John Pontikas
John Pontikas

26 years in
financial markets.
All of it applied here.

Licensed financial adviser. Founder of JMP Strategic Investments. Twenty-six years spent building the standard of process that most independent traders never get access to — until now.

A career built in markets.
A framework built from inside them.

My interest in financial markets started in the early 1990s, at university, where I became fascinated not just by how markets moved but by why. That question has never left me. It became the foundation of a career, and eventually the foundation of everything taught here.

The early part of that career was institutional. ABN AMRO Morgans and then RBS Morgans — environments where the standard for process, documentation, and professional accountability was not optional. You either operated to that standard or you didn't operate. What that period gave me was not just technical knowledge but a framework for thinking about markets professionally. Rules-based. Structured. Rigorous. That is the standard I carried forward, and the standard everything here is built on.

In 2011, I founded JMP Strategic Investments. My own firm, my own terms, operating as an Authorised Representative under AFSL 384713 from that day forward. What followed was more than a decade of applying a rules-based framework to real market conditions — not conditions selected to make a system look good, but the full cycle. Including the periods that expose every weakness in a process that is not genuinely durable.

What I kept seeing, both inside institutions and after, was the same problem. Experienced traders had the knowledge. Charts, structure, technical analysis — they had studied it, some of them for years. But without a structured, rules-based process to organise that knowledge and govern decisions under pressure, the results stayed inconsistent. Not because they lacked intelligence. Because nobody had shown them how to operate like a professional.

Trade Profitably is my answer to that. Everything taught here is rule-based, documentable, and delivered within a licensed, regulated context. There are no signals. No predictions. No market calls. Just a professional process, built over 26 years, applied consistently to ASX-listed securities.

Credentials
26 years Financial markets experience
Institutional background ABN AMRO Morgans / RBS Morgans
AR 329302 PGW Financial Services Pty Ltd, AFSL 384713
JMP Strategic Investments ABN 20 161 825 667, founded 2011
Securities & Superannuation Authorised product classes under AFSL 384713
Adelaide, South Australia Sessions delivered ACST

Most traders don't have
a knowledge problem.

They have a structure problem. The information is there. The experience is there, in many cases. What is missing is a process that governs decisions before the pressure of a live market takes over — and that holds even when every instinct is pulling in the opposite direction.

That distinction matters because knowledge and structure require completely different solutions. More information does not fix inconsistent execution. More screen time does not fix risk management by feel. More confidence does not fix the pattern of errors that repeat regardless of how well the last session went.

What fixes it is a rules-based framework. One that removes the decisions that should not be made in the moment and replaces them with criteria established before any pressure is applied. That is what this programme teaches. And it is what 26 years in markets has taught me to build.

There came a point where I wanted to build something that was entirely mine. A framework I believed in completely, taught on my own terms, to people who were serious about getting better. That is what this is.

JP — Trade Profitably
By the numbers

The foundation
behind the framework.

26
Years in financial markets
A career spanning institutional broking, private advisory, and structured trading education. Not selected highlights — the full cycle, including the conditions that expose every flaw in a process that is not genuinely robust.
AR
329302 — Licensed adviser
Authorised Representative of PGW Financial Services Pty Ltd (AFSL 384713). All education and advice delivered under a real professional authorisation. Not a coach. A licensed financial adviser with real accountability behind everything taught.
15
Maximum per cohort
The cap is structural. A group of 15 is small enough that your questions are answered, your charts are reviewed, and the room reflects a genuine peer group rather than a passive audience. JP responds to every enquiry personally.
From the community

What the framework
produces in practice.

The results below are from real participants applying the framework in real market conditions. They are not exceptional outcomes. They are what consistent process execution looks like when it becomes habitual.

"I am having a very solid week. Starting to really come together."

Vinnie
Individual experience. Results vary. General advice only. Not indicative of future results.

"Consistent across multiple sessions. Structured entries, defined exits, self-assessment after every trade noting setup quality and probability. That is not luck. That is a process being applied repeatedly."

Rob
Individual experience. Results vary. General advice only. Not indicative of future results.

"Two traders, same framework, same classification, independently reaching the same conclusion. That is what a shared standard produces inside a room where everyone has the same foundation."

Faruk
Individual experience. Results vary. General advice only. Not indicative of future results.

Twelve weeks.
A framework that holds.

The Cohort is a 12-week live programme capped at 15 participants. Four dedicated 1-on-1 sessions included. JP responds to every enquiry personally. If you are serious about building a structured, rules-based process — this is where it starts.

See the full programme
The Cohort — at a glance
12 weeks live with JP — two hours per session
15 participants maximum — structural cap, not a marketing claim
Four dedicated 1-on-1 coaching sessions at Weeks 3, 6, 9 and 12
Complete course materials — yours to keep after the cohort concludes
Graduate community eligibility on completion
$3,497 one-time or $1,300 per month over three payments
This is general advice only. It has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it. John Pontikas is an Authorised Representative (AR 329302) of PGW Financial Services Pty Ltd (AFSL 384713). JMP Strategic Investments Pty Ltd, ABN 20 161 825 667. Trading involves significant risk of loss. Past performance is not indicative of future results. You should consider whether trading is appropriate for your personal circumstances before participating.