In light of the sad news of the passing of Mr David Bowden, I would like to take a moment to pay my respects to a truly great trader. I am here today because of the enormous body of work David created and shared through his trading courses, and all I can say is: Thank You, David.

David’s energy, enthusiasm, and encouraging words throughout his material inspired me to embark on this journey. Although I never had the privilege of meeting him personally, his influence lives on through his writing, stories, and incredible hand-drawn charts. His passion for the markets and for teaching others continues to inspire.

To this day, I am still amazed by the sheer volume of work David was able to accomplish in such a relatively short period of time. Equally impressive was the depth of his understanding and comprehension of the material he studied. His dedication to mastering and sharing knowledge was truly remarkable.

Thank you, David, for your contribution to the trading world and for your genuine desire to help every student become a better version of themselves as traders. Your legacy will continue through the countless traders whose journeys have been shaped by your work.

In honour of David’s commitment to research and education, this month’s article focuses on the importance of creating your own research documents.

I find that research is the most confidence-building activity I can undertake. It allows me to truly understand a technique, how it works, and whether it can be incorporated into my own trading. For many years, back-testing was something I struggled with, particularly understanding the best way to approach and document it properly.

In an effort to improve my research process, I began creating structured research documents. These documents include an introduction, purpose, goals, and detailed findings. My aim is to organise the information in such a way that I could hand the document to a fellow trader, friend, or family member, and they would be able to understand both the technique and the reasoning behind my conclusions.

My most recent in-depth research is on Speed Angles, which is already 74 pages and nearly 5,000 words and I’ve barely scratched the surface! Although the extra detail I have picked up in the market already is huge.

Chart 1

By taking the time to take screen shots, photos of hand charts and looking for the smallest of details to help form read the techniques, I guarantee you will see and learn more about the technique you’re studying.

Also, it’s nice to look back at the end of the year and be able to re-read and admire the work you’ve done.

Chart 2

I’m sure there are many people out there that already do some version of this, but I also know through talking with students that there are a lot of people that don’t do this and still have all the information stored in their grey matter!

There’s absolutely no substitute for doing your own research, even if I gave you mine you still wouldn’t reap the same results as if you did it yourself. As David Bowden said;

“You have to make this stuff your own”

I would like to wrap up with a big thank you to David, for your contribution to the trading world and for your genuine desire to help every student become a better version of themselves as traders. Your legacy will continue through the countless traders whose journeys have been shaped by your work.

Happy Trading,

Gus