I started trading the Financial Markets in 2007. I was an auditor working with PricewaterhouseCoopers and I was intrigued by the thought of making a bit of extra income online. So I set up a Share Trading Account with a High Street Bank and placed my first trade that same day. No training or anything! Unfortunately I made a profit on it.
Why unfortunately? Simple, it made me unconsciously incompetent. Several traders/investors have made the same mistake. When you succeed at something by chance, you will likely reinorce horrible habits that set you up for spectacular failure later.
Over the next year or so I traded Equities (mainly Shares), ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) and eventually Foreign Exchange with varying degrees of success. I won more than I lost but I was learning on the job and flying by the seat of my pants. I "crossed the Rubicon" in 2008 when I quit my high-flying job to work as an unpaid minister. I figured I could support myself by trading the Markets and so I went all in. £20,000 worth of "all in" ( I raised most of this money via debt). By this time I was decently proficient but I now know that I was merely riding a long term trend.
When the Market crash happened, I lost 95% of my funds in 24 hours. I was over-leveraged with horrible risk management (common mistakes for wannabe trading superstars). With my account wiped out and now horribly in debt with no source of income; I battled depression and anxiety. In this state I turned away from trading for a couple of years. I was traumatised and vowed never to trade again; but I had fallen in love - the Markets would call me again.
When I returned to trading, I decided I needed an "education". So I attended a series of free seminars (usually by cowboys wanting to extort unsuspecting newbies) and even paid for a handful of trading courses and "systems" (largely a waste of money). I was gaining loads of knowledge but my results were not improving. At this point, my fear of the Market (caused by the trauma of my £20k crash) was affecting me badly. Coupled with my greed and desire to strike it rich quick, my risk management was still shocking and I was over-leveraging badly.
I was also trading using common "retail" principles like trendlines, break-outs, double tops, wedges/other shapes, pivots, etc. Without a solid understanding of what really drives the Markets (trust me, it's none of the above). I was doomed for inconsistency at best and chronic losses at worst. I felt trapped and hopeless. I wanted to quit but something insdie would just not give up on my love for trading. I knew I was born to do this. Then it happened, an acquaintance posted a chart on one of the many trading forums I was on and it all clicked for me... I saw a principle which single handedly changed the way I saw the Markets and sent me looking for a "red-pill".
It became clear to me that the markets didn't move randomly but there was a method to the madness. There were patterns that repeated over and over again and certain levels which were signficantly respected time and time again. If I could crack the code, I would finally be able to see consistent results. Today, after over £50,000 in blown accounts and education tuition, my team and I have refined those early insights into clear, concise and teachable principles that work for almost any asset-class in the Financial Markets. We have taught and mentored scores of new & experienced traders who now enjoy consistent results after years of frustration. We have also traded hundreds of thousands of dollars in real funds with consistent profits and excellent risk management.
Trading is 90% between the ears and most of our team has a background in helping people and now dedicate ourselves to helping others finding success, fulfilment and financial freedom via the Financial Markets. When I'm not trading/investing; I work with individuals and organizations as a High Performance or Crisis Recovery Coach. I'm also an ordained/licensed Christian minister and I lead a netwrok of local churches around the world. I bring this passion and skill-set for helping people succeed to leading the team here at IKW.
At IKW, we are passionate about 2 things: People and Building Wealth via the Financial Markets. Let us help you "Complete the Puzzle" and achieve "Success By Design".
To the Journey,
Israel Olumide Isiavwe
Chief Executive, Israel Keys Wealth
