Rating: 
Summary: A "how to" on Life.....oh, and trading too.
Review: If you've read any books on zen or books like the The Inner Game of Tennis and came away with a little something extra then this book will fit perfectly into your library of READ books. For me, it was really a book about trusting your yourself, your gut, trusting your feal and not getting sidetracked by the conscious brain, anxiety, down days, trusting the work you've put into something, understanding your anxiety, not running from your fears, but rather coddling them, and not letting them run your decision making process. Yes, it's a 'how to' for trading, but its also something a little more intelligent (useful for the real world too). By reading this book, you put your faith in Ari and his successful devotees such as Steve Cohen (forward) who have been incredibly successful in trusting their feal and you learn to trust yourself. Yes, some people have better feal than others. But, what trade to win tries to impress that will help you get closer to victory is that its the trusting yourself (not getting sidetracked), visualizing, taking calculated positions-not gambling, setting realistic/yet stretch goals that help you steadily build up your success rate (applicable really to anything, not just trading). Put it this way, I found so much of value in this book on trading, analysis, and life, that the book is totally marked up and I'm probably going to HAVE to buy another copy. Really worth while for amateur traders, pro traders, non-traders, portfolio managers and analysts alike, and anybody for that matter.
Rating:
Summary: A "how to" on Life.....oh, and trading too.
Review: If you've read any books on zen or books like the The Inner Game of Tennis and came away with a little something extra then this book will fit perfectly into your library of READ books. For me, it was really a book about trusting your yourself, your gut, trusting your feal and not getting sidetracked by the conscious brain, anxiety, down days, trusting the work you've put into something, understanding your anxiety, not running from your fears, but rather coddling them, and not letting them run your decision making process. Yes, it's a 'how to' for trading, but its also something a little more intelligent (useful for the real world too). By reading this book, you put your faith in Ari and his successful devotees such as Steve Cohen (forward) who have been incredibly successful in trusting their feal and you learn to trust yourself. Yes, some people have better feal than others. But, what trade to win tries to impress that will help you get closer to victory is that its the trusting yourself (not getting sidetracked), visualizing, taking calculated positions-not gambling, setting realistic/yet stretch goals that help you steadily build up your success rate (applicable really to anything, not just trading). Put it this way, I found so much of value in this book on trading, analysis, and life, that the book is totally marked up and I'm probably going to HAVE to buy another copy. Really worth while for amateur traders, pro traders, non-traders, portfolio managers and analysts alike, and anybody for that matter.
Rating:
Summary: Must have for every trader who wants to perform at a peak.
Review: Individuals or teams are winners because they commit to a vision and then relentlessly work away by becoming the living embodiment of the purpose. Following the concepts outlined in Trading to Win and mustering the emotional courage to take the formative steps to that winning attitude may be just what you need to engage, outthink, outmaneuver and perform at a level that serves as a benchmark for the rest of them. The Trading to Win approach is the product of a five-year collaboration between Dr. Ari Kiev, a leading psychiatrist with years of experience with Olympic athletes, and top hedge fund manager, Steve Cohen and the traders at his and other firms. Dr. Kiev's book is not for the faint-hearted. It is a program that gives the conscientious reader the tools which he/she may use to overcome self-limiting beliefs and mindsets and step into a winning psychological domain, irrespective of the field of application. Indeed, it is discipline, mental lucidity, and emotional toughness that separates the vast majority who are achievers and the select few that create benchmarks by being consistent winners. The Trading to Win approach teaches you to win by trading in terms of a commitment using a future objective as a template for making the disciplined and often emotionally tough decisions in the present. And that is achieved by the rigorous program that empowers you, the serious reader and the disciplined practitioner with the notion that you too have it within yourself to be an Olympian; and you alone can weave the magic carpet and navigate it towards that winners arena. Having had first hand experience with Buddhist and other Eastern philosophies, I cannot but help notice the modernized and powerful presentations of certain mind-body concepts in the Trading to Win program. Trading in the master zone is similar to the Buddhist concept of Nirvana - a psychological state of mind where there is no fear or desire, only the chance to exist. It is the quiet acceptance of anxiety, pain, and being able to operate effectively in risky and unfamiliar territory that are the hallmarks of a Super Trader. Dr. Kiev guides the reader through exercises and commitments that are the stepping stones to operate effectively in the realm of the unknown achieved by emptying one's self beyond fear and judgement and trading to win with one's untapped potential, independent of self limiting beliefs and the concern of others. I have personally sat in and participated in Dr. Kiev's traders' sessions at SAC Capital Management, where I manage a quantitatively driven automated portfolio trading strategy. My first hand experience with Dr. Kiev has been a very positive one - his analysis of my thought processes which were the precursors to some of the mistakes I made were on spot. I now practice the performance enhancing techniques that Dr. Kiev recommends in Trading to Win - it is and will be a long and tough road to shed away personal demons and deterring beliefs but I continue to chip away at them as I believe it has already made a fundamental change in the way I view trading opportunities and risk taking. Trading to Win is a must read for every trader who's felt a certain gnawing fear and hesitation to pick up that phone and place the order when all odds seem to point against the trade being made. I would rate the book at the top along with other trading related works such as Reminiscences of a Stock Operator and Market Wizards. Read Trading to Win, Commit to the goal, practice....and be surprised when you unleash your hidden potential. Al Vinjamur Quantitative Portfolio Manager
Rating:
Summary: Examining your inner self to be a better trader and person
Review: October 1998 started off as my worst month ever as an equity trader.After spending the weekend reading "TRADING TO WIN", I felt that I wasn't trading with the conviction and calculating the risk the way I should be . The following week {and ever since},I've been a completely different trader and person . October turned out to be my best month ever with November and December close behind. I feel that Ari Kiev made it possible for me to realize what I was doing wrong and to address it. For that Iam truly thankful.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing resource
Review: Of all the books, websites, brochures etc. that I've researched dealing with trading this is by far the one that's helped me the most. I highly recommend this work for anyone who is thinking of doing any investing or trading. Not bad as a life primer either.
Rating: 
Summary: the emperor has no clothes
Review: Synopsis: A psychiatrist with a clinical understanding of emotional state control but no real trading experience picks the brains of fund managers who aren't making enough money with their trading (or perhaps SAC capital is doing so well they want to improve the trading skills of their direct competitors out of charity). The blurbs suggest this book is for institutional traders and advanced investors. This is similar to the hollywood tactic of purposely making a movie rated R to give it more appeal to the 14 year olds it is marketed to. Real traders laugh at books like this for the same reason that casinos laugh at books on how to win at blackjack. In my opinion Kiev is guilty of perpetrating a trading fantasy for the purpose of drawing in flakes and dreamers. One of the ways he does this is by constantly referring to big dollar amounts. There are countless examples, but let's just take one: Max, the guy who always seems to top out at 300K a month. Is this a great performance or a lousy one? It's impossible to tell without knowing the initial base of trading capital. If Max is trading with three million dollars, then 300K is a phenomenal monthly return (10%). If he is trading with thirty million, then his average is somewhere between ok and lousy, and if Max is running a hundred mil, then 300K a month is downright pathetic. In other words, RAW DOLLAR AMOUNTS DO NOT MATTER AS A MEASUREMENT OF PERFORMANCE. ONLY RETURN ON INVESTMENT AS A PERCENTAGE OF INITIAL CAPITAL AT RISK MATTERS AS A MEASUREMENT OF PERFORMANCE. Any trader worth his salt has to know this. Kiev's information sources at SAC capital management have to know this. So why does Kiev insist on throwing around meaningless dollar amounts instead of using more useful percentages of return? Because he wants to impress, that's why. $300,000 a month, regardless of the actual percentage return it represents, sounds like the exotic big leagues to the average guy with $2,000 in his online brokerage account. Readers of this book are supposed to go "ooh" and "ahhhh." and not think about the fact that these numbers are meaningless and calculated only to feed the fantasy and mask the reality. While the breathing exercises are sort of fun, a lot of the advice in this book is ridiculous. For example, here is this nugget for the out of control types: "If you are a compulsive trader who frequently blows up...go back to making $5,000 to $10,000 a day and you will soon be successful." Never mind that Kiev has no idea what your problem is, what your trading size is, or even how much is in your trading account in the first place. All you have to do is go back to six figures a month and you will soon(!) be successful. The trader examples sprinkled throughout the book are often contradictory and no effort is taken to reconcile them. Bill is too distracted by noise and information and doesn't listen to his own inner guide, but Bob isn't making enough use of his information networks and should talk more to the analysts. Rick is always getting out too soon and doesn't have the courage to hold on to a good trade, but Jack holds on to long and doesn't know when to take a profit. And so on. To make things worse, some of the advice in this book is not just bad, it is downright dangerous. For example, Kiev states that "you've got to decide in advance that this is going to be a $10,000 or $20,000 day; having decided that, you're going to have to trade in such a way as to make that a reality." I cannot stress enough how utterly, completely off base this advice is. Overtrading, and/or the need to feel that money should be taken out of the market every day like a normal job, even on days when clear opportunities aren't there, is one of the biggest problems that affects professional traders. When there are no clear opportunities, what do you do? You don't trade. You never try and force something that isn't there. When you have the mindset that "the market has to give me X dollars today," you are already dead because a) you are focusing on the money, b) you are in danger of compromising your technique, and c) you are imposing your wishes on the market before you start. Mr. Kiev is approaching trading the same way he approached his athletes, that you can get what you want if you just want it bad enough. That's great for sports motivation, but in the markets it will get you killed.
Rating:
Summary: the emperor has no clothes
Review: Synopsis: A psychiatrist with a clinical understanding of emotional state control but no real trading experience picks the brains of fund managers who aren't making enough money with their trading (or perhaps SAC capital is doing so well they want to improve the trading skills of their direct competitors out of charity). The blurbs suggest this book is for institutional traders and advanced investors. This is similar to the hollywood tactic of purposely making a movie rated R to give it more appeal to the 14 year olds it is marketed to. Real traders laugh at books like this for the same reason that casinos laugh at books on how to win at blackjack. In my opinion Kiev is guilty of perpetrating a trading fantasy for the purpose of drawing in flakes and dreamers. One of the ways he does this is by constantly referring to big dollar amounts. There are countless examples, but let's just take one: Max, the guy who always seems to top out at 300K a month. Is this a great performance or a lousy one? It's impossible to tell without knowing the initial base of trading capital. If Max is trading with three million dollars, then 300K is a phenomenal monthly return (10%). If he is trading with thirty million, then his average is somewhere between ok and lousy, and if Max is running a hundred mil, then 300K a month is downright pathetic. In other words, RAW DOLLAR AMOUNTS DO NOT MATTER AS A MEASUREMENT OF PERFORMANCE. ONLY RETURN ON INVESTMENT AS A PERCENTAGE OF INITIAL CAPITAL AT RISK MATTERS AS A MEASUREMENT OF PERFORMANCE. Any trader worth his salt has to know this. Kiev's information sources at SAC capital management have to know this. So why does Kiev insist on throwing around meaningless dollar amounts instead of using more useful percentages of return? Because he wants to impress, that's why. $300,000 a month, regardless of the actual percentage return it represents, sounds like the exotic big leagues to the average guy with $2,000 in his online brokerage account. Readers of this book are supposed to go "ooh" and "ahhhh." and not think about the fact that these numbers are meaningless and calculated only to feed the fantasy and mask the reality. While the breathing exercises are sort of fun, a lot of the advice in this book is ridiculous. For example, here is this nugget for the out of control types: "If you are a compulsive trader who frequently blows up...go back to making $5,000 to $10,000 a day and you will soon be successful." Never mind that Kiev has no idea what your problem is, what your trading size is, or even how much is in your trading account in the first place. All you have to do is go back to six figures a month and you will soon(!) be successful. The trader examples sprinkled throughout the book are often contradictory and no effort is taken to reconcile them. Bill is too distracted by noise and information and doesn't listen to his own inner guide, but Bob isn't making enough use of his information networks and should talk more to the analysts. Rick is always getting out too soon and doesn't have the courage to hold on to a good trade, but Jack holds on to long and doesn't know when to take a profit. And so on. To make things worse, some of the advice in this book is not just bad, it is downright dangerous. For example, Kiev states that "you've got to decide in advance that this is going to be a $10,000 or $20,000 day; having decided that, you're going to have to trade in such a way as to make that a reality." I cannot stress enough how utterly, completely off base this advice is. Overtrading, and/or the need to feel that money should be taken out of the market every day like a normal job, even on days when clear opportunities aren't there, is one of the biggest problems that affects professional traders. When there are no clear opportunities, what do you do? You don't trade. You never try and force something that isn't there. When you have the mindset that "the market has to give me X dollars today," you are already dead because a) you are focusing on the money, b) you are in danger of compromising your technique, and c) you are imposing your wishes on the market before you start. Mr. Kiev is approaching trading the same way he approached his athletes, that you can get what you want if you just want it bad enough. That's great for sports motivation, but in the markets it will get you killed.
Rating:
Summary: I found Dr. Kiev's book exhilerating and informative
Review: The contents in Dr.Kiev's book was easy to comprehend and thought provoking enough to enable one to do complete introspective look at oneself as you relate to the cosmos and living day to day in the world of money and investing. Wonderful book. Each chapter takes you deeper and deeper into the world of finance and investing as well as one's own risk tolerance relationship with making more right decisions than wrong. Bill Adam president, WA HealthCare
Rating:
Summary: Lacks focus. Poorly written
Review: The experiences, which served as the foundation of this book, are quite real and valid - judging based on my 14 years experience in trading. Equally valid is the author's LACK of ability to focus on, and deliver, his message. Mr. Kiev may be trained in psychology, but for certain not in trading the financial markets, nor in writing. The only useful reading appears to have been arrived at from his notes and quotes of his clients, otherwise this book is mumbo jumbo. You will have a hard time following the author's cluttered thought process and message. Some passages in this book lead me to visualize traders, seated in a circle, holding hands and chanting, while "clearing their minds" in a markets pre-opening ritual. I would pass on this book.
Rating:
Summary: "A must read"
Review: This book focuses the reader on taking the emotion out of his/her decisioins while trading. As with any investment strategy, this is a key component of long term success. Excellent anecdotes on how to apply basic psychological principles to trading. Strongly recommended - and I trade for a living!!
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