready to sell.

But what if you could detect what the big mutual funds are doing with their money well before they complete their big transactions and jump in ahead of them? If mutual fund managers are buying retail stocks, you’d be able to get into those stocks as they are getting in and profit greatly as their significant purchasing activity drives prices up

Wouldn’t that be a huge advantage over other investors? We’re going to show you exactly how to do that. How? First, by understanding how and where big money flows.

Suppose you manage a fund, and you need to move a billion dollars out of retail stocks and into utility stocks. For billion dollar orders, you don’t just click a mouse button. Instead, you work with a large brokerage firm and instruct them with an order that basically says, "You have three days to get rid of this stock. We want at least $998 million for it. If you can get more than that, keep the extra cash as commission." The market then sees a slow movement out of retail stocks. And as that one fund moves out of retail, others may see that action, which then might confirm their beliefs about retail sector weakness, causing them to move out as well. Subsequent flows make the underlying movement even stronger.

The same fund manager may give instructions to use the proceeds of the retail stocks sale to then buy a billion dollar basket of utility stocks over the next five days. As retail stocks were moving down, you might also see utility stocks moving up.

While the major averages may not move that much, big money moves its funds around and shifts the internals of the markets. Now expand your focus beyond domestic equities. Say the Latin American markets are zooming up, oil is building a base or the dollar is in a nice steady trend. There are now clear cut ways for the individual trader to see this happening and to take advantage of it.

You can learn to detect when and where the big money moves. In fact, spotting it quickly can be an important (and highly profitable!) edge for you. Big money tends to move slowly, but you can move quickly. In fact, when you get good at observing the flows of funds, you can start making thousands of dollars each day at your convenience. It’s not that hard. Ken Long, a retired US Army LTC, does it regularly.

And Ken will show you just how he does it in this revamped, exciting workshop that teaches you how to jump in front of the big money (formerly titled ETF 101 Workshop).

When Ken Long first attended my Systems Development workshop in the mid 1990s and submitted his objectives to me, I thought to myself, "Someone from the Army is going to apply this material?" Little did I know that Ken Long would not only apply it but he’d become a master of it and one of the best traders I know.

Ken is one of the few people I have met who has a graduate degree in systems design. Because of his training, Ken spots ideas that most people would never think of. For example, when Ken attended our systems workshop and learned about the complex training game we were playing, he developed a procedure for strategizing about the game that I now teach in that workshop. He’s that good!

Ken’s business plan is one that I use as a template for teaching business planning to traders. Again, his work is exemplary.

Ken is one of our best instructors in part because he treats his trading and teaching as he treats his martial arts, his coaching, and life in general: he pursues excellence to the point of mastery. He’s even working on a management PhD now and has been able to integrate his research into his teaching position at the US Army Staff College and into his trading. Ken is a thinker, philosopher, a tinkerer, and a leader. He applies what he learns faster and gets more done every day than anyone else I know.

He started with mutual funds in the 1990s but has grown over the last ten years into an outstanding big picture thinker, and long term and tactical trader. He has also evolved his strategies over the years and teaches his latest advancements in this workshop. What Ken does today is not that hard. He says that if he learned how to do it, anyone can! Register Now

Here’s one example of how Ken has taken my material and applied it (in this case) to help you trade better. In our Blueprint Workshop, we have a few areas of key focus for becoming a great trader: knowing yourself, understanding markets, and using systems. Ken used this Blueprint model to rebuild his previous ETF 101 material into this new workshop. These are the areas he has built the new course around:

You’ll focus on gathering the information and identifying the tools you need to design and operate your ETF trading strategy. You’ll learn about ETFs, how they are constructed, and how they trade, and why they are so useful to traders. You’ll look at large cap stocks and find out how their similar behavior to ETFs offers you trading opportunities. You’ll also cover the parts of a trading system and how your beliefs and objectives form the basis of effective system design. You’ll identify ETF price actions that indicate where the big money is flowing. This is a core part of most of Ken’s strategies. You’ll also learn essential skills to enhance your trading with concepts like position sizing strategies and portfolio heat. And lastly, you’ll study useful indicators that measure strength of trend and volatility and learn to identify common reversal signals. And all of that is just on Day 1!

On Day 2, Ken reviews a number of trading systems over various time frames. Learn in detail how an ETF system can be traded in a stand-alone mode or be traded as part of a broader portfolio. You’ll examine the specific rules for entry and how to base your decisions off of simple yet robust indicators. Ken goes in depth on the critical yet often overlooked topics of position sizing methods and exit management. Learn the power of position sizing strategies as a risk management tool and how your profits come from your exits. Ken uses case studies to teach the fine points of each strategy. You get to develop your personal ETF strategy using the tools and techniques that fit your objectives and beliefs by working in a small group of like-minded traders.

On Day 3, we put it all together and practice applying the trading strategies. You’ll learn to pick the right strategy and apply it effectively in real world situations through the use of case studies and group work. You’ll learn how to develop your trading and support systems to make your trading decisions much more efficient and save you a lot of time. In addition, you’ll receive group insights on the specifics of your personal ETF strategy.

In addition to the money making benefits listed above, there’s another valuable element to this course. You’ll be meeting and networking with like-minded traders and investors from around the world! After the workshop, Ken also provides the means for you to keep up with his ongoing systems development process.

Ken has developed some of the best trading systems for which I have personally seen trade results. He has developed himself into an outstanding trader and teacher—feedback forms from his workshops continuously have the highest marks. Attend this workshop and study with a true master.

And as always, you’ll be networking and meeting like-minded traders and investors!

Bring a friend with you who is new to the Van Tharp Institute and you both will get an additional $200 off your tuition. Call 800-385-4486 or 919-466-0043 to register you and your friend.

Dr. Tharp totally guarantees that you will be delighted with it. In fact, we'll take all of the risk ourselves. If you aren't totally satisfied by 12 PM on the second day of the course, you'll receive a full refund for what you paid for the course. Just return your course materials to an IITM staff member and we'll refund your course fee even though you've already had many of the benefits of the course.

Why are we willing to assume your risk? The key to our guarantee is, if you are ready to work on yourself, then there is no risk to us. We know you'll be delighted.

A: Absolutely! Just think of the advantage of being able to jump in front of large funds because you’ll have learned the skills to anticipate what they are doing. You’ll also have the advantage of being able to spot which markets around the globe are doing well and participate in their rallies.

A: For the same reasons that prompt a number of professional managers to revisit this course annually. Ken is always developing new market insights, coming up with new trading systems, and constantly evolving his current systems. He conceives profitable new trading ideas frequently and he shares those freely with his classes. Ken constantly challenges his students to develop their own new ways of thinking about the market and about trading. How many ideas worth thousands of dollars each would it take for attendance to make sense for you? Wouldn’t just a few of those be worth your time?

A: Absolutely. You don’t have to have tons of experience to learn how to spot what big money is doing. Furthermore, Ken teaches profitable methods that newer traders can use immediately. It wasn’t that many years back that Ken was a new trader himself, and he takes pleasure in helping new traders get going.

A: Ken developed these intermediate and longer term systems initially because he didn’t have a lot of time either. One of Ken’s systems only requires adjustments to its positions annually. That would take less than an hour a year. Ken presents systems that can be operated largely outside of market hours in as little as a few minutes per week. Of course with more time and effort you may reap more results, but you can trade profitably without spending your days in front of a trading screen. Ken has been doing it for years.

"Outstanding Value. If you want to become the best 'mechanical discretionary' trader you can be, take this course." —David Smithers, United Kingdom

"Some of the most practical money making advice on trading systems that I have ever received." —Tony Jackson, GA

"Excellent stuff! Ken is a great teacher, human being and last but not least, trader.

"This is the third time I've [attended one of] Ken's seminars. And every time it's a whole new experience. He's the best in my book. A unique thinker, a great teacher, intelligent, humorous and last but not least a trader with more than a remarkable track record. I picked up more trading ideas in three days with Ken that I can back-test in 3 years." —Leo Willert, Austria

"It's a great course! Do you want systems? Ken gives you a whole load of systems on a wide range of time frames to choose from. And he does not hide anything from you. All his methods, reasonings and ideas, he offers them to you without holding anything back.

“I found Ken to be extremely clear and structured in his explanation and presentation of his systems, beliefs and techniques. Awesome information for traders of any level of expertise." —Jordi Llobet Serra

"One Word: Excellent....I learned how to fit ETF's into my current strategy. The 'world model' created by Ken helped me identify macro trends much easier." Ferdinand Ledesma

"It's worth the time and money. [Ken Long is] very accommodating and responsive. He deserves more than a 10." Vito Pinto

"Very impressed. Ken over delivered on the course objectives and with a lot of his own real-world experiences, all with a good delivery and sense of humor. I leave feeling I can grow my account better than a market benchmark using a disciplined approach without a lot of weekly time and make a little extra using multiple strategies on ETFs." David Holland

"The fact that there were so many high-powered money managers in the class was quite impressive. Their attendance is a more powerful recommendation than any I could give." —Fred Link, GA

"The little guy rarely gets an opportunity to be mentored by someone who has developed and can deliver the complete package of trading beliefs and discipline. Add on top of that the privilege of getting to model his best strategies and methods was for me, the best value yet for my trading education experience." —Grill Kull, CO

"Superb! Great teacher, very enthusiastic and knowledgeable." Al Lizarraras

"Very helpful information that gave me a good foundation for putting ETFs into perspective compared to stocks and mutual funds." Mark Ledbetter

"This was a great introduction to ETFs. I especially liked that it showed me techniques for trading ETFs using short-term strategies." Al Mayo

"Acquired practical trading strategies that I can employ tomorrow with confidence." Riley Uglum

"Excellent. Good common sense for the person who can only look at the markets after work. Ken is up 100% during secular bear markets (2000-2005). How many people can match that? Ken does all the work: he gives you the systems, tells you how to trade them and then gives you the data through his website." Van Tharp

"Best course yet -- both in quality and quantity of material. Ken is a great teacher!" Jon Collard

"It was quite comprehensive with a good blend of basic background material and application, as well as Ken's philosophy." Joe Pleasants"It was quite comprehensive with a good blend of basic background material and application, as well as Ken's philosophy." Joe Pleasants

"Excellent. Provided something for everybody." Robert Hartley

"Great 'all-weather' market strategies which are safe and risk-managed" Mark Neises

"Extremely comprehensive 'top down' approach to trading ETFs. Superbly presented by Ken Long in a very understandable format. I give this course a 10 out of 10. Good job! Ken is clearly a man of great integrity and because of this, he had my trust in the material he was presenting immediately." Tim Ridge

"Great Course. Lots of new ideas for trading." John Kelly