I'm Done With Fake Trading Gurus

Author

Don Kaufman
November 12, 2025

I've had it.

I've been in this business 27 years. Built Thinkorswim from 13 employees to a $4 billion acquisition. Seen every scam, every fake guru, every paper-trading charlatan out there.

And I'm absolutely sick of it.

The Trading Education Scam

Here's what pisses me off most: educators who won't trade their own systems.

They'll sell you a $3,000 course on "explosive options strategies" but won't risk a dime of their own money on those same trades.

They'll show you backtests. Paper trades. "Hypothetical results."

But ask to see their actual brokerage statements?

"Oh, we can't show those for privacy reasons."

Bullshit.

Real Money or Get Lost

I funded a $250,000 joint account with our top trader, Gianni. My money. Year to date: Up $85,000.

Want to see the statements? No Problem. Every execution. Every winner. Every loser. Every penny.

The Day I Almost Lost My Mind

A few months back, I'm checking our account and see Gianni bought IONQ calls. Quantum computing stock. Dead money.

My exact words: "What the hell are you doing?"

Four days later: Up 74%.

Then came AMD. Bought calls three days before the OpenAI deal broke. 389% return.

Tesla: 155% in four days. HUT8: 132% clean exit.

Why I Banned Bloomberg From Our Trading Floor

Bloomberg Terminal: $30,000 per year. 325,000 users worldwide. Completely backward-looking.

When we built Thinkorswim, I banned these things.

Why? They tell you what already happened. By the time the story breaks, the move is over.

The Trinity Terminal spots institutional alignment BEFORE the crowd catches on.

The Signal Before the Story

In our recent session, Gianni broke down exactly how he caught these moves:

  • The three-layer institutional momentum pattern

  • How the Trinity Terminal automates signal detection

  • Why manual chart scanning is dead

  • How ordinary traders are targeting 100%+ returns

No backtests. No hypotheticals. Just a system that works with money on the line to prove it.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

We trade every signal we send. We show every portfolio. We answer every email.

That's how it should be.

Next time someone tries to sell you a trading system, ask to see their brokerage statements.

If they won't show them, walk away.

To your success,

Don Kaufman