TradeSmart University Review – Scam Or Legit?

TradeSmart University is an investing service run by Joshua Hesse.

He claims he can help you use great analysis to pick winning stocks.

Is Hesse telling the truth, or is this another investing scam?

We'll get to the bottom of this question in this review.

Additionally, we'll look at what's being offered and any red flags that I find.

You'll know if TradeSmart University is worth it by the time you're done reading.

Let's get started!

"Technical Analysis Is Nonsense"

The biggest problem I have with TradeSmart University (and it's a big one) is that it solely relies on technical analysis and price movement.

This kind of investing simply looks at charts and tries to guess where a stock's price is headed based on its previous movements.

Here's an example of what this looks like:

So you're not looking at things like who runs the company, the amount of debt a company has, or anything like that.

You're just looking for certain patterns on a chart.

The problem with this kind of trading is that no one does it seriously.

You won't find Wall Street banks investing like this or any billionaire.

In fact, Warren Buffet regularly trashes technical analysis:

He's basically saying a chart can tell you to buy or sell and can be interpreted a million different ways.

And trust me - if technical analysis worked the big boys would be using it.

Stay Far Away From Day Trading

Another major problem I have with TradeSmart University is that it recommends day trading.

Again, this is another investing strategy that no serious institution or investor uses.

This might be confusing to you if you're new to investing because day trading is everywhere these days.

There are supposed day traders driving around in expensive cars and living lives of extreme luxury.

Surely this must mean that day trading works, right?

No. 

The only real way to make money from day trading is to sell courses, like Joshua is doing with TradeSmart University.

Because no one really makes money day trading.

In fact, studies that have followed hundreds of thousands of day traders have come to the conclusion that less than 1% of day traders can make money.

This all comes down to the flawed idea that you can guess where an asset's price is going to be in a few hours or a few days.

It's hard enough to guess where an asset will be in a few years, but in a few hours, it's basically impossible.

Just think about how many factors there are that can affect a country's currency.

Do you really think you can develop a system that can predict hourly movements in the price?

No amount of technical analysis or risk management can change the odds for you.

Long-term investing will always be the best way to invest, which is proven to give you around 12% returns every year.

Compare this to the average day trader, who loses 30% every year.

Hopefully this all makes sense to you because it's very important that you understand everything I say in this section.

The only day traders making money are the ones selling courses and training programs.

The real investors (the ones actually making money) invest for the long term.

Recommended: The Best Place To Get Long Term Stock Picks

What Is Being Offered At TradeSmart University?

There are various courses and programs at TradeSmart.

Here's an overview of each one:

Foundations Of Stocks And Options

The first training program is broken up into three levels and covers stocks and options.

Keep in mind that each level is separate, and you have to pay for each one (they're $897 each).

If you're trying to nickel and dime your customers, this is the best way to do it if you're Joshua Hesse.

These courses will teach you about stocks and options and how Joshua (supposedly) uses technical analysis to make money with them.

Various Day Trading Courses

There are a bunch of day trading courses as well; however, they're not linear like the stock and option courses are.

So there aren't various levels.

However, you do need to buy each course separately.

The "beginner" trading course is $897 as well and promises to teach you day trading in just 7 days.

Technical Analysis Training

The last set of training looks at technical analysis and how to use it to "make money" with the stock market.

There's a heavy focus on Fibonacci.

Fibonacci is a technical analysis technique based on Fibonacci sequences.

Believers in this strategy believe the Fibonacci sequence can identify potential levels of support and resistance in a price chart.

It's just more day-trading nonsense, to be honest.

TradeSmart University FAQ's

Still have questions about TradeSmarty University?

Here are the answers to any remaining questions you might have:

1) Is Joshua Hesse legit?

There's honestly no proof he's legit.

Joshua graduated from Miami University in 2001 with a degree in "music performance, clarinet."

By 2008, he was running investing companies, with his original being The Financial Puzzle.

So I'm guessing Joshua is completely self-taught because there's not really a school you can go to to learn day trading.

There aren't any serious banks or firms that day trade either, so he couldn't have learned it there.

And if he worked at a legit bank or investment firm, I'm sure he'd list it on his LinkedIn (he hasn't).

There's no track record of Joshua's trades that you can look at or anything like that.

The bare minimum a trading guru should do is show their track record.

But that's not being done here.

So it's safe to assume Joshua probably doesn't day trade with technical analysis or anything like that.

2) Are the prices fair?

So if I wanted to make as much money from my customers, I'd do exactly what Joshua is doing with these courses.

Most of the courses seem to cost around $897, which is a lot for any trading course.

But Joshua breaks them up, so you have to become a repeat customer.

To get all the stock and option training, you'll have to spend around $2700.

Want all the technical analysis training?

You'll have to spend the same.

So no, I don't think the prices are fair.

3) Are there refunds?

Yes, depending on the course, you have 14 to 30 days to get your money back.

That's a good refund and one of the only things that I actually like about TradeSmart University.

4) Are the testimonials real?

Probably not.

I know for a fact that the pictures used for the testimonials are 100% fake.

It doesn't take a genius to figure that out.

These are obviously stock photos and not real customers at TradeSmart.

As you can see Joshua's photo is a stock photo that you can buy from Adobe Stock:

So I wouldn't really trust any of the testimonials.

Recommended: The Best Place To Get Long Term Stock Picks

Wrapping Things Up

So that's the end of my review of TradeSmart University.

Joshua Hesse comes off as a clean-cut guy.

He's got a wife and five kids, and according to his LinkedIn profile, he spends a lot of time volunteering at churches.

But online hucksters come in all shapes and sizes.

You shouldn't judge an investing program by how a guy looks or the church he attends.

You just look at what they're teaching.

And Joshua is recommending technical analysis and day trading, which makes him a phony in my book.

Additionally, I think he's nickel and diming customers by the way he sets up the courses.

Why sell 15 different courses for $897 each?

Why not combine them into one or two courses for $897?

The Bible says "the love of money is the root of all evil."

I wonder if Joshua missed that in his Bible study classes.

Anyway, stay away from TradeSmart University and all-day trading and technical analysis.

The best way will always be long-term investing.

To see my favorite long-term stock investing and stock picking service, click below: