Who the devil is Dan Zanger – and why should anybody care?

It’s an unusual name, was my first thought. There’s so much that’s going on in the world, it’s natural to think, “Never heard of him! Yet another guru?”. In fact there is only a small handful of photos of Zanger available on the internet. He’s little known outside of trading circles. Even in trading circles he’s not well known to a majority of people.

To get you going, wake up to these facts about Zanger:

1. He holds the world record for one-year stock market portfolio appreciation, gaining over 29,000%. In around two years, he turned $11,000 into $18 million (164,000%). See: Wikipedia for more.
2. Zanger’s earnings are confirmed in Fortune magazine which was given access to his tax returns.
3. Zanger was an average guy, working as a swimming pool contractor and earning around $50,000 per annum in a good year.
4. Zanger laboured intensely for about 6 years while keeping his regular job – reading only two key books on trading stocks. He was in swings and roundabouts in those years with his trading. Then something clicked and his trading success took off, defying gravity after that.
5. In recent times Zanger only works hard for about 3 to 6 months of the year, at his personal trading. The rest of the time he plays golf and has a fun time enjoying his money. He runs a hedge fund.

Zanger never said that he was born with a special gene that made him a success at trading. I don’t call the outcome of 6 years of serious work, ‘luck’ – but you may, and that’s fine.

For more on Zanger see Opening Bell Newsletter February 2005 Vol 14 Issue 2 and an archived copy of Fortune Magazine Dec 18, 2000.

What’s the main point of this post? The issue for you the reader is, ‘If Zanger can, why can you not?’ He’s an ordinary man who in the middle years of this life, put in silly hours training his mind to do what most people would think is impossible. He’s now an extra-ordinary man and he is living proof that hard work, training and determination can pay off big time. If he’s not proof of the latter, then there’s no proof that you’ve got a brain! [Whoops! I didn’t say that you had no brain. Calm down!!]

So what’s next? Nothing. You decide what you will do or not. You can sit or stand there in disbelief and make sneering remarks, or you can do something more constructive.

Key links:

1. Zanger on What does it take to be a successful trader today.
2. Zanger’s bible: How to make money in stocks 4th edition (by William J. O’Neil).
3. Investopedia: Interview with a success.

The rare YouTube vids below are optional viewing.

At the 8:00 min mark in video below Zanger describes the intense work, effort and sacrifices he made in the early days.