Question

[#1]

Well Simon...his trading subscription service is a thriving concern.It is a deadly accurate illustation of Elliottwaves.I don't understand his anti-Gold stance,but so what,he is definitely a dude to be reckoned with.He did gain his fame by becoming the USA's best trader in a Pro Competition.So, for trading...I like the guy,especially with his Socionomic backgrounds to price-action.Certainly,I would subscribe if I was a Newbie to the game.

[THRESHOLD]

At one stage I split funds between two active broker/managers and my own portfolios. I found the managers to be okay over the long term but lousy in the short term. In their defence - they could not take the risk I could with my own cash. They are also not there to trade for you. This means that they "must" adopt a "one size fits all (or many)" approach. In general - they forget about you and only get excited when they get an advice to return your funds. UNIT trusts, on the other hand, are a joke!

[#3]

OK, then the question is whether they can do it cheaper than you - which does not have an obvious answer - if you take your time allocated, OST fees, transaction fees, etc.

[THRESHOLD]

I'm prematurely retired (a consequence of owning an IT business and selling it only to find that you don't knwo what to do with yourself) - so my time is mine to do as I will with - but has no readily determinable value. OST charges .3 of a pip and no basic fees. So my brokers cost more. There is a bit of peace of mind with a broker in that you get have someone to blame when things go wrong. BUT small brokers - who bring a bit more to the party - always carry the risk that they might up and disappear.