Once the darling of the Hedge Fund Managers,
Vladimir Ribakov reveals some of the things
that make him one of the most sought-after
trading mentors in the world.
Most retail traders never get to see the
other side of the fence when they trade.
It’s almost a mystery what happens after
they place an order, but Vladimir lived
on the other side of the fence and has
the advantage of trading large, as a
hedge fund trader inside a brokerage,
and as an independent Forex trader.
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| Name: |
Vladimir Ribakov |
| Age: |
31 |
| Born in: |
Belarus |
| Occupation: |
Professional Trader & Coach |
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| The Vladimir Ribakov Interview |
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[ Q ] What made you decide to become a trader?
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[ A ] Well, since I was a kid, I had a clear view of my future and I knew I didn’t want to go through the normal life that everyone goes through. I saw how difficult it was for my parents. I knew I would do everything I could in order not to be there.
I started with many different things, trying to develop things, and even tried a multi-level marketing program that did not result in any kind of success. I eventually came to trading by mistake. Since I was a young kid, only seventeen years old in fact, I started to read a lot of books, attend a lot of seminars and thanks to one of my friends, I found Forex.
From that point on, everything was history. It was then that I started to attend a lot of webinars. I also tried many things until I became successful. With a little bit of talent and a lot of luck, I made it happen at a very young age, and the reason I chose trading is simply because trading is, for me, freedom.
Not because I don’t have to work. Even in trading, you have to work and sometimes you have to work a lot. But simply because it allows me to do what I love from anywhere in the world. It doesn’t matter if I am at home, at the office or at the beach. I can trade from any place, and only if I want to do so.
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[ Q ] I know you have a lot of fans on Facebook and Twitter. What sort of emails do you get and what questions do people ask you?
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[ A ] Most of the questions are from people that think there is a holy grail or some secret to trading successfully. And I normally have to disappoint them by telling them that I do not believe in that and I don’t even know any secrets. I usually tell them that if they do find any, I would like them to tell me and that I am ready to pay for that because, let’s admit it, who doesn’t want the holy grail of Forex trading, right? Personally, I don’t think it exists and my main goal is to open people’s eyes and minds to the reality of trading. There is plenty of money to be made in Forex without a holy grail.
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[ Q ] What is the strangest thing anyone has asked you on Facebook or email?
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[ A ] Actually it is funny because I receive a lot of funny comments but the funniest one was simply when someone asked me what I would give up if I had to. Food or trading? I admit, I wasn’t ready for that and I was laughing for many days.
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[ Q ] Can you walk us through a typical day in your life when you trade?
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[ A ] I normally start my day by taking my kid to kindergarten then I go directly to the gym or to a different type of training, like tennis. I then go directly to the office or my home.
I have two trading stations, depending on the mood I am in on a certain day. I then start analyzing and trading during the Euro Session. Since I am a full time trader and a mentor, I have my students in between the session so I reply to emails, skypes and chats, whatever it is in order to help people with their trading questions.
When the US Session is active, I admit that I try to minimize my time in front of the charts because, as everyone knows, the longer you are looking at the charts, the greater the chances that you will start to see what you should not see. In that way, the chances for mistakes are very high. So I am looking only for the best trade set ups. I never force things to happen. If the market gives me what I want, I am there.
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[ Q ] What do you do to relax?
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[ A ] Sports mainly. I love tennis and I love football. I love spending time with my family and I try to combine at least a few hours a day with them every day as part of my daily schedule and routine. The weekend is reserved for my family.
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[ Q ] Nearly everyone who is reading this will want to know if there is a secret to trading, do you believe there is such a secret?
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[ A ] My answer is very, very short. No. The biggest secret is that you have to stop looking for secrets. There are no short cuts and there are no holy grails that could make you a millionaire or billionaire within a day, a week or a month. If there was, we will all be billionaires. What I do believe in is hard work. If you put the work in you can become a very succesful trader, it's really as simple as that.
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[ Q ] What music do you like to listen to?
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[ A ] I am the kind of person that enjoys any type of music. I enjoy classical music, I enjoy 70’s, 80’s, 90’s. I even enjoy some good rap music on some days. I also enjoy jazz shows. I don’t really have anything special. I do love Roxette, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith. Basically the best music of the last 40 or 50 years.
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[ Q ] What's your favourite movie?
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[ A ] Brave Heart. I think this movie is all about how I believe in becoming successful, it’s about a person who never gave up on his belief and goes through all the difficulties in order to make what he believes in become a reality.
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[ Q ] Where do you like to spend your holidays?
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[ A ] I love nature. For me, the forest or beach are the best. Of course when I am with my family, we love to visit all the tourist destinations and I can enjoy both but for me, nature is the best.
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[ Q ] What's the most difficult thing in trading for you?
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[ A ] Dealing with negative people. I am a very sensitive person and when I meet someone who is completely negative, it can affect me and bring me down. So it is really the hardest thing that I deal with as a mentor in this business.
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[ Q ] What are your trading goals for this year?
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[ A ] Those of you who know me know that I am the kind of person that loves to help. I love to donate to the kids and to the people that cannot hold their future in their hands. I try, as much as I can, to help them achieve or at least experience the beautiful things in life and for me, trading helps achieving this wonderful goal and gives me an opportunity to help them.
So I hope that the market will keep smiling on my account so I can make as much as I can in order to donate and help the kids or other people. Not because I am a holy person but because if I see someone smile because of something that I did, nothing compares to that.
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[ Q ] What's your favorite food?
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[ A ] I am very easy going. I can enjoy a very good salad, I can enjoy a steak. I try not to over eat simply because I don’t want to feel heavy. It affects me in my trading and everything else.
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[ Q ] What entertains you?
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[ A ] I love sports. A good tennis match, a good football match, or even a basketball match and of course a good comedy. I enjoy that very, very much.
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[ Q ] What do you like to watch on TV?
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[ A ] Sport, good comedy movies or my best show ever, Friends.
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[ Q ] There's a rumor you once made 600% in one month is that true?
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[ A ] Yes, it is true but I have to be honest, I don't do that every month. I also had a good run, with 12 winning trades in a row. I will be sharing how I do that with a small group of traders in the coming days.
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[ Q ] Why do you think traders are almost fanatical about your system of trading?
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[ A ] I don’t think fanatical is the right word here. I think it is not just the system but mainly myself. There were people, from what I know, that can easily connect to my type of personality and my history in the market and the way I went through my trading.
So I think it is the entire package rather than just a system. About the system itself, it is very, very easy to understand and I tried to explain it the simplest way, simply because that’s the way that I also understand.
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[ Q ] How would you describe yourself, what type of person are you?
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[ A ] I am a very simple guy. There is nothing complicated about me and I believe everyone has these qualities. I am very easy going, I don’t have any special expectations from the world or from anyone else for that matter. I just love to live life and smile.
I really feel blessed with all the things I have, especially my family. And the ability to do what I love for a living and for them. So for me, just enjoying life is the most important thing and if I can help anyone, by any way if it is by trading, by charity or whatever it is, I am there. I am just a person that loves to help because as I’ve said before, nothing compares to making a person smile. I feel very blessed as well.
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[ Q ] What's your favorite quote?
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[ A ] “Treat everyone the same way you would like them to treat you”.
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[ Q ] How often do setups happen for your system?
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[ A ] A few times per day if you use the lower time frames. But for me, trading is not getting as many signals or set ups as I possibly can. No. Instead I prefer to look for only the best ones and the clearest market conditions. I don’t care if I trade 3, 5 or 10 times per month. I just want to know that the trades I enter, are best ones.
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[ Q ] How did you come up with this system, was it trial and error?
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[ A ] I was a hedge fund manager for a nice period in my life. The psychological thing that these guys do and the psychological tricks they used amazed me. It is really awesome. When I left and tried my luck on my own, I took some of these tricks and turned it into my own personal trading system. This system is based on that.
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[ Q ] How do you handle the emotional side of trading?
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[ A ] I tried so long to avoid emotions but I came to the conclusion that it is impossible. We are human and after all, we have emotions. So I had to learn to deal with it. Sometimes, I still become emotional but I do know how to live with them peacefully. If I feel sad or angry, I leave my PC. If I feel like I want revenge on the market or it is not my day, I leave my office. I never ever let myself fall into the emotional trap because I was there too many times and I always suffered because of that.
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[ Q ] Where would you like your trading to be 5 years from now?
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[ A ] Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think trading could change that much. I definitely would trade as long as I enjoy and I love it and I don’t think it is going to change in about 5 years from now so I hope to be in a very successful place and I hope to help as many traders as I can to reach their goals as well.
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[ Q ] What one thing do you think helps your trading?
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[ A ] My students. The fact that they rely on me and they put their faith in me always drives me to do the best I can for myself. Knowing that I have to be focused and that I have to be always in A+ condition for them because they have put their faith in me, keeps me performing at my best. I know that I am not 100% right all of the time, I also fail, I also lose but in the long run but I think that is one of the reasons why my students love me.
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[ Q ] What sort of equipment & monitor do you have?
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[ A ] I have monster computer but very standard monitor screens, 21 or 22 inches. I don’t think traders should have more screens because the focus goes from trading to technology and you lose your focus very easy. You don’t really need more than one screen to identify a signal and take your trades.
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[ Q ] What was your best trade ever?
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[ A ] The famous head and shoulders pattern on the GBPJPY in 2007/8 that occurred when the market crashed. It made me much more than I normally do in an average month.
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[ Q ] What was your worst trade ever?
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[ A ] Part of my trading plan is trading like an investor and I started to focus on the Yen pairs, right before the government in Japan intervened aggressively, which made me hedge my positions which I don’t normally enjoy doing at all. I had to accept some losses and I had to accept some profits on the way. I still handled the final positions that I had but it was one of my worst decisions for sure.
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[ Q ] Any last thoughts you would like your fans to know?
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[ A ] Yes, don’t rush, don’t push too much, and don’t force trading. The market will always be there for you. If you don’t feel good to trade, don’t trade. If you have personal commitments, don’t just find 5 minutes for trading. The markets are always there for you. Remember, trading is not getting as many set ups as you can but getting the best set ups that you can. Even if it is 2, 5 or 10 per month, it is more than enough.
That would be all. Thank you, goodbye.
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Vladimir Has Agreed To Give One
Free Copy Of His Forex Gemini
Code To The Person Who
Makes The Best Comment HERE
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