How is concern for quality different from concern for validity in conventional social science? Conventional science, and by extension, conventional social science ,are concerned with reproducability, validity and objectivity. As such, principles of rigor and falsifiability are important components of any research, which come from a 3d person point of view, where the researcher remains […]
Category: Planning
Profitable ETF Trading techniques: Systems thinking for traders
The purpose of this article is to review some of the highlights of systems thinking. My focus will be on practical applications and rules of thumb, rather than trying to develop a scholarly article which would only be of interest to … well, scholars! I will make every effort to do you no intellectual harm, […]
Profitable ETF trading strategies: adapting to chaos
When you find yourself in conditions of chaos, you discover that your robust systems are beginning to break down. They no longer perform as designed, simply because the volatility is greater than the system boundaries and feedback mechanisms can account for or moderate. Slack, buffers, filters and boundaries all work to dampen waves of change. […]
5 Things traders can learn from America’s greatest fighter pilot
COL John Boyd , USAF was a national treasure. One of the most gifted and effective fighter pilots of all time, he went on to revolutionize the way the armed services thought about command, control and combat effectiveness on the modern chaotic battlefield. He was instrumental in reforming the process by which the Department of […]
Reflections on Ray Ison’s work in Systems Thinking in Action Research
Ison, R. (2008). Systems Thinking and Practice for Action Research. In P. Reason & H. Bradbury (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice (Second ed.). London: Sage Publications., Ltd. My masters work is in systems management, and Ison’s work struck a chord with me as well. His mind map of the […]
A Reflection on Organization Development (OD)
Notes from a workshop interview with Dr David Jamieson: An Inquiry into Organizational Development (CTU Workshop Oct 11, 2008) What is Organizational Development? A philosophy about organizations, leadership and change. Also a collection of methods to help orgs manage change effectively that takes into account the human factors Tracing the OD roots. · […]
Short term trading opportunities: the Tortoise mastermind
1. This year should demonstrate the practical value of the Tortoise market classification methodology. The ETF2 “Smart Steps” weekly recommendations combined with the ETF evaluation methodology has offered plenty of warning to protect your portfolio against the ravages of this year’s multiple bears. The assorted specialty reports have identified trends in multiple market sectors that […]
Profitable ETF Trading techniques: Understanding the importance of behavioral finance
We know that people pride themselves on their rationality and analytical skills. This is very evident in traders who invest a lot of psychological energy into their systems and personal discipline. And yet it is also very clear that psychology is extraordinarily evident in financial decisions. Time and again ,psychological pressures will over-rule rational analysis […]
What makes Buffett great: the ability to take disciplined action at moments of great stress
Trim Tabs reports an extraordinary panic selloff by the masses in September, driven by fear. Banks are collapsing left and right. The public is outraged by their ostrich-like elected leaders in the House and Senate and pressure the Congress into aborting a terribly framed corporate welfare/bailout bill. Market volatility, as measured by Average True range […]
Fear of failure? Failure is the state of nature; success is what’s surprising
Why do we fear failure? Why do so many things fail? What can we learn about failure that protects us from the shock of actual failure? Why do we persist as a species knowing the odds are stacked against us so badly in just about anything we do? I have been reading some commentary and […]