Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

My friend Courtney Smith’s son wrote today to let his subscribers and friends know of his passing. He had a long struggle with illness going back to 2021. Yes, he was jabbed. Yes, his illness involved his heart. He was also diabetic. He was a true friend of freedom, and gave generously to many projects and organisations in the freedom movement.

Courtney and I first communicated in 1994. He had just read my first book, The Atlantis Papers, which he wanted to discuss. We met in person at the founding conference of his New Country Foundation at which I spoke in 1995. He was interested in what would be involved in founding a free country. We worked on projects, including with Michael van Notten on building a free port in East Africa, and with many others. He introduced me to Mike Oliver, the founder of the Republic of Minerva.

We did a lot of deals together. These included private equity financing projects, business plans he asked me to write, and very recently, the publication of his 12th book, Viewpoints of a Trader through my publishing company After Dark Publications.

Courtney was probably the most successful trader of financial instruments you’ve never heard of. He traded stocks, bonds, options, cryptocurrencies, foreign exchange, and precious metals. He was the treasurer of a Swiss bank, head of research for several organisations including a French bank and a few big firms in New York City. He headed his own hedge fund with over a billion dollars under management. He wrote newsletters, crafted videos, mentored other traders and investors, and was a genius about financial instruments and finance generally.

One of the symbols of his genius is his books on Options Trading, now in their third edition if I recall correctly. John Wylie is the publisher of those. If you want all the details on options, that’s the go to book.

Courtney is survived by a sister and children. I’m sorry to say that I never had the opportunity to meet his family. He was a good friend, a good man, and he will be missed.

Reprinted from L5 News for APR 24, 2023