The Mirage of Set and Forget Trading Systems
What would you think if someone came up to you and said: buy my $300 course (only today you can get it for $275 
) and spend just 10 minutes a day and you’ll become a top lawyer or doctor. All sane people will just tell this guy to get lost. But replace lawyer with trader and many otherwise intelligent persons will answer something like: that sounds great! and it’s discounted too! where do I sign-up ?
If you want to grow your savings, nowadays the access to professional traders and asset managers is greater and cheaper than ever. Starting with mere hundreds or at the most with a few thousands, you can invest in all sorts of mutual funds, index funds or liquid alternatives. Which ones are the best and how an allocation should be set up depends very much on who you are and what investment goals and horizons you have. Anyway, these aspects are beside the scope of this article. The point I’m trying to get across is as follows: if you have no interest in the markets, no passion for trading and you’re not willing to dedicate time to learn, why not let professionals do the job ?
I feel my success comes from my love of the markets. I am not a casual trader. It is my life. I have a passion for trading. It is not merely a hobby or even a career choice for me. There is no question that this is what I am supposed to do with my life. – Ed Seykota
The secret to being successful from a trading perspective is to have an indefatigable and an undying and unquenchable thirst for information and knowledge. – Paul Tudor Jones
Do you really think you’ll get better results than professionals with a so-called set and forget system you only spend 10 minutes a day on? Achieving a good long term risk-adjusted performance requires a set of skills that takes time to develop. This is true for all professions, and trading is no different.
A very similar situation can be found in the fitness equipment and health supplements business. Ads along these lines abound: use vibrating belt XYZ 30 minutes a day (while watching your favorite TV series and eating ice cream ) and take these pills and you’ll too look just like the lean, muscular, tanned and sexy models that advertise them. Only the most delusional people will buy into these ads: those fit men and women not only spend hours in the gym and tanning salons and watch everything they eat – they have the discipline to do it day after day and week after week.