SurgeU Says When It Comes to Instructors, It Won't Have a Lot of ‘Gurus'

A walk down the financial aisle in any bookstore reveals a saturation of self-proclaimed investment gurus. SurgeU is charting a different course. The financial education platform is betting on everyday practitioners to teach its courses, eschewing celebrity instructors in favor of active market participants.

“We want practitioners, not just educators,” says Jeremy Nosek, chief strategy officer for SurgeU. “It's kind of a careful balance.”

This approach stands in stark contrast to many competitors who rely on big names to draw students. SurgeU instead focuses on finding instructors who are currently applying the skills they teach.

“We want to make sure that we have instructors, especially for advanced classes, that actually practice what they preach and they are not book-smart academics without real-world experience,” Nosek adds.

The company's philosophy stems from a desire to provide practical, hands-on education. Rather than having students simply mimic a so-called expert's moves, SurgeU aims to equip them with the tools to make their own informed decisions.

“There's a lot of those gurus out there,” Nosek notes. “You're just kind of watching them and following along what they do. That may be giving you fish but not teaching you to fish. We're bigger on teaching people how to fish. It's average everyday folks like you and me that learned this very specialized skill that just love sharing it with others.”

SurgeU: Stewardship and Generosity
SurgeU's instructors encourage a mindset of stewardship and generosity. “That's just in the hearts of the instructors,” Steve Albin, vice president of SurgeU, says. That's in stark contrast to other institutions that rely on star power instead of practical applications.

But that doesn't mean SurgeU doesn't attract luminaries. Rob Collins, SurgeU's chief marketing officer, emphasizes that while the platform doesn't use famous personalities as instructors, it does leverage their popularity in other ways.

“We have celebrities as part of our portal where they will encourage people,” Collins shares. “They're not teachers.”

These well-known figures, including motivational speaker Nick Vujicic and the Benham Brothers, appear in webinars and special sessions. Their role is to provide encouragement and support, rather than deliver the core curriculum.

“[There's quite a few people] definitely supporting the mission and encouraging people,” Nosek says. “But [they] aren't actual instructors teaching the detailed curriculum.”

Engaging and Practical
This multifaceted approach allows SurgeU to balance the appeal of recognizable names with the substance of experienced practitioners. The result is a learning environment that aims to be both engaging and practical.

“When it comes to adult education, they don't have to be there. They choose to be there,” Nosek points out. “We want to make sure that it's not just informational but also engaging and fun.”

The company calls this approach “edutainment,” a blend of education and entertainment designed to keep adult learners engaged.

SurgeU's instructor selection process goes beyond just finding people with market experience. The company looks for individuals who align with its culture and possess the patience and communication skills necessary for effective teaching.

“We really pride ourselves in over-the-shoulder instruction to really teach the skill of trading — not just knowledge acquisition, which is usually what happens when you're reading a book or watching a YouTube video,” Nosek shares. “And in our experience, knowledge without skill does not lead to mastering the markets.”

This focus on relatable instructors is part of SurgeU's broader mission to demystify financial education and make it accessible to a wider audience. By showing that successful traders and investors can come from all walks of life, the company hopes to inspire confidence in its students.

SurgeU's approach offers an intriguing alternative to the guru-centric model. Time will tell if this focus on active practitioners over celebrities resonates with students seeking to build their financial skills — but early reviews indicated SurgeU is on the right path.
What SurgeU Students Are Saying About Instructors

When it comes to education, who better to hear from than the SurgeU students themselves? Here's the real scoop on what pupils are saying about SurgeU educators.

Wow… Brock ROCKED it. He helped to take the mystery out of trading and simplified it into process steps and he provided a clear road map for buying long or selling short in the stock arena,” a SurgeU student named Heidi B. of Hopkinton, Mass., stated.

“He provided 30 hours of training in a user-friendly and simplified way. He reminded us that trading is a marathon and not a sprint and he provided us with the basics and the necessary steps to follow to begin the race. Having a clear trading plan, clear risk management objectives and understanding when to cut your losses are paramount along with practice and more practice in the simulator. The steps Brock outlined with the odds enhancer guidelines will help to build my confidence that are required to take the leap into the real world of trading.”

Another student, Nancy K. of Winter Haven, Fla., said, “This is my second round of the live strategy class. I had to miss a couple sessions on my first round, so being able to enroll on the next class (as many times as needed) is very convenient. Both instructors are excellent and it has been super helpful to learn from both of them as they bring different perspectives and approaches to the subjects.”