Book

The Way of the Turtle

by Curtis Faith

📖 Overview

The Way of the Turtle recounts Curtis Faith's experience as part of the legendary Turtle Traders, a group of novice traders trained by Richard Dennis and William Eckhardt in a famous financial experiment. Faith, the youngest and most successful of the Turtles, details the complete trading system and methodology they used to generate profits. The book breaks down technical trading concepts into clear components, explaining position sizing, entry rules, exits, risk management, and the psychology of systematic trading. Faith shares specific examples from his time as a Turtle while teaching readers how to develop and stick to a rules-based approach. The narrative alternates between Faith's personal journey with the Turtles and practical instruction on implementing trend-following strategies in any market. The author demonstrates how the Turtle methods can work for individual traders, while being transparent about both the successes and limitations of the approach. At its core, The Way of the Turtle explores how disciplined execution of a proven system can overcome emotional decision-making - a key principle that extends beyond trading to other domains of life and business. The book stands as both a historical account of a unique financial experiment and a practical manual for systematic trading.

👀 Reviews

Most readers found The Way of the Turtle offers a solid mix of trading psychology and technical details about the Turtle trading system. The book maintains a 4.1/5 rating on Goodreads from 2,800+ ratings. Readers appreciated: - Clear explanations of risk management principles - Personal stories from Faith's Turtle trader experience - Practical trading rules and system development guidance Common criticisms: - Too much focus on personal narrative rather than trading specifics - Basic content for experienced traders - Lack of detailed trade examples - Some readers felt it reads like a self-promotion piece Amazon reviews (4.4/5 from 500+ ratings) note the book provides good foundational knowledge but may disappoint those seeking complete trading system details. Several readers mentioned the psychology sections were more valuable than the technical content. One frequent complaint on trading forums is that the actual Turtle rules are available free online, making the book's $30+ price questionable for those only seeking the trading system specifics.

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🤔 Interesting facts

🐢 The "Turtle Traders" experiment began when Richard Dennis bet his partner William Eckhardt that successful trading could be taught. He recruited 23 people, including Curtis Faith, who became the most successful of the group. 📈 Author Curtis Faith was only 19 years old when he joined the Turtle program and earned approximately $31.5 million in profits over four years. 🎓 The Turtle trading strategy was based on trend following, using simple technical analysis rules that could be taught to anyone, challenging the notion that successful trading required innate talent. 💰 The original Turtle trading rules included position sizing based on volatility, which was revolutionary at the time and is now considered a fundamental aspect of risk management. 🌍 The name "Turtle" came from Richard Dennis's visit to Singapore, where he saw turtle farms and decided that he could "grow traders" just like farmers grew turtles.