Are Automated Expert Advisors (EAs) Worth Considering?

By Ash Naeck

This is an important question that has had so many mixed opinions and no real consensus.

My trading career begun when, Expert Advisors were becoming popular among the retail traders. The hype and results surrounding those systems were so mind-blowing that I believed Forex would be an easy trading game. I wasted a lot of time and money in search of the best Expert Advisor out there. I bought literally every EA that hit the market. They all promised the sky but in the end I was left with nothing. It took me a while to come to terms that most of those systems were no definite solution to currency trading.

What makes Expert Advisors so attractive?

These are the main points why traders use EA's:

- No emotion involved

- No sitting in front of the PC the whole day long looking for the right set-up

- Stress free

- Emotion free

- Easy to install

- No need for experience

- Improve trading system

These are the main features that attract us to trading on auto-pilot and I have to admit, they are all very tempting in hind sight. However, the trading world is not as perfect as it seems. Many a time things that, "look too good to be true'' turn out to be greatly deceptive.

If you have done your home-work, you would know by now that there are numerous automated Forex providers on the net. They all claim the same thing, to make insane money in no time. Some of their famous selling pitches include:

- Make a killing trading with this robot

- No losing Forex Robot that can turn $500 into $5000 in less than a month

- Make a ton of Money with no experience

- Robot with 100% success rate turns $100 to $1000 in a month

If half of the above were true I would be sitting on a nice beach as we speak enjoying the sun and sipping on a cocktail, however, here I am sharing with you my experiences about automated expert advisors. Systems that promise to make you thousands overnight or 500%+ return per month are simply B.S. You are more likely to lose than actually make money.

If you have stumbled across this article before making any purchase consider yourself as being lucky. I am among the few people out there that will tell you the truth about Expert Advisors. Most expert advisors are just a waste of money. They don't and will never work. If they did, all the major Banks and Hedge Funds would sack their entire FX department and use those robots instead.

The fact is that banks and the big institutions rely heavily on their currency traders to take advantage of the Forex market. They understand that the currency market is way too unpredictable and volatile to allow a robot to be in control. Market conditions change all the time and the only way to adapt to those changes is to have a human mind in control. A robot for instance cannot bend the rules and thus does not cope well if conditions of market changes violently.

Forex robots are many a time designed my mathematicians or engineers who believe they cracked the code to Forex trading. Well no offence to them but if they have already cracked the code, why am I still not profitable. You see the nature of the Forex market is such that changes in market conditions cannot be predicted. This is due to news, catastrophes, political changes etc Do you believe those robots can take all those changes into account?

The following are some of the major points you need to clear out if you are thinking of purchasing a Forex robot:

- Who developed the system? (make sure he/she is a well-known Forex trader with substantial experience in Forex trading)

- How long has the system been in use? (at least 2 years)

- How long has the system been in operation?(2+ years)

- Monthly ROI

- Maximum draw-down.

If all the above questions check out okay then you got yourself a winner.

I spent a lot of money on different Expert Advisors over the many years, and it is fair to say that I lost more money than I made. I nearly gave up on all those worthless expert advisors until the day I was introduced to a product designed by a guy named Ashkan Bolour.

At this point I had no clue who this guy was, so after some research I came to know that he was a highly respected and successful Forex trader. He had featured in many trading shows and books and was a veteran money manager. He had an automated system that had good reviews and which seemed fairly priced. So I decided to give it a shot.

Well the results were quite amazing. It was not a system making 500% or even 100% return each month but it was making some very consistent profits with small draw-downs. If ever you are looking for a proven system backed by consistent profit made on live accounts, Ashkan Bolour's system, the FXprofit Mountain is a must. - 23217

About the Author:

To see this system in action go to the Forex Expert Advisors section of Forex Trading Domain for a review of all the Forex Systems.

Automated Forex Trading

By Jim Sullivan

Emerging as one of the most dynamic investment opportunities on the planet is none other than the forex market. With just over two trillion dollars (not a typo) moving through the market daily, its no wonder why it's so amazing. Simply said, you can make a lot of money in just a short amount of time. But you must know what your doing. For many years forex trading was only available to governments and banks, those who had millions to invest. But just recently forex brokers have become available to anyone. Now your regular Joe can trade with little start up money. Automated forex trading has made this possible and is changing the game.

Now we know there is a great deal of money to be made here, but that also means that you can lose a lot too. Especially if you do not know what your doing. The forex market is very dynamic and fast moving which can lead to a quick loss if you aren't paying attention. As with anything learning the in's and out's of the market can take years of training and practice. The problem for the beginner can be a lot of mistakes and losses. Thankfully there is a quicker way to profits while you learn the market. Here comes automated forex trading.

So what are we talking about here with automated forex trading and how does it help you? Automated forex trading is done with the help of an expert advisor or robot. There are a ton of these programs out there on the internet that you can buy to help you succeed in your trading.

Traders that develop these robots have years of experience in the forex markets and have created a successful profitable trading plan. They then find a programmer to incorporate it into software which then replicates the process over and over for all who use it.

So imagine a forex robot that trades automatically for you. Now you get the knowledge of a seasoned forex vet without spending all the money to learn their techniques. You don't waste your time or hard earned money because the robot is programmed to profit for you. Just purchase an expert advisor and plug it into your trading system and watch it trade for you. Now you get to take in the profits quickly without all of the failure.

The problem is there are literally thousands of robots out there on the internet. Where do you even begin and which one do you drop your hard earned cash on? My years of research has brought me to Ivybot. This was created and tested by some of the most highly successful traders out there. Ivy League scholars that developed this tool to help the average guy get into the market and make some money.

When you get Ivybot, you're basically getting four different robots in one. It actually trades four different currencies with four different strategies. This allows you to diversify your trading portfolio and make the most profit possible.

Ivybot makes automated forex trading a piece a cake. The hard work, time, and research has already been done for you. Even the testing. All you have to do is get the Ivybot, plug it into your metatrader platform and let it do what it does best! Basically you just need to watch your profits come in. - 23217

About the Author:

For more info and and reviews on automated forex trading robots I always check Jim Sullivan's blog for updates. He covers it all including forex signals

Tips For Land Owners

By Layla Vanderbilt

Nobody desires to pay out money- The fact remains that being a land owner you purchased the property to earn! But here are a few pointers to spending money at the correct place which would definitely save you a lot of money in the future.

1. Landscaping: It is worth spending money on landscaping. The expenses would include costs for the property water bill and the landscaper. Even though your tenant would be greatly excited with a well kept yard, but the reality is that he would hardly put in any efforts to maintain it. You could act in a wise manner and install the reasonably priced sprinklers and leave it up to the gardeners to take care of it.

So now that you've got a lovely lawn and the upkeep is in competent hands, you need to consider advertising! If you don't present your property to prospective tenants, they'll never come- how can they, if they don't know you're there? The first and most obvious thing to do is to place a sign in the front of the property that states you are now leasing, but then you must branch out from there, especially if your area sees little traffic. Now, I'm not going to tell you to invest in newspaper ads and such- those are costly and besides, the print media sees fewer and fewer readers anymore. Instead, turn to the Internet, where certain sites offer FREE advertising. Try putting your ad up on Craigslist, to start with. You'll get tons of views and not have to spend a penny.

When those prospective tenants finally find you, they're going to want to deal with a company; something that looks professional and trustworthy rather than just a single person who may or may not be competent! A small investment can net you an 800 number and a P.O. box, giving yourself both a separate place for tenants to contact you and professional looking contact info. This carries the added benefit of privacy, preventing your tenants from knowing where you live, or getting their calls on your cell phone at all hours! You must be sure to keep boundaries set. Your tenants can tend to feel entitled, and if they do develop such attitudes, let it all go to your alternate contacts. In this manner you can keep your life separate and not be enslaved.

4. Lease Agreement: You must spend the amount that is needed to prepare a legally sound and accurate lease contract. Even though you may purchase a legal agreement from an office supply but such an agreement would be very common and would not include the legal clauses that would protect you in worst cases. Each state has different set of laws and if you are not aware of them then it is always a better option to look for a place from where you could prepare a sound legal contract.

Finally, your property is gorgeous, people have heard about you and you've acquired tenants. From this point onward DO NOT be shy about collecting rent. If someone is late or shows signs of non-payment, don't be afraid to spur him into action with a Three Days to Pay or Quit Notice sitting in his mailbox. It'll scare him enough that he won't be late again. Stay strict and they will pay up. But, if someone still doesn't and you find yourself having to evict them, since you've kept up front about it you'll begin the process exactly on time, preventing you from losing potentially costly days.

Hence by spending some money in landscaping, advertising, improving you image, lease contract and being prompt in sending late notices to the tenants you are sure to save a lot of money in the future. - 23217

About the Author:

Layla Vanderbilt is the content coordinator for a leading property management solution review website which connects people with the leading property management tools.

I Lost Nearly My Whole Account In One Day

By Morris Puma

Recently, I had an important chat with a stock-option manager who is still seeking for the mysterious formula to yielding dependable returns with option investing each month. He mentioned some things which were so obvious to me and brought up many past memories.

The topic that really hit home for me was when he mentioned "Non-directional option investing doesn't mean we should generate return on investment in each and every direction. It means that we generate a profit if the asset doesn't move in any direction. In a few words, it's actually a directional strategy, sideways." This is absolutely the truth, and most investing programs say that it's easy to manufacture a profit with options simply because we can generate money for each and every direction. This is true in some viewpoints and false in others.

Those of you trading Iron Condors know what I am talking about; especially if you are trading the Condors that most courses and books teach. If you are trading this strategy in 2009, you probably aren't making anything. The reason being that the Iron Condor is just as directional as most option trades only that its direction is sideways. For some, it's just as hard to predict a sideways move as it is up or down.

Over the last few months I have had many phone calls from option traders losing most of their trading capital with Condors and Credit spreads. They all have said one thing in common: "I was making great returns at first, and then one day, I lost most of my money." I've heard this tale many a time.

This is the reason why I don't push the popular Iron Condors, Bear Calls or Bull Puts. If you are a couple days from expiration, and the RUT is really near the sold strike, then at that moment you are in a very risky position. I'll remind you that this is the same risky method that many other investors are using to manage this option spread. Shortly all of your friends will be hearing the same story, but you won't be sharing this news with your wife! You smile at the moment, but you won't be if it happens to your trading portfolio. Another sad thing about this investng style is that the fear level is so astronomical that it really hurts your personal life. It makes it tough to sleep or even just relax each day.

Well, we've addressed this aggressive trading style at San Jose Options Mentoring. We've redesigned Condors and Credit Spreads. Our technique gives the underlying more room for the price fluctuation, giving us breathing room in our trading as well as in our lives. We find the less adjustments we have to make, then the more we bring home at the end of the month.

Constructing safe trades to begin with is a priority and will improve anyone's trading skills and returns, but another strategy that we've been working hard on lately is locking in profits. We have techniques to lock in profits on nearly all the trades that we do. It's one of the best things you can possibly learn as an investor.

Also, when we do have a trade go against us, well, we have ways to get a free trade from it. This is another important technique that we teach to our students. While many traders exit with a loss or never exit and sustain a huge loss, we exit and get a free bonus trade that can always lead to returns at a later date.

So winner or loser, we have developed a pretty nice way to trade Iron Condors as well as many other strategies. - 23217

About the Author:

Want to learn how to lock in your profits?? Improve your Option Trading now by visiting San Jose Options Mentoring online at www.sjoptions.com. Visit today and get a Free Video on Option Greeks, a $200 value absolutely free!

Currency Trading - What Are Some Of Secrets

By Gene Minor

Stock market behaviors are attracting recently the investors to the currency markets which are giving a new picture to them of late. It is the right and ideal time to start the forex trading and investing, if you are novice to it. Currency trading secrets are required to be divulged with the new investors to get rid of their unwanted fears towards the market which is alien to them.

One must always try to understand how and why buying and selling on the forex market affects global economy. If at first you find this is too difficult for you to grasp, you may do well to set up a managed fund and have an expert in currency trading manage it for you.

If managed fund becomes your cup of tea, you are freed from the stress and strain of getting glued to the computer for 24 hours and taking the trouble of tracking the rapid movement of the markets.

If on the other hand, you want to learn all about currency trading yourself, you can choose a web-based or computer based software system. Such software will provide you with all the data as the figures emerge in real time. Based on this information, and your understanding of the market trend at that moment, you can buy or sell instantly or make suitable changes.

There are many automated software systems for currency trading and they are often used by forex traders. You can choose any one of these for your own use, but you must know that you cannot let the software decide for you and make the trade. You should be the one to decide when and how to trade.

The secret of currency trade is to make a thorough understanding of the market and its language. The speed and the rapidness at which the market operates on daily basis is only educated to you by this soft ware. This will consummate into a thorough understanding of the market and equip you to take your own autonomous decisions of buying and selling activities.

Lot of novice investors makes an understanding that the currency trading secrets are regarding the automated software utilized as a pair of training wheels to the recently entered investor in forex.

It may be inaccurate from time to time as it is not entirely foolproof, but it is of assistance and overall has great success rate. - 23217

About the Author:

If you want to find out more about this, make sure to check out Forex Brokers List.