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Trading Instructor

Russ Allen

E-mini Futures, Options, ProActive Investor, Equities, Technical Analysis Strategies, Platform Immersion, Personal Trading Plan and XLT Instructor

Russ decided to make his lifelong passion, trading, his full-time occupation in 2003. With extensive experience in trading, education, and business in general, he sought the highest-quality trading education he could find. This led straight to Online Trading Academy.

After graduating from Online Trading Academy, he "opened for business" and began trading full time; and has been making his living from trading ever since.

Looking back at Russ's career path, it's clear that it's a perfect background for a highly effective Online Trading Academy instructor:

• BA, Economics, UCLA
• Accounting specialist and management consultant, Arthur Andersen & Co.
• Director of Professional Training and Development, Fairchild Semiconductor.
• Managing Director, Goode & Allen, a financial systems development and consulting firm.
• Successful Full-time Trader since graduating from Online Trading Academy in 2003.

Before he began teaching for Online Trading Academy, Russ taught the Online Trading Academy way to his wife, Catherine. They now trade as a team from their mountain hideaway. Russ has "walked a mile in your shoes" and is living proof that the Online Trading Academy training method turns out successful traders.

What students are saying about Russ Allen:

"Russ instructed the week long ProActive Investor class and has an extraordinary ability to make complex concepts extremely simple. I always thought Options were too complicated and struggled to build a low-risk strategy around it. After taking the training with him, which covered actionable investing strategies, including covered options- they have become an indispensable part in my trading/investment plan. Russ shares his knowledge with his students without reservation and it was a privilege to learn from him. I hope I have an opportunity to do that in the future as well." Sharika K., May 2012

"Russ is an outstanding instructor. He always explains things thoroughly and in a very clear manner. He answers all the questions asked in class professionally and shows the extension of his knowledge in the subject he teaches. He is also very courteous and patient. It is always a real pleasure to have Russ as an instructor!" Catherine L., March 2012

"Russ was an extremely knowledgeable individual who added to the written material with his experiences. He has a great delivery style and helps to tie together the technical information in a practical manner." Brian M., March 2012

"Russ' calm, gentlemanly manner is welcome since he introduces a very simple methodology. He is always patient with students' questions, and offers additional insights beyond the course manual. I enjoy, too, that he learned the hard way, and was not a floor trader so he can be more empathetic to student fears and concerns. Russ introduced his simple, disciplined, rule-based strategy, and even took a trade during the class. He also revealed an opening market gap strategy as well that I intend to practice and incorporate into my trading plan." Bob P., February 2012

"I can't say enough about Russ. He is an awesome teacher. I wouldn't still be trading without his help. He takes the time to answer everybody's questions. His ability to deliver the material to beginners is second to none. I really don't have words to express how great he is. Bar none, best instructor I've ever had." Jonathan W., February 2012

"Russ Allen presented E-mini futures like a seasoned professional trader. He gave his students insight into the specific methods and and analysis techniques he uses everyday. He is like a jedi master, insightful, patient, and wise. It was a pleasure to hear him talk about the market." Noel, February 2012

"Russ' knowledge was truly fantastic and what made it even better was his ability to explain in the simplest form. He was truly a superb instructor. He really took pains preparing for his session plus spent time on a 1 on 1 basis before and after class to answer any questions that we had." Zarir N., January 2012

"Russ is very patient and answers all the questions clearly. His way of teaching is very easy to comprehend as it is slow and full of details." Sudim A., January 2012

"Russ presents complex material at a level that is appropriate for students. His presentation is interesting and in-depth. He takes the time to address questions that might be off-topic yet maintains the ability to focus on the material at hand. He is obviously experienced and knowledgeable in trading and investing." Candace S., December 2011

"Russ is a perfect instructor. He takes the time to make sure everyone is comfortable on the subject being discussed. He is open to questions on topics that are not 100% related to the subject matter, but will be of benefit to the student's over all trading/investing experience. His understanding of the underlying issues of the market and vast knowledge of financial interaction, history and current events adds depth to his presentation. His goal is not simply to get through the material, but to present it so that the student retains it because he/she understands it." Steven K., December 2011

"Russ Allen is a phenomenal instructor. He has the patience of Job. Russ listens very well to your questions, and gives you an in-depth answer. He is always encouraging! He knows the material extremely well." Lynn S., November 2011

"I cannot imagine a better environment to learn a skill. The instructor Russ Allen not only had the experience and knowledge but the ability to transfer it to the class in an effective manner." Scott C., November 2011

"Russ is great. He teaches at a level that I could grasp and has a very pleasant demeanor. We asked a lot of questions that would seem "dumb" to some, but he doesn't make you feel dumb for asking." Rocky F., October 2011

"Russ - he really is a great teacher. He has a unique ability to bring the material down to my level. Honestly, he really is GREAT!!!" Jonathon W., October 2011

"Mr. Allen was an excellent instructor--very patient and thorough in his explanations. He is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the subject matter and willing to expound on any areas that were questioned." Susan S., September 2011

"A four star instructor knows the subject well and can present it clearly to students. Russ is five star." W.L.D., September 2011

"Russ graciously and gracefully answers all student questions thoroughly and clearly. He has a kindness and patience with all students which is especially helpful when someone is having difficulty understanding a concept or using the platform. As Futures was a completely new area for me, I found his approach and delivery made it very easy for me to grasp and get comfortable with." Phillip R., August 2011

"Russ is someone who not only understands the material in depth, but is able to actively teach it. This made it possible for me to learn complex strategies that would have otherwise been over my head!" Judge Y., July 2011

"I have only positive comments about Mr. Allen. He is patient, sincere, and knowledgeable." Mary Y., July 2011

"Russ is an absolutely phenomenal instructor who will patiently answer questions and provide additional examples to clarify points under discussion." Joseph M., June 2011

"Russ Allen is an extraordinary instructor. He is very intelligent and capable. I am very impressed with his teaching ability." Linda L., June 2011

"Mr. Allen has a very clear, articulate presentation manner. He is respectful to all the students and answers questions very effectively. He is an excellent listener and gets to the heart of the questions well. He is calm and easy to follow." John D., May 2011

"Russ is a very patient instructor. He covers details and ensures the entire class can be interactive." Mary F., April 2011

"Russ is an excellent and extremely knowledgeable instructor. It was great to have him present this class." Alejandro V., April 2011

"Russ was perfect! He knew the subject in every way, he covered the material thoroughly, he fielded all questions and he was very organized throughout the course." Roy W., March 2011

"I really enjoyed Russ and the way he taught his class. Everything he talked about helped me to understand the options instrument and how to use it. He took the time for each student and paced the material so everyone could get the subjects he brought to the table every day. He answered everyone's questions ready to take the next. Plus the discussions we had were great, as well. Thanks, Russ and I look forward to seeing you again!" Stanley M., March 2011

"Russ obviously has a lot of personal experience with long-term investing and conveyed a lot of information from his personal experiences. I was very impressed with his knowledge." Kenneth O., February 2011

"Russ Allen is a wonderful instructor. Very organized, knowledgeable, thorough and patient. I consider myself very fortunate to have found Online Trading Academy and Russ is yet another super educator." Q. Dunlap, February 2011

"Russ is one of the most patient instructors I have ever had. He listens to questions and very thoughtfully explains the answers. Fantastic! He also seems to have a wealth of knowledge on the subject matter. He makes good use of the internet, showing us how we can look things up and work with the resources and charts ourselves." Kate V., January 2011

"Russ was awesome. I would recommend him to anyone." Duane P., January 2011

"Russ was very informative and pleasant and introduced me to a bird's eye view of the broad market. Want to take part 2 and learn about the cycles." Mary M., December 2010

"Wow, was I impressed! I took the course so I would understand a little about big bucket portfolio, so I could know what my husband was talking about -- thinking I wouldn't really understand much of it. Russ Allen's ability to communicate and keep things in simple but in very applicable terms really helped me follow along." Dolores M., November 2010

"Russ is an excellent instructor. He clearly knows his topic and tries very hard to explain complex concepts to everyone in the class." Jackie H., October 2010

"I really enjoyed my Pro Trader class. Online Trading Academy has great instructors. I found that Russ’ teaching techniques are the best and he takes his time to explain things very thoroughly. Russ has topped the list for being the best instructor." Bobby, October 2010

"Russ is truly an outstanding instructor. The pace of the class was relaxed yet we always covered all the material for the day with plenty of opportunity for questions." Phil M., September 2010

"Really good guy! Knows his stuff and doesn't try to impress anyone." Russ W., September 2010

"Russ is the best instructor I've had across my entire trading education. He is obviously much more focused on actually teaching than bragging and ego tripping. Aside from a first-rate education, you will leave this class with a significantly higher level of confidence." Jim W., August 2010

"Russ, it took you all of 49 minutes to respond to my e-mail request. What took you so long? You are an absolute treasure as a educator. In addition to your many other attributes, I’ve never had anyone teach options in such a clear and understandable fashion. Thanks to the outstanding previous instruction provided by Sam Seiden and his team at Online Trading Academy, it’s become a high class problem for me to forgo my consistently profitable day trading to take additional classes. However, the many valuable nuggets of knowledge that you are providing me in this week’s ProActive Investor class have more than compensated for my temporary loss of income." Bob V., July 2010

"I very much enjoyed the course. I don't think I could have had a better instructor. Russ is very, very good and very understanding with all the class members and answers questions at any point in the class. I will highly recommend this class to others that are interested in trading. Thank you for everything." Rich O., June 2010

"Russ was a phenomenal instructor. I learned a ton from him that I can now digest and put into practice. He gave me a great road map to follow in my trading. I would highly recommend this class to everyone who is considering a career in trading." Mark C., June 2010

"Russ is an excellent instructor, very knowledgeable in economics, technical analysis, and the Trade Station platform. I would gladly take the course again if he is the one giving it!" Patricio M., May 2010

"Russ did a great job of covering the material in such a way that it made sense to class participants. He took the time to thoroughly answer our questions but also had enough time to cover all the material. Russ is an excellent instructor with a depth of knowledge that covered not only the material but any conceivable question that the class could come up with." Kelly S., April 2010

"Russ was very organized and very patient. He is so generous with his materials, ideas, etc. I never felt like he minded answering my questions (and I did have a lot of questions)." Rene S., March 2010

"Russ Allen teaches very well, I would like him to teach me futures and pro-trader too." Randy W., January 2010

"I just wanted to thank you for an outstanding class, the best I have taken at the academy. You made a complex subject as simple as possible and presented it in a clear and understandable way. The idea of using options as a security surrogate and as a volatility play, agnostic with regard to direction, opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities. I am certain my trading will be better as a result." Steve H., January 2010

"Russ is a real pro and covered the material very well. He gave us insight into how to actually make these methods work in the market. He was patient and thorough in answering questions and respectful of all class members." Art H., December 2009

"Russ Allen is an excellent instructor and explained concepts clearly and objectively. Would seek out his classes/tutorials in the future!" Russ B., December 2009

"Russ is a patient, excellent, knowledgeable instructor who is able to deliver appropriate knowledge even into the margins. His level of expertise, and background, and concise communication make learning fun and relatively easy. A very big and broad knowledge base. I recommend him." Lee T., December 2009

"Russ Allen trained us to be successful traders. He went beyond instructing on the course materials. The market evaluation and trading techniques he taught have inspired me and increased my confidence that I can run a successful trading business." Mike H., November 2009

"Russ Allen has a lot of patience. He is very approachable and easy to speak to. He is well conversed in Options trading and is ready to discuss extra questions that anyone has. A genuine and likeable person which makes the class more fun." Darshit S., October 2009

"This was a very beneficial class. We've been using Trade Station but just groping our way around. We knew there was so much more available that we needed to learn. Russ Allen was so completely knowledgeable about the platform and explained it so well, that it erased lot of our anxiety about using it. We can't wait to begin using all the techniques he showed us. Learning to use the platform correctly is an integral part of trading. We thank Online Trading for providing us with another great learning tool to maximize our trading success." Joyce M., September 2009

"Russ is an outstanding instructor. He took time to answer questions, helped with platform issues, was patient and supportive. Thank you for your high caliber instructors! There is a huge amount of data to digest!" LaVonna M., August 2009

"Russ is very thorough and very knowledgeable, very excellent instructor. He also provided many helpful resources that we can use to continue to improve our learning level and apply to our trading business." Jim N., August 2009

"Russ was excellent. I liked his low key approach. His knowledge is exceptional and his personal experience provides a huge contribution as well." Reed G., July 2009

"Russ did an excellent job. I really appreciated his depth of knowledge and his ability to answer questions at the level they were asked. Some instructors display ego and Russ certainly never indicated any superiority." David B., July 2009

"Russ Allen was terrific!!!!!!!!!!" Lorna C., July 2009

"Russ truly impressed me with his total in-depth knowledge of options. He answered EVERY question with an obvious high degree of credibility." Mike P., June 2009

"Russ Allen is an outstanding teacher, whose ability to communicate and give attention to each question and student's ability is remarkable." Mary Ann D., May 2009

"Russ Allen is fantastic beyond what I expected. He is the best instructor I have had in options." Stanley W., April 2009

"Russ was more than I had hoped for as a instructor. I think the fact that he was a student helps him connect with the class." Leo M., March 2009

"Russ was a great instructor with vast knowledge of all areas of trading. He was able to answer all my questions." Leo M., March 2009

"Russ Allen is a superb teacher. I liked Russ's easy-going manner coupled with his knowledge of trading." Peter, February 2009

"Russ is truly gifted in what he knows, how he delivers it, and how he responds to student questions. He is an absolutely marvelous goldmine of info and trading "training" talent, expertise and skills. What a tremendous resource for Online Trading Academy. Kudos to all who were involved in getting him as an Instructor." Joe M., January 2009

"Russ Allen is very calm in his teaching style and provides good explanations to questions. He allows the class to feel OK, asking questions in a relaxed environment. Allen injects a lot of his own trading experience and provides real world examples. He also shared many good resources for further education and good websites to evaluate a possible trade." Jeffrey H., November 2008

"Since the week of June 2nd, the week of your class up to July 3rd, five consecutive weeks, I have been profitable. I have not suffered a drawdown in my account since May. During the past five weeks my account has grown more as a percentage than anytime that I have been trading/investing. I have been taking profits along the way so these gains are realized. Thank you again for teaching your acquired knowledge." Zak A., July 2008

"Russ is an excellent, excellent instructor - love his style of teaching. Explains everything in detail that is easily understood. He is very patient and has made me feel more comfortable about trading in the future. One of the best teachers I've ever had!" Maureen S., June 2008

"The class was GREAT. Russ is really good." Allan A., May 2008

"Russ Allen is the best! He enhances the school in every respect." Theodore C., April 2008

"Russ is very articulate and very precise in giving responses to all of the questions I had. His ability to explain complex details in a way that I could understand was the most valuable part of the class. I cannot overstate the value of having access to such a seasoned trader. His humble demeanor made him very easy to approach. I have been to technical classes where the instructors were indeed very knowledgeable but were totally unapproachable. Thank you for taking the time to find the very best." Harold S., March 2008

"Russ has a very good command of the subject matter and is very good at communicating the subject matter clearly and concisely." Scot M., March 2007

"Russ is an outstanding instructor." Maria Z., March 2007

"Russ was fantastic!! He shared a tremendous amount of his personal experience in trading with us and that backstory, combined with his easy familiarity with the subject matter, made for a great learning experience. There was not a single question asked that Russ could not easily answer." Marcie C., July 2006

"The best part of the class was RUSS! His low key style and vast knowledge made this onslaught of new information less threatening and more user friendly." M.C., July 2006

"Russ is AWESOME..the course was worth me traveling across the Atlantic from London." C.I., July 2006