• Do you want some portion of your money generating consistent returns on an intermediate and long term basis?

 

• Do you have a retirement account with limited allocation choices and restrictions on how often you can switch funds?

 

• Do you want to diversify your returns across time horizons and need some great longer-term systems?

 

• Do you have a demanding ful- time job still, but want better returns than your money manager or advisor has provided?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then Dr. Ken Long’s newest workshop, Core Trading Systems: Market Outperformance and Absolute Returns, is just the workshop for you.

Over the last decade, Ken Long has taught a Van Tharp Institute workshop on trading systems with intermediate- to long-term holding periods. Over those years, his workshop and trading systems have improved dramatically. Just in the last two years, he has designed what he considers his best intermediate trading system based on ideas from academic research, live trading, and his Tortoise Mastermind Backtesting Forum. In addition to developing his systems, Ken has honed his teaching abilities and the methods he uses to teach these trading systems. His new teaching method enables students to more effectively learn the systems in a shorter amount of time—just a Saturday and a Sunday. 

Most of the traders in Van Tharp's Super Trader Program use some variation of one of Ken's intermediate/long-term trading systems. And Ken has personally traded each of these systems with his own money over long periods of time. These truly are core systems for a number of successful traders' portfolios.

Ken starts the workshop detailing his personal approach to the markets, which includes the basic fundamentals of Tharp Think.

Over the two-day workshop, Ken reviews five specific portfolio strategies in depth, analyzes their approaches, and reviews their short-term and long-term results.

These systems are easy to manage, yet they have routinely outperformed the market.

You’ll learn to pick the right strategy for you and apply it effectively in real world situations through the use of case studies and group work.

For each system he presents, Ken provides the logic, academic research on the strategy, the long-term results, and his personal experience trading the system. You’ll learn how to develop your own trading and support systems to make your trading decisions more efficiently and save you time.

In the process of learning about Ken’s systems, you will collaborate with other workshop attendees to simulate your own variations of one of his trading systems. The exercise has been eye-opening for past attendees as every group has been able to beat, by far, the market averages.

Register Now

Whether a trader is a novice or a veteran, there is one thing that both have in common: they value their time.

During this workshop, Ken presents low maintenance ways to earn consistent trading profits.

One of the primary objectives of longer term systems is that they require less management than shorter term systems. Ken's systems can be operated largely outside of market hours in less than an hour per week, month, quarter, or year. One system only requires adjusting its positions annually—that’s less than an hour a year! Of course, with more time and effort you may reap more results, but Ken has traded quite profitably for years without spending his days in front of a trading screen. And once you leave his workshop, you will be able to do the same.

Additionally, seasoned traders will be privy to Ken's newest profitable trading ideas, which he freely shares with those in his classes. Ken constantly challenges his students to develop their own 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?

If you are just getting your feet wet in the markets, you’ll find that Ken teaches simple, profitable methods you can use immediately when you get back home. Ken understands the concern and the challenges of being a new trader and is committed to your success. We have had people attend this workshop that have never traded before and leave confident in the simple rules for these systems and able to trade.  Regardless of your trading experience, you will love the ongoing support network after the workshop to ensure your questions about implementation (or any other questions) are answered.

Register Now

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!

"Extremely comprehensive ‘top down’ approach to trading. 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."  —T.R.

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

"It’s been exhilarating! 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." —J.L.S.

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!

The workshop is held in the Van Tharp Institute in-house workshop facility at 102A Commonwealth Court, Cary, North Carolina.

Register early to qualify for an early-enrollment discount of $700!

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 yourself and your friend, or to learn more.

Register Now

Dr. Tharp totally guarantees that you will be delighted with his workshops. In fact, we'll take all of the risk ourselves. If you aren't totally satisfied by the end of the first day of the workshop, you'll receive a full refund for what you paid for the course. Just return your notebook to a Van Tharp Institute staff member and we'll refund your course fee even though you've already had the benefits of half the workshop.

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

Q:   Can you really make lots of money with these principles?

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.

Q:   I am already a profitable trader, why should I consider attending this workshop?

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?

Q:    I am fairly new to trading. Will this workshop help me?

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 is committed to helping new traders get going.

Q:    I don’t have a lot of time to trade. How much time does it take to trade these systems?

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." —Anonymous

"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 a few days with Ken than 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. 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