Ruud van Megen

Born 1959, started own-account investing in 1993, financial advisor since 2006 through own consulting service. Most important principle: providing good service to clients and working systematically. Hence the name "Van Megen Systematic Trading". The main adage is paradoxical: take risks, but do it carefully. Part of that caution is that the systems can provide for periods when there is no market. 

Another important principle has always been to remain independent. 

Offers from financial institutions have therefore never been accepted. The systematics and the advice of Van Megen Systematic Trading are only available to and aimed at clients. Among those clients may be banks and pension funds (for instance), but the important thing is that they cannot influence the investment policy and the investment systems, nor can large parties influence the systematics. Van Megen Systematic Trading is and remains independent.

Before systems like RVM Strategy and RVM Retirement were created, a lot of research and testing was done. Among others, the work of Thomas DeMark has been influential, but also observations on Japanese candlesticks, manuals by Joe Ross, as well as the principles of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.

The biggest example for me, however, has always been Renaissance Technologies, because I too have found that a quantitative and statistical approach to investing produces the most stable returns.

The algorithms devised by mathematician Jim Simons and his associates for Renaissance have always remained secret, and so they should. Even the algorithm underlying the momentum strategies of RVM Strategy and RVM Retirement is not shared with anyone, it is a proprietary invention.