Van Tharp Institute Review: Is Van K Tharp a Scam?
Welcome to the Van Tharp Institute review.
Van Tharp is a trading school offering a smorgasbord of trading products and services.
It is the Walmart of books and live trading workshops just like Base Camp Trading.
A workshop can cost as much as $12,995 but the shocking thing is the huge number of financially-desperate people looking for the holy grail trading strategy that Dr Van Tharp offers.
Dr. Tharp touts wealth, freedom and peace to traders and investors alike. In addition to this, he is also providing free Van Tharp books on the official website and also on Amazon.
The Super Trader program focuses on trader awareness which is basically a mystic way of approaching trading.
It is like superstition or a magic learning procedure where students are hypnotized and made to believe that this is why some traders are successful while majority are failures.
There’s free email coaching, free course, free books, free test, free games and many more free resources.
This is basically a way to attract more students into the trading school.
Van Tharp’s emphasis in on more products and not practical live trading. In fact, there’s no live trading at all, just workshops costing thousands of dollars.
Van Tharp PhD manages the following social media pages:
Van Tharp Institute Review
What does Van Tharp really offer?
He offers lessons with free simulation. That means someone is teaching based on a trading simulator and people are losing an arm and a leg to get into this class.
He teaches about position sizing, risk-reward, average profit and loss and many other things.
The goal is to help a trader become a better and more prepared trader. He claims that he can help traders improve their profitability but that is just how far it can go.
It gets interesting how Van Tharp is making money by selling dozens of live workshop seminars on trading.
There’s a workshop for literally anything.
I’ll cover most of them below:
Super Trader Exclusive events ………$12,995
Oneness awakening workshop………$495
Peak performance 101 workshop…….$2,295
Peak performance 202 workshop…….$3,295
Peak Combo January 2020……$5,090
Systems Thinking workshop……$2,295
Blueprint for trading success……$2,295
How to develop winning trading systems that fit you…….$$2295
February combo 202……..up to $4590
Forex trading systems……..$3,295
Forex : 2 days of live trading and 1 day of Crypto training…..$2,500
Forex trading systems plus live and Crypto……….. $5,795
Peak performance 101 workshop May 2020………..$2,295
Peak Performance 203: avoiding self-sabotage by following your bliss…….$3,295
Peak performance 101 203 combo May 2020…….$5,090
Infinite Wealth Workshop……..$2,995
Adaptive swing trading systems…….$3,295
And many more…….
In addition to this, there are many e-learning materials costing anywhere between $34 to $1,778.
By now, you should agree with me that the core focus of Van Tharp is to sell as many educational items as possible.
The question is when does Tharp get to live trade and make money through a live trading account?
This question requires me to send an email to inquire whether or not a live trading record even exits.
Yes, I know that he is a PhD holder. But trading is no respecter of titles. Many supposed trading gurus who are professors cannot make money consistently from trading.
But they can certainly make lots of money if they decide to sell trading education because somehow people believe that a PhD holder who talks about trading certainly knows trading.
The issue is to try and figure out what is the motive of producing dozens of trading products and pushing them to the market with the aggressiveness of a salesman.
It is one thing to learn about trading but it’s quite another to actually become a consistently profitable trader.
If you have traded Forex, Futures or stocks for a certain length of time, you’ll agree that this is the absolute truth.
Van Tharp Institute review
A simple Google search reveals that this trading institute is a physical premise based on this physical address:
102 Commonwealth Ct Suite A, Cary, NC 27511, United States.
Students or traders who want to call them can reach them through +1 919-466-0043.
There are two Van Tharp Institute reviews from people who have rated this company based on the quality of seminars and the great surrounding environment.
But the bottom line is always the bottom line……..
Are the people leaving reviews about this trading school honest about their trading journey with regards to trading and making money from a live brokerage account?
I have certainly not heard of any one of these people stating that they spent several thousands of dollars on Van Tharp Institute trading workshops and are now happily making money as professional traders.
All they’re saying is that Mr Tharp is offering them an “exciting learning experience”.
My question is what is the use of spending thousands of dollars on an “exciting learning experience” if that knowledge cannot help you make real money on a live account.
Is it about learning and feeling good about it or going to a live account and actually grabbing the money from the market consistently?
May be am getting it all wrong but common sense demands that we should get back all we’ve spent on a trading educational course by actually using a live account to make money.
One of the workshops offered by Van Tharp takes students through a 2 day trading session on a live account.
If I were those students, I would request a workshop that takes us through a 1 month trading session on a live account because I know very well that even a novice trader can trade so well on a live account if it is just a matter of trading for two days.
But I certainly don’t expect an internet marketer or fake trading guru to do so well in a space of one month.
What people have never understood is that it is so easy to talk about trading and even write books about trading. But it is so difficult to actually trade and make money from trading.
That’s why there are so many fake trading gurus selling a smorgasbord of trading products and earning a living from their sales and not from trading.
So the question is where exactly does Van K. Tharp PhD lie?
Conclusion
With no trading record to show students but dozens of trading products to peddle, I would be wary to spend even a dime on any of those workshops or e-learning materials.
There are some Van Tharp Institute reviews here and there but one thing you’ll realize is that none of the people leaving their reviews behind will ever justify their reasons for paying thousands of dollars besides telling you that the courses are good.
Superstition in trading never works. Super Trader program by Van Tharp is basically superstition and the shocking thing is the number of people who think this program teaches some magical trading secrets.
With dozens of books and workshops to sell for thousands of dollars, one may wonder whether Van Tharp has any record of profitable live trading even if it’s for a month.
The only thing that seems to qualify him is the fact that he has a PhD and has published many books on trading that can be obtained for free on the internet.
But your time is also precious. You have to ask yourself whether you’re willing to spend time searching for the knowledge that is increasingly elusive or change your approach to trading.
I would trust a trading educator with a live profitable trading account. I would believe a trading educator that sells few products while concentrating on trading and not selling.
But I would certainly not be so foolish to trust a trading educator when it’s so clear that he’s greedy for money and he is basically making his money from selling trading products and not trading.
If he can’t do well in trading, he certainly can’t teach me how to become a successful trader. Isn’t it?
Thanks for reading the Van Tharp Institute review.
Leave your comments.
Doren
I know my husband has at least got Van Tharp’s reading materials, or may have even given him money for a class most likely.
My husband started day trading 11 years ago. He was manipulated, targeted, and made to believe he can be become a millionaire by following his day trading system, and of course forking over 25,000.00 for the weekend seminar. Since then, we lost our business, lost our life savings, and our home. I have finally filed for divorce since my husband became a full blown gambling addict. Still hasn’t made a dime. Loss after loss.
I have a real problem with these people who prey on the weak minded, on the delusional souls who really think they can become a millionaire by sticking it out for the long haul. What an insane addiction.!!!
Doren
It wasn’t Van Tharp’s classes, but someone else. Regardless, same principle.
Nigel Griffiths
I was retrendched from my job in 2003. I had a good sum of money in the bank and decided to retire and live off trading income. I read a few books, thought I knew it all, set about trading and was not successfull. I was not making anything like enough to live off. I came across his book “Trade your way to financial freedom” and this showed me all the mistakes I had been making. I did two of his courses in 2006 when he came to Australia. I think this cost me about $5,000 Australian. This was money well spent and I would say he completely turned me round. Since then I have been able to live off trading income. I agree with you that he probably makes most of his money from courses rather than trading. But I don’t care because the courses “Peak Performance 101” and “Developing a winning trading/investment strategy that fits you” worked very well for me. And there was no mystical nonsense as you imply (although I know he has some rather odd beliefs that I don’t agree with). It was all practical, an emphasis on improving our psychological approach and also understanding what a trading system actually is.
Raivis
It’s so painful for me now that I haven’t found this review earlier. It could save me lot of pain and money! I have written a story highlighting some details about my experience and especially the end result
Sadly there are few honest reviews telling what really happens after attending these seminars and buying these systems. Few are willing to admit their failures and talk about them. It’s easier to continue their never ending quest for trading success and buy more and more systems, mentoring and coaching.
Arturo P
I’ve been in Super Trader Program for a year… it changed my entire life, im more happy every day, my passive income exceeds now my expenses, im learning to master my awareness and my beliefs, and if this is mystical for you, its a shame…
I can guess by the way you write, that money and trading is everything for you. But not for everyone. I used to be as shallow as you, thinking that trading and money was everything, then entered the program and my focus shifted from having to being. I can assume you will not understand a dime of what im saying, since you need a little higher level of conciousness. Despite this i can tell… I would pay twice his tuition and what he charges for his courses. It has been worth for me and my family…
Mr Tharp goal is to model traders through a trading metaphor. Not to be the best trader in the world… You need to understand that not everyone wants to be a trader, some people want to awaken others and help them progress… and theres nothing wrong on charging what you think you are worth…
the only scam here is you and your article, who probably lack the resources to enter this maginficent program…
Prathamesh Parab
I have not taken any courses at Institute, but the Book ” Trade your way to Financial Freedom” which I recently purchased gives very good perspective on trading. Captures real Essence of trading, Pushes you to think trading in terms of Statistical R- Distribution. There are many things other than “Edge” are so important , which are highlighted in the book. I was cutting my profits very much before than I should have, this mistake I realized after reading the book. After careful analysis of my past setups, it is revealed that with good trailing technique I could have got much better expectancy. Before this all I was focused on getting higher strike rate…but after playing the free simulation game which had trading system which generated 10R only 5% of times also made money ..I could see trading in altogether different context
bwtharp
I’ve taken the course, read the books, and applied what I’ve learned. Had you paid attention you would have heard Dr. Tharp comment on his trading. Yes, he writes and sells books. It’s what he does to help others improve. However, your writing is an obvious hit piece written to entice anger towards someone you really know nothing of, similar to the ambulance-chasing lawyers so prevalent in our world today. I do not wish you success as you throw out bait to see what you can catch, it’s a sucky way to make a living.
HoustonCustomer
Van Tharp and his “institute” is definitely a scam. I took several of his courses and at the end of the day, it was essentially bs. He himself was never successful (was himself lied to by a student he wrote in one of his books, portraying himself as a super trader) and he was never able to articulate anything meaningful or useful or lasting. What did it for me was the day he indicated in a seminar that something he had written in a book was completely wrong.
How on earth can one publish a book and make a fundamental mistake? By being a complete fraud.