Sep 11, 2026 · 38 min · 12 segments
In Episode 6 of The Trend and Turtle Podcast, Ben Lichtenstein and original Turtle Trader Jerry Parker explore one of the most important — and difficult — parts of systematic trend following…
Jerry ParkerGuest
Ben LichtensteinHost
We're gonna pick up right where we left off because last time we were together, you said something that deserves a lot more attention than it got, something that really stuck with me over the last few weeks.
You said, "The time to do the right thing is now." We were talking about systems, talking about identifying flaws or weaknesses in one's trading strategy, and when should you correct them once you've identified them.
You said, "It's hard enough to figure out the right thing to do, but when you know something's right and you still don't do it," you said, "that's foreign to me." It's such a simple thought, but Jerry, very powerful in many ways.
You know, I'm just talking to myself really like, "Jerry, the time to do the right thing is now," and so you have to coach yourself up sometimes to get your confidence back.
Uh, one of Richard Dennis' favorites statements was, "Do the hard thing, do the right thing." And I think, um-- And then I posted something on my Twitter recently that's a little bit different.
A little bit different, but I think that's the way trading kinda works, especially classic systematic trend following.
They're, they're simple thoughts, but they're really profound thoughts, you know.
And, um, I, I feel like these are these kinds of ideas, these thoughts that, that transcend trading in so many ways.
I mean, it makes me think about conversations I've had with my sister, for example.
She'll listen to our podcast, and then she talks to me, and she's like, "Look, I'm not into the trading aspect really at all, but I love it because it all kind of fits into these little life lessons and sort of these ideas that you can apply across different areas of, uh, um, you know, just your everyday experiences." So-- And we've all had those moments where, you know, deep down we know what needs to be done, but we hesitate for whatever reason, out of fear, comfort, right, routine.
But that's something that we hear a lot about in terms of trading, how trading struggles are often reflections of personal struggles.
And for me, w-what's really appealing to this is that strict, systematic, that rules-based approach.
We're gonna pick up right where we left off because last time we were together, you said something that deserves a lot more attention than it got, something that really stuck with me over the last few weeks.
You said, "The time to do the right thing is now." We were talking about systems, talking about identifying flaws or weaknesses in one's trading strategy, and when should you correct them once you've identified them.
You said, "It's hard enough to figure out the right thing to do, but when you know something's right and you still don't do it," you said, "that's foreign to me." It's such a simple thought, but Jerry, very powerful in many ways.
You know, I'm just talking to myself really like, "Jerry, the time to do the right thing is now," and so you have to coach yourself up sometimes to get your confidence back.
Uh, one of Richard Dennis' favorites statements was, "Do the hard thing, do the right thing." And I think, um-- And then I posted something on my Twitter recently that's a little bit different.
A little bit different, but I think that's the way trading kinda works, especially classic systematic trend following.
They're, they're simple thoughts, but they're really profound thoughts, you know.
And, um, I, I feel like these are these kinds of ideas, these thoughts that, that transcend trading in so many ways.
I mean, it makes me think about conversations I've had with my sister, for example.
She'll listen to our podcast, and then she talks to me, and she's like, "Look, I'm not into the trading aspect really at all, but I love it because it all kind of fits into these little life lessons and sort of these ideas that you can apply across different areas of, uh, um, you know, just your everyday experiences." So-- And we've all had those moments where, you know, deep down we know what needs to be done, but we hesitate for whatever reason, out of fear, comfort, right, routine.
But that's something that we hear a lot about in terms of trading, how trading struggles are often reflections of personal struggles.
And for me, w-what's really appealing to this is that strict, systematic, that rules-based approach.
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