My associate just informed me that TST is highlighting 'Scott Morris' of 'The Oil Money' as one of their presenters, at the TopStep online expo. . . I'm afraid this largely makes the decision I'd been struggling with for me, and takes me off the fence.

Any company that would lend legitimacy/credibility to such a man and such an operation is not one I'd be willing to highlight or speak positively about without extreme caveats. I don't mean to be unduly harsh, TST, but I'd strongly urge some better vetting, if you're interested in preserving or improving your reputation. Scott has been mentioned here and elsewhere, by myself and several others, as being the epitome of all that's wrong with the trading marketplace.

He's a huckster and hype-man, nothing more. He'll find programmers capable of throwing any useable utility or indicator together, and instead of focusing on vetting said utility or subjecting it to any type of objective or scientific-method-guided testing, he'll instead focus his energies and efforts on advertising, in which he'll all but guarantee his product will put you on easy street for the rest of your years. It infuriates me to ponder how many traders hes destroyed in this manner, how much idealism and optimism hes driven into the ground with his false promises and edge-less utilities. I really don't like being negative, and this forum's lack of negativity is one its best traits, but in cases like these I think its warranted, and more than that, I think its important.

I'm disappointed, and more than a bit surprised. I would've thought perhaps they'd use futures.io as a resource to at least double-check the names of those individuals they chose as 'experts' at this expo, but to each their own. I don't mean to defame TST here. . . mistakes can be made, or perhaps they've simply been misled somehow. Attempting to give them the benefit of the doubt here, and not 'judge', but I think my decision is made.

Thanks for all of the helpful info/context in this thread, especially those that chimed in with personal experiences!

My associate just informed me that TST is highlighting 'Scott Morris' of 'The Oil Money' as one of their presenters, at the TopStep online expo. . . I'm afraid this largely makes the decision I'd been struggling with for me, and takes me off the fence.

Any company that would lend legitimacy/credibility to such a man and such an operation is not one I'd be willing to highlight or speak positively about without extreme caveats. I don't mean to be unduly harsh, TST, but I'd strongly urge some better vetting, if you're interested in preserving or improving your reputation. Scott has been mentioned here and elsewhere, by myself and several others, as being the epitome of all that's wrong with the trading marketplace.

He's a huckster and hype-man, nothing more. He'll find programmers capable of throwing any useable utility or indicator together, and instead of focusing on vetting said utility or subjecting it to any type of objective or scientific-method-guided testing, he'll instead focus his energies and efforts on advertising, in which he'll all but guarantee his product will put you on easy street for the rest of your years. It infuriates me to ponder how many traders hes destroyed in this manner, how much idealism and optimism hes driven into the ground with his false promises and edge-less utilities. I really don't like being negative, and this forum's lack of negativity is one its best traits, but in cases like these I think its warranted, and more than that, I think its important.

I'm disappointed, and more than a bit surprised. I would've thought perhaps they'd use futures.io as a resource to at least double-check the names of those individuals they chose as 'experts' at this expo, but to each their own. I don't mean to defame TST here. . . mistakes can be made, or perhaps they've simply been misled somehow. Attempting to give them the benefit of the doubt here, and not 'judge', but I think my decision is made.

Thanks for all of the helpful info/context in this thread, especially those that chimed in with personal experiences!

Just want to make sure with the rules of TST. Yes I can read, but sometimes I'm a little slow.
The max daily loss limit is net right? Aka it doesnt add up just all your losers and not your winners?

So lets say one trade I lose $300, then next trade I gain $200, next trade I lose $200.
Then I would only be at a $300 loss for the day right? Not $-500?. And everything matters in the order of your trades?

@Dionysus - Thank you for this feedback, it is very important. This is the first time we have hosted one of these events and we realize there is still a lot to learn to ensure it's the quality and expectation of both our brand and our users. In the short term, we will be adding a disclaimer stating we do not endorse these products nor have we independently vetted them for their accuracy or claims. This is strictly an educational event and it is each traders responsibility to determine whether a product or service is a good fit for him or her.

In the long term, it may make sense for us to put together some sort of guidelines or threshold in terms of those who participate in events like these. Of course, we can never fully vet someone as there will inevitably be instances where bad experiences have occurred. Unfortunately, that is the nature of our business. The key we have found is to set realistic expectations as trading is ultimately an individual sport regardless of what vendor or tools you use. The buck starts and stops with those who "pull the trigger" so to speak.

On another note, you've mentioned multiple times on this forum that you've been "vetting" TopstepTrader for some type of website or venture you are starting. I welcome the opportunity to speak with you directly and candidly. I would think it only be fair in your ability to assess our business. Please feel free to contact us directly at 888-407-1611 or private message us to set up a convenient time to speak.

Again, we appreciate your feedback and will certainly use it to improve.

Trade well,

TopstepTrader Team

@emptymind - You are correct. The Daily Loss Limit is calculated according to your unrealized Net P&L, so it takes into account all of your winner, losers, and current open positions.

Hope that helps,

TopstepTrader Team

Thank you for the confirmation. Is there any way to configure Ninjatrader to show the Net unrealized P&L including commissions?

Personally, I don't know this guy Morris, and, while I did get an email about a group of presenters they are going to put on in an all-day webinar, I just deleted it without interest.

My feeling is that givers of advice are generally suspect in the trading world. There are, of course, exceptions, but I am not looking for this kind of resource with TST. It's also not the main thing that they are in the business of providing.

My experience with the Combine and with their support staff has been that they perform exactly as promised. This is their principal product, and I see no reason for complaint about it. They are, in fact, extremely reasonable and are providing a service that many will find valuable. (I should note that the Combine rules clearly do not fit every trading style, and will not work well for every trader.)

I do feel some degree of disappointment that they are putting on a trading advice event with a lot of outside "experts" (the email lists 5 different people), since I question the value of these things even if the presenter actually has something good to say. I would also not turn to TST for this kind of information in any case, since it's not their actual strength.

Without knowing anything about any particular presenter, I think it is reasonable to assume that, if there are any issues, they simply made a mistake in their selection process. There is no reason I know of to assume that TST is deliberately pushing bad information on the public, and I think the overall track record suggests the opposite. Or, to put it more simply, I think they are honest people. (I wonder if I will get some spam on this... experience suggests I will.)

I have no idea what you were considering them for, nor whether this has any bearing on your decisions. They do bring on outside presenters and "experts" from time to time, and I certainly do think that skepticism toward any "expert" is always in order.

They have also, at various times, brought on good people on their live chat events. I have seen Morad Askar ("FT71") and Linda Raschke mentioned. So it's a mixed bag.

I have no stake in this, either way, and hope you make a decision that you are happy with.

Also, I would like to tag @TopstepTrader here, in hopes that they will will take a look and make some comment (beyond the obvious "We try to get the best speakers" type of stuff.) Generally, it benefits them if they receive negative as well as positive feedback, and if there are issues about a particular speaker, it is worthwhile to let them know.

I also think that being in the business of presenting "experts" is a tricky business that they should have a lot of caution about. I think, for the reasons stated, that this is pretty much a bad idea, since they are exposing their customers to the ad pitches of people who are in the business of charging for info on how to become successful traders -- which generally does not work out well. I would be happier if they didn't do that at all, and certainly if they stayed with those who are real experts.... Just my take on the whole thing.

Bob.