More about KD (Part 1)

I wanted to go into a bit more detail about the guy I discussed here.

It’s not Kevin Durant.

KD is a vendor of trader education. Beware vendors and the inherent conflicts of interest that accompany them. The red flags should fly when I encounter people who have something to sell. I should be knowledgeable about frauds, scams, and claims: some of which have been subjects for this blog (e.g. here, here, and here).

Like some vendors, KD has his own piece to share on steering clear of snake oil salespeople. As clickbait, he offers a free 5-part mini course on due diligence for trading educators. Writing such a piece is good marketing because third person language (it/they) naturally sets himself off from what he is writing about. That is to suggest “I am not one of them.”

KD’s claim to fame is posting taking first place in the 2006 World Cup of Futures Trading Championships in the midst of three consecutive years of 100%+ returns. He was later profiled as a “market master” in The Universal Principles of Successful Trading by Brent Penfold (2010).

Part of enjoying success as a guru or trading educator is perfecting the online marketing piece, which KD has certainly done. I first encountered him as a guest contributor on the System Trader Success blog. He moderates an algorithmic trading contest on the Big Mike Trading website (now futures.io). He was a frequent contributor to SFO, and Active Trader magazines (no longer in existence) along with Futures magazine (still running). He has written at least one print book—Building Winning Algorithmic Trading Systems—along with multiple e-books that he generously circulates. I’ve seen KD post on at least two popular investment/trading forums. He has a number of videos on YouTube. He often does webinars from his home and you can watch him speak with kindness and humility.

As a further way to establish a presence and boost his reputation, KD often posts online responses to negative reviews. Personally, I grow more suspicious when I see responses to negative comments. On its own, I may or may not believe a negative review since many are fake (see second-to-last paragraph). When the subject of the review appears defensive, then I suspect the allegation to be more authentic. I’m guessing KD disagrees else he wouldn’t do this.

KD answers questions online, which is a shining star, and he is really good answering questions via e-mail. I have e-mailed him numerous times. He is a prompt responder. He never responds with any frustration, and he addresses all questions.

One of KD’s common responses to my questions is “there is no right or wrong answer.” I find this to be an interesting phenomenon that I will revisit at a later time.