New book by Daniel Schlaepfer challenges Wall Street’s automation obsession and argues that retail traders deserve better than gamified apps, opaque market plumbing and “funded trader” schemes built around failure.

TORONTO, June 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Select Vantage Inc. (SVI) today announced that Real Trading: Why Stock Markets Will Always Need a Human Touch – the new book by SVI President and CEO Daniel Schlaepfer – is now available for pre-order ahead of its publication on June 23, 2026.

Published by Forbes Books, Real Trading is a timely and provocative argument for why human judgment remains essential in modern financial markets. At a time when Wall Street is increasingly dominated by algorithms, high-frequency trading firms, dark pools and commission-free retail apps, Schlaepfer argues that the promise of democratized trading has too often been replaced by a system that rewards speed, opacity and scale while leaving ordinary traders exposed.

“Retail traders have been sold a very seductive story: that frictionless access equals fairness,” said Daniel Schlaepfer, President and CEO of Select Vantage Inc. “But access to a market is not the same thing as a fair chance inside it. Too many platforms are designed to monetize activity, attention and order flow, not to help people become better traders.”

Drawing on Schlaepfer’s experience building Select Vantage Inc., one of the world’s largest human-driven proprietary trading firms, Real Trading makes the case that markets still need trained, disciplined human traders who can bring judgment, adaptability and accountability to an increasingly automated system. SVI employs more than 2,000 traders across more than 40 countries, operates on more than 100 marketplaces and can trade up to $4 billion daily.

“This book is not anti-technology,” Schlaepfer added. “Technology is essential. But technology should support human judgment, not replace it entirely. Markets are not just machines for moving prices. They are human systems built on trust, liquidity, accountability and decision-making under pressure.”

Real Trading explores the evolution of global markets, the rise of high-frequency trading, the retail trading boom, the risks of dark pools and payment for order flow, and the growing confusion between trading, gambling and entertainment. Schlaepfer also takes aim at the rise of so-called “funded trader” programs, arguing that many of them are designed less to develop professional talent than to profit from repeated failure.

“Too many funded trader businesses are not really funding traders,” Schlaepfer said. “They are funding a funnel. Their economics depend on people failing challenges, paying again and believing the next attempt will be different. That is not professional development. It is extraction dressed up as opportunity.”

The book also introduces what Schlaepfer calls the Human Insight Model, the philosophy behind SVI’s global trading operation. The model argues that real traders, supported by technology, training and risk controls, can still provide crucial liquidity, support price discovery and create opportunity in markets that are increasingly shaped by automation and concentration.

“Real Trading chronicles the recent demise of human insight in capital markets and presents a strong defence of why that critical component still matters and must be nurtured,” said Ian Bandeen, the Chairman of SVI’s Advisory Board. “Daniel is arguing against a market culture that increasingly treats judgment, experience and accountability as obsolete. The book is a reminder that markets are not just systems of speed and code. They are human institutions, and they depend on human decision-making to remain honest, liquid and resilient.”

The book also looks ahead to the next generation of retail trading. In 2026, Schlaepfer plans to launch Real Trading, a platform designed as a safer gateway for self-directed traders and, for some, a potential pathway toward professional trading with Select Vantage. Unlike platforms that reward constant activity, Real Trading is intended to focus on direct market access, embedded risk controls, mentorship and trader development.

“The real question is not whether ordinary people should have access to markets,” Schlaepfer said. “Of course they should. The real question is whether we are giving them a genuine opportunity to learn and grow, or simply giving them a prettier way to lose.”

Real Trading is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

About Daniel Schlaepfer

Daniel Schlaepfer is the President and CEO of Select Vantage Inc., one of the world’s largest proprietary trading firms distinguished by its fully human-driven approach. SVI employs more than 2,000 traders across more than 40 countries, operates on more than 100 of the world’s leading marketplaces and can trade up to $4 billion daily. Through Real Trading, Schlaepfer argues for a future in which technology strengthens, rather than replaces, human judgment in financial markets.

About Select Vantage Inc.

Select Vantage Inc. is a global proprietary trading firm built around human decision-making, disciplined risk management and market participation across more than 100 marketplaces worldwide. The firm provides infrastructure, capital and support to a global network of traders, with a model designed to demonstrate that human-driven trading remains scalable, relevant and essential to healthy markets.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2990756/Select_Vantage_Photo.jpg

CONTACT: Casey Larsen, casey.larsen@selectvantage.com

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SOURCE Select Vantage Inc. (SVI)