Kinkos

[james_gsx 16]

Has anyone had any experience lately with Kinkos?

 

I currently print out all my charts and stuff them into a binder, but this current method tends to get a little sloppy. I was thinking about saving all of my charts onto my computer then printing them off at Kinkos once a month. Then I could have them put the charts in a fancy laminated binder. I took Brownsfan advice and I'm keeping all of my charts to bring to an interview someday and I thought this would look better than charts stuffed into a binder with random hole punches.

 

So if any one has any experience or can recommend something else, please share. I'm willing to pay the costs

[TinGull 10]

Put your charts into a MS Word document and save the paper.

[brownsfan019 17]

James,

Good idea! Sooner or later those will need to be printed, so I would suggest getting into the habit of printing them regularly. Exactly how to present everything is up to you. Depending on the amount of trades taking place, I would consider weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly binded, professional looking pieces. Full color is the way to go although it will cost more to do so.

 

Another idea - you can also group by asset class. If you are doing quite a bit of ES analysis, that in itself could be a good binder. If there's some stocks in there, options, etc. find a common ground - maybe an S&P 500 binder that would encompass the ES, options and SPY.

 

Good luck and keep up the great work. Some days it will seem silly but if your goal is to be a professional trader - for yourself or a firm - these will be priceless.

[darthtrader 10]

thats a pretty cool idea.

I think making a word document then printing it out every so often would be the way to go. I would actually look up printing places online, I know kinkos isn't even close to being cheap as far as printing goes. You could probly just upload the file or send a place online a burnt cd.

[TinGull 10]

Sorry for going on an environmental rant, but why on earth do you need to print off charts? Why can't the same results be had by taking screenshots and keeping them in a folder on your computer and provide any prospective employer with a burnt CD of your efforts? It's a serious waste of paper and printing resources that I don't think need to be wasted. It may not seem like much, but every little bit is going to help.

[brownsfan019 17]

TG - My view is that James is creating a portfolio, like an artist. If an artist wants to show off their work, they provide the artwork. James is an up and coming trading 'artist' and his goal at one point was to consider trying to get a job at hedge fund or somewhere and they are going to want to see his work, not 'here's a cd, you go ahead and print it'. This will need printed sooner or later. There's no getting around that if it's being done correctly and professionally. Wall Street is not concerned about paper consumption and probably never will be. You would not believe the amount of paper I would go through when I was a broker. My assistant and I were probably using about a case or so a WEEK. There's 8 or 10 reams in a case @ 500 sheets per ream, if I remember correctly. Point is that James will need and want these printed even if just for his review. Once he's a multi-millionaire he can go green and save some of these print jobs. For now, I think he NEEDS to print them for HIS CAREER.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the go green movement and all that, but this is something that is important to James and his future.

[TinGull 10]

Thats all fine and dandy,but if I were a fund manager I would much rather take a look through a CD of charts than have to thumb through binder after binder. I realize you've been in that business and I haven't, but it really steams me because my backyard is the one getting cut down to make pulp for paper reams that you guys can't live without. So...sorry if I get a little upset with the fact that people seem to have a "need" to showcase their charts on a medium provided by my land.

 

Also, I'm an artist, too...and my artist goes on CD. Albeit, I'm an aural artist and make music so I don't have much choice, but not ALL artists send their work around on paper to prospective galleries in their original form. Many will send them on CD's for the gallery to view first.

[james_gsx 16]

I don't want to come across as a dick, but the tree has already been cut down and turned into paper. All I will be doing is buying the paper from Kinko's, just like everyone else. My demand has already been factored in by the paper companies, so if I don't buy the paper someone else will. I won't give a fund manager all of my binders, but I would pick a sample of charts from over the years to show him how far I've come along and to show how I've mastered my work. Sometimes a professional presentation that shows I've put in a lot of hard work can go a long way, and it will help them remember me. I won't have an ivy league MBA, so I have to go the extra mile to make sure they remember my name.

 

I don't want to work at Goldman Sachs or a hedge fund for the money. I want to work at those places because of the feeling of success that comes with it. I want to feel as if I'm at the top and all this hard work has paid off. And if I have to print off the charts on a regular basis to get there and accomplish my goals then so be it. Working at those places isn't a dream, it's a goal and we all have to do what it takes to reach those goals. Trust me, if technology changes and paper isn't needed then I will be all for it.

 

I know I could make a CD or a DVD but you also have to remember how precious time is to these people. I know many VPs, Partners of major consulting firms, CEOs and I know that they have very little down time - let a lone the time to pop a cd into their computer. The precious time they do have (usually on an airplane) it's very easy for them to look through something on paper so they can take notes and jot stuff down. I learned this a few years ago when I was trying to get my business plan reviewed by my mentor. The only time he could spend with me was the little time on an airplane in between cities.

[MrPaul 10]

James,

 

Make a holographic portfolio

 

1.) It would be cooler than anyone else's

 

2.) it would save the earf

 

 

Problem solved....

 

:o

[TinGull 10]

I don't want to come across as a dick, but the tree has already been cut down and turned into paper. All I will be doing is buying the paper from Kinko's, just like everyone else. My demand has already been factored in by the paper companies, so if I don't buy the paper someone else will.

 

James, I hate to disagree but youre wrong here. If you don't demand paper along with the others that aren't demanding it, they'll see an excess of supply and stop making paper. Again, hate to be a dick about it but it's my backyard....seriously! We've got 3 paper mills in my area. That sort of attitude is why it's SO hard to get change on environmental issues.

 

I say that people who don't fight for environmental change don't give a damn about this planet that they live on. As Ghandi said, 'be the change you want to see in the world".

[TinGull 10]

I know I could make a CD or a DVD but you also have to remember how precious time is to these people. I know many VPs, Partners of major consulting firms, CEOs and I know that they have very little down time - let a lone the time to pop a cd into their computer. The precious time they do have (usually on an airplane) it's very easy for them to look through something on paper so they can take notes and jot stuff down. I learned this a few years ago when I was trying to get my business plan reviewed by my mentor. The only time he could spend with me was the little time on an airplane in between cities.

 

So, they'd rather stuff a binder in their laptop bag instead of CD to put in their laptop while their on a plane? Plus, it really seems that the efficiency of things is being lost in taking the time to print a chart off and then mark it, put it in a binder and store it for later. I'm always trying to stream line anything I can and by being able to store all of my charts on my hard drive to bring them up immediately for later review I save a lot of time.

[brownsfan019 17]

In terms of the business James is considering pursuing, he'll need to print those charts. Whether you agree or not, for this business, that's what is currently needed. Having a nice CD/DVD is a great compliment, but it's just that - a compliment.

 

One idea James that could be a middle ground and still good in my opinion - is to print a summary type thing quarterly. You can have your detailed charts on DVD and be able to present something on paper from a quarterly perspective. This is purely for an interview type thing. If you need to see your charts from a learning perspective, then you know what to do.

[james_gsx 16]

I say that people who don't fight for environmental change don't give a damn about this planet that they live on. As Ghandi said, 'be the change you want to see in the world".

 

Sorry Tin, just because I want to print off charts doesn't mean I am not concerned about the environment. I am not as far fetched as you are with protecting the environment but you would be pretty surprised. And unfortunately even if I never bought these charts, those same trees would still be cut down. There is simply no way around that. This has gone too far off topic.

 

Thanks Brownsfan, the quartely idea is a good idea. The reason I want to start now is so I can track my progress and show them how I've grown as a trader.

 

If anyone else has any feedback relating to Kinkos or other ideas how I could present this then I would greatly appreciate it.

[brownsfan019 17]

James,

If you are going to be printing this regularly, it could be wise to purchase a business printer and binding machine to do it at home. When I was a broker I needed these, so I already had them and it's very useful. You'll need to plunk some money down on a good color printer and the binding machine is not expensive. That's about all I can think of to eliminate the need for Kinkos.

[waveslider 10]

Any fund manager should know that being a successful trader is about discipline and consistency. I can't imagine cherry picked charts landing you a job, really. I think the most important selling point you will have is your track record and your interview.

 

Your potential employer should know that charts won't tell the whole story since they don't take into consideration what the overall market was doing at the time, and other outside factors that affected the trade.

 

just my 2 cents. 3 cents - - logging sucks. Make paper out of hemp or something more sustainable. BC tree farms are hideous, run by very powerful greedy bastards who don't care about sustainability. By buying virgin paper you ARE perpetuating this.

[nycdweller 10]

I'm kind of confused. Why would a hedge fund manager want to see charts? A fund manager doesn't care about the method you use to trade. They want to know if you are a successful trader and how long have you been successful. A Fund manager may want to see the number of trades you typically take in a day to get a sense of the type of trader you are. Most important are statements from your broker showing your profits and losses over a long period of time.

[james_gsx 16]

I think a lot of people misunderstood the whole idea. Maybe I didn't clarify it well enough, I won't just print out charts and hand it to that since that is clearly retarded and a waste of time for me. There is considerably more to it than just annotated charts (I didn't include everything because this thread isn't about me, it's about printing and making a presentation :crap:). But whatever, theres no point in explaining it anymore so just let this thread die. Thanks.

[BlowFish 10]

but the tree has already been cut down and turned into paper. All I will be doing is buying the paper from Kinko's, just like everyone else. My demand has already been factored in by the paper companies, so if I don't buy the paper someone else will.

 

I hear MS one note is good for organising stuff you can add voice annotation and 'handwritten' notes too.

 

I don't want to get into the whole ecology argument, however the above reasoning is completely flawed. It is simply not how supply and demand works. I only point this out because as a trader I think its vital to have a good grasp of supply and demand as this is fundamentally what drives the markets.

 

Cheers.