Quote Originally Posted by nickola.pazderic View Post
But the robot puts this effort into question. Does one need to go to great lengths when a robot can inform me of a pattern’s historical success rate and likely outcome?
I do not think that the robots put the effort we spend to question, learn, and practice different strategies in question. What the robot, or other automated strategies (e.g. TenBestStocks, Gorilla Trades) allow us to free up time so that we are focused on those endeavors that mean the most to us individually. For me, not only is investing/trading a labor of love that I enjoy, but the process of exploration is one that has always appealed to me. My path is certainly individual, although I do tend to surround myself with other like-minded individuals who share the same passions as I.

I've facilitated various investing groups here in northern Virginia for several years and one theme that has emerged is that there comes a time in many people's lives where they realize that as their lives mature that focus changes -- kid's activities, grandchildren, whatever -- the bottom line is that the time they once had to spend on the markets is taken over by other important activities. They make a conscious decision to move towards automated platforms -- and enjoy the subsequent "freedom" from having to maintain their news/status edge of the market climate. For many of these individuals the knowledge that if a robot or other automated strategy disappears that they have the confidence and ability to pick up and continue with satisfactory performance is the security blanket required to partake in an automated methodology in the first place.

The "eureka" moment for me occurred many years ago when i was a TenBestStocks subscriber. I was also the owner of a research and development company and was negotiating a large contract with the U.S. Navy and everything that goes with that role. The TBS service had to go on a hiatus for two weeks due to a personal emergency, and in this time there was no communication with subscribers. I recall the markets were volatile, and the end result was that I felt completely naked and exposed to someone else. Here, I was completely dependent upon another for *my* financial future, and I was not comfortable. This started my internal desires on "confidence building" and ensuring that I always had a skill that could be called upon if my paid services went on hiatus again.

Luckily for us here, this EV environment is not a TBS, GorillaTrades, or other "canned" site where trades are spoon fed and if the zookeeper doesn't show up for a feeding we are lost in our ability to feed ourselves. Even without a robot subscription the content here is substantial, relevant, and timely, and for those with more time or more inclination there is plenty to digest in terms of MF, EV, TEV, LEV, SmEV, etc. In addition, I think that the quality of contributors here rivals/surpasses most of the well-established groups and provides a depth that is rare, but also is one that can be easily digested by novices and experienced traders without concern for complexity. For those who want more emphasis on automation, the Robots provide the ability to scale back trading/investing time requirements while the site simultaneously provides the security blanket of self-improvement and confidence building through non-Robot forums and content.

I don't think the automated robots will replace our individual need to question, learn, explore, etc. the markets. The robots will be enough for some and there will be no need to dive deeper. Others (such as myself) will want both, because the dance between money flow and our Robots is a wonderful one to watch and in which to participate.

Regards,

pgd