We are saddened to report that Tom Williams, Wyckoff expert, mentor, and creator of Volume Spread Analysis, died yesterday, November 7, 2016 at his home in Worthing, England. Tom was 87 years old.
Gavin Holmes sent this notice:
“Tom died peacefully at home surrounded by Dallas, his wife, and myself, following a short illness. Although we are all naturally very sad at Tom’s passing, we know – because he told us – that Tom was satisfied his life’s work was being passed on to traders and investors world-wide and that the latest technology developments he witnessed shortly before he died, would see VSA a core component for investors and traders everywhere.
Tom had a long and varied life. In his 87 years he worked as a syndicate trader in Beverly Hills California, studying the Wyckoff course in Chicago. When Tom retired he spent a decade computerizing the methodology and bringing it to the world-wide trading community. Over the years he has travelled to many countries educating and enlightening traders. This culminated in him being awarded a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Gate University in 2009.”
The photo at the top of this post is of Tom at Golden Gate University when he received its lifetime achievement award.
Tom was a friend and mentor to many traders. I spent a few weeks with Tom and Gavin in Worthing not long ago after a seminar we all did in London. I have some fine memories of Tom in his trading room trading the markets and just quietly sitting in his garden enjoying the sunshine and talking VSA. He had an incredibly sharp and creative mind and it was fun to engage him on a variety of topics. Tom enjoyed a long and full life and developed close relationships with other traders. He also cared for others who couldn’t care for themselves. As a psychologist, I found this especially endearing. Tom wrote The Undeclared Secrets that Drive the Stock Market, which I consider to be one of the most important books on the Wyckoff Method. Tom leaves a wonderful legacy in VSA and his computerization of the Wyckoff Method that began decades ago with Genie Software and culminated with TradeGuider. He actively contributed to the TradeGuider software platform until shortly before his death.
He will certainly be missed.
An Update
A memorial webpage for Tom has been posted on the TradeGuider website. The link below will take you there where you can post your condolences:
Ivan Yeo says
November 8, 2016 at 6:31 PMMy condolences to Tom’s family.
I have benefited from Tom’s book which opened up my world of trading using Wykoff’s methodology. I totally agree with Dr Gary that it is one of the most important book in Wykoff’s trading methodology. I have never personally meet Tom himself, but through all the webinars from TradeGuider, I found his sharp observation of market reaction amazing. He never be tired of explaining the theory over and over again, because, in my opinion, he cares a lot about the many untrained traders out there.
With the success of TradeGuider software, Tom had contributed greatly to the trading community. He will definitely be missed.
Martin says
November 9, 2016 at 2:46 PMMy condolence to Dallas and Gavin…
We will miss Tom a lot.
Thank you for your teachings of VSA and especially to Malaysia, Singapore and Asia.
Martin Wong
DrGary says
November 9, 2016 at 4:29 PMThanks, Martin. I know you spent time with Tom in Worthing. He showed me a photo of you and him shot in his garden. He liked you very much. Hope you are well and things are good in Malaysia.
Sharon Russell says
November 14, 2016 at 5:46 AMTom Williams came to several events in Dallas over the years and one could easily feel that one knew him personally. I remember particularly one time that he and Gavin were at a small get together of the local trading club. Someone questioned the method. You could tell that Tom was quite upset by this and that he truly believed in what he was sharing and personal gain was not his motivation.,
DrGary says
November 18, 2016 at 5:56 PMThat made me laugh as I have seen that, too. Tom often had a hard time understanding why people didn’t ‘get it’ in the same way he did. Gavin was always good at being the mediator, thankfully. Tom had very strong opinions on a number of things, especially trading. Unlike many, Tom was a was a very clear and objective thinker, and when he came to a conclusion, it was well thought out and firm. You always knew where Tom stood. Certainly not a wishy-washy man. It is one of the aspects of his character that I admired.
And you are right about personal gain. That was never a motivation. He didn’t need personal gain. He really wanted to advance trading; that was his sole motivation.
Thanks for your comments, Sharon. I appreciate it.
Gary
Matt says
February 13, 2017 at 4:01 PMEmbarrassed to say this was just brought to my attention – I am terribly saddened by the loss of one of the most brilliant and generous members of the trading community. It was just 2 months ago that I found myself spending over $100 to print one copy of “Master the Markets” for myself at Kinkos (I got sick of working with it on my screen). Others thought I was nuts, but they don’t understand what insight Tom brought and what a gifted educator he was. I regret I did not email Tom and offer him my well deserved thanks before he left this world. A master of his craft, I will never forget, for one second, the confidence and understanding his work gave me on my trading journey.
My most sincere condolences to his Family, and his dear Friends.
Dr. Gary, thank you for this fitting memorial.
DrGary says
March 2, 2017 at 7:12 PMMatt – Tom would have been happy to know you found value in his book.