The other day I noticed the TheStreet.com has published some of Gary B. Smith’s articles on the free section of their site. I may have to start visiting the site again on a regular basis. Here are several of the articles that I found interesting.


  • Getting From There to Here, Reprise - Gary talks about how he became a trader and started using technical analysis. His story sounds a lot like mine. I just sort of fell into trading too.

  • What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been - A bit more on Gary’s background

  • The Chartman, Explained - Gary’s philosophy on trading. Some great concepts in this one — expectancy (one of my favorite topics) and some flaws of fundamental analysis. I had to smile at the beginning of this article. I’ve had so many people assume and most of my friends still refer to me as a daytrader. I’ve just given up trying to correct them and/or explain the difference between that and swing trading. Also just the other day I ran into an old acquaintance and she looked at me sideways and said that what I do for a living “just sounds shady”. LMAO

  • Using Fear and Greed to Your Advantage - Gary talks about how he goes “long greed and short fear.”

  • The Chartman’s Key for Traders - More on expectancy and the concept of treating your equity like a store treats its inventory (you want to turn it over quickly, as opposed to getting rid of it!).

  • More Questions, More Answers - Q&A about risk, drawdowns & back-testing.

  • Gary’s Greatest Hits on Trading - Revisiting a past column that struck to the core of his trading style. This column originally ran on RealMoney Jan. 27, 2001.

  • The Beauty of the Simple Approach - K.I.S.S. This one is a must read! (I think this may have been ghost-written by MaoXian)

  • The Chartman Explains Why - Gary explains why he trades. The reasons are, in order — Work/life flexibility, The Challenge, The Money. I think I’d flip ‘money’ & ‘challenge’.

  • This Trader’s Life — The Chartman’s Approach - A looks at Gary’s typical day

  • If You’re Gonna Trade, Have a Backup - Gary drops some serious knowledge in this piece. Anybody who’s thinking about trading for a living must read this one. What he says about having an alternate income stream and/or a huge pile of cash stashed away is so true. Dry spells are a mutha@&^*#, especially if you have bills to pay every month and no other source of income. Trust me, I know all too well.

Here are some other good articles by Gary from back in the day.