Last Updated on September 18, 2023
Dr. Alexander Elder is renowned as a trading genius. He has excelled in stock and forex trading and has ranked among the most successful traders in the US.
His background as a psychologist has given him a deeper understanding of trading psychology and helped build his trading career.
Coming from a medical background, it would seem surprising how Dr. Alexander Elder has built a trading career. But like every other successful person, he was on a mission. He didn’t just stumble upon success in life.
With his extensive experience in the financial markets, he has developed a trading system that new traders have replicated with remarkable success.
So who is Dr. Alexander Elder, and what is his story?
This article explores the life of Dr. Alexander Elder, his career, his net worth, and his trading strategy.
Alexander Elder’s Personal Life
Alexander Elder was born in 1950 in Petersburg, Russia (previously Leningrad), and grew up in Estonia.
He started medical school at the age of 16 at Tartu University, Estonia. When he was 23, he used his work as a ship doctor on a Soviet ship in Africa to escape communism. Elder was granted political asylum in the United States.
The young doctor was sheltered by the Tolstoy Foundation, a New York charity organization.
In America, he started working as a psychiatrist in New York City and taught at Columbia University. While working at the school, he was an editor at the book department of The Psychiatric Times.
He then left his psychiatrist profession to start a career as a full-time trader and trading educator.
Alexander Elder’s Career
Dr. Elder’s journey wasn’t an easy one, and it didn’t happen overnight.
During his stay at the Tolstoy Foundation, he befriended an American lawyer.
Dr. Elder borrowed the book “How to Buy Stocks” by Louis Engel from the lawyer’s library. The book sparked his interest in stock trading and made him realize he could make money trading stocks.
Later, he found a job and used the money he earned to purchase a BMW bike, which he would later sell to buy his first stock in KinderCare, a child daycare center.
He started studying the intricacies of stock and options trading. Then, he switched to futures trading, where he made his biggest gains.
He continued doing his psychiatry part-time every day after the market closed.
In 1988, he founded Elder.com, formally known as Financial Trading Seminars, dedicated to educating traders. He is also the founder of Traders’ Camp, a coaching class for traders.
Dr Elder also launched SpikeTrade, a trading community comprised of professional and semi-pro traders where they share market commentary and educational content.
He also offers consulting services to private traders and financial institutions.
Dr Elder has authored several books on the subject of trading. The international bestseller, The New Trading for a Living, has been translated into 17 languages. Published in 1993, it explores the fundamentals of trading.
Alexander Elder has written other books, too, including
- Entries & Exits: Visits to Sixteen Trading Rooms
- To Trade or Not to Trade: A Beginner’s Guide
- Step-by-Step Trading
- Rubles to Dollars
- Sell & Sell Short
- Additive Manufacturing
Dr. Elder is a sought-after speaker. His seminars and conferences have helped other traders, especially beginners, to excel.
Alexander Elder’s Net Worth
According to World Top Investors, Alexander Elder’s net worth is over a million dollars.
Dr. Elder has generated a large portion of his wealth from trading. He has been ranked among the richest Forex traders in the world alongside the likes of George Soros, Paul Tudor Jones, and Bruce Kovner.
Alexander Elder’s Trading Strategy and Advice
Alexander Elder developed a well-thought-out trading system that included effective trading tactics. They have been highlighted in his books, articles, and seminars.
Triple-Screen Trading System
The system uses multi-timeframe analysis. It aims to identify dominant trends over time.
Since Dr. Elder believes that no single indicator can show reliable positions, the system combines oscillators with trend-following tools to refine their performance.
The first of the three screens is used to map out the trading bias.
The second screen applies technical indicators to identify the retracements against the trading bias that has been established in the first screen.
He recommends downgrading the time frame to a daily chart, especially if one has used the weekly chart on the first screen.
The third screen is the execution screen. It serves for entry timing using short-term breakouts in the direction of the identified trading bias.
The optimal entry timing is when the trend on the third screen aligns with that of the first one.
The essence of the strategy is in how the different time frames are used. The longer timeframes help identify the dominant trends, while the shorter ones single out the ideal entry points.
Force Index
The Elder-Force index is an oscillator that measures the power of bulls and bears behind certain market rallies and declines, respectively.
The index has three components: direction, extent, and volume. It helps track the direction of price changes, the magnitude, and the trading volume.
The three components come together to define the high and low bands between the extreme value of volume and price.
When the Elder-Force index is used alongside a moving average, the figure will accurately measure the changes in the prevalence of bulls and bears.
Elder Impulse System
The strategy was designed and popularized in the book Come into My Trading Room. According to Dr. Elder, “the system identifies inflection points where a trend speeds up or slows down.”
It uses two indicators, the MACD-Histogram, and a 13-day exponential moving average. The moving average identifies the trend, while the MACD-Histogram evaluates the momentum.
Keeping a Record
Dr. Alexander Elder always recorded the market circumstances when he entered and exited a trade.
While he believes that there is no guarantee of success, one should attempt to recreate the mindset and the decisions made during successful stock trading and avoid those that have resulted in a loss.
Simply put, it is a given that you will succeed in some trades and make some errors in others. But the thing that will improve your strategy is learning from both the winning and losing trades.
According to Dr. Elder, you can achieve this by keeping quality records of these trades.
Control and Money Management
Elder believes that successful stock trading requires control and money management. This is what determines his next move and not his stats and positions.
It is what helps him anticipate future positions and also enhances his risk management strategy.
The 3Ms of Trading
Dr. Elder has stated that professional traders operate in a three-dimensional space. They focus on trading psychology using the 3M’s — mind, method, and money.
The mind refers to their own feelings and the psychology of the market.
The method is about choosing a particular stock, options, or futures and following strict trading rules mandating when to buy or sell.
The money element is how one manages their trading capital.
Takeaway: Utilize Alexander Elder’s 3Ms Technique to Become a Successful Trader
Alexander Elder is a professional trader who understands trading psychology. His book, The New Trading for a Living, has been pivotal to the success of many traders.
He has engraved his name in the financial markets by devising a unique trading system.
Currently, he is dedicated to teaching more people how to become millionaires through trading.
