Every once in a while, I get a private message asking this question: why don’t you and the TK staff publish your trading history and positions? What better way to legitimize the ideal of information-sharing that the TK Community stands for, than to put your own money (literally) where your mouth is? It’s a great point, and when I discussed it again with DannyUpshaw recently, I thought it made sense to blog about it, too. Danny had suggested a good compromise might be to put some small amounts of money into stocks, so that I’d always have a few basic long positions to show the community where I stood on a few issues. As Danny noted, “That would be some minor way for you to participate in the openness that TradeKing encourages without actually showing your real holdings.”
As I wrote Danny, I really wish the TradeKing folks and I could participate in Certified Trades and exemplify the transparency we're encouraging other traders to adopt, but the fact is that compliance regulations are very restrictive on this point. Neither TK nor our staff are registered investment advisors, and technically showing our own positions via Certified Trades could be construed as an implicit recommendation to buy or sell. I really wish we could practice the transparency that we preach, but I've had this debate within our walls several times, and I have a feeling even Danny’s modest suggestion wouldn't fly for compliancethem. Too bad, but I gotta respect the rules.
One thing I forgot to mention to Danny: anyone who blogs as a TK staff member or guest commentator must disclose any positions they’re holding that relate to the blog content – but we encourage folks to take an even higher road and not blog about stocks or positions they hold at all. So, all our All-Star commentary happens on stocks that our in-house and guest experts are not themselves holding; same for the TradeKing blog, Brian Overby aka the Options Guy, and myself. We think that’s the most legit way to do business honestly.
Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts about this policy. It’s super-important to us that all our community members feel good about our policies regarding staff participation in the TK Community, so we want you to understand the reasons behind the policy. We respect you guys too much not to give you a straight answer – even if it’s a little disappointing – about why we roll the way we do.
[image: Vitruvian by Mr. Enjoy on flickr]
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Follow the markets at the TradeKing Blog, learn options strategies from the Options Guy, or check out expert commentary on real client trades at TK All-Stars.
Absolutely,I think of Tradeking as my payraise professional. Will I ever suggest any stock or write about one that I own, sure, I might mention that I don't own any position in a stock. That means I am only considering, because of recent news or just because it is on my mind. Since I hold these parameters for myself, I do not expect others that are in the business to disclose their holdings, that would mean i would have to keep up with my portfolio and theirs, I just don't have that kind of time. PEACE
