Well, one could think of it that way…but when you try to put some concrete figures on it…:
What is a reasonable monthly salary in the US? Shall we say $6000 pm? That means during “2023” you would need to earn and save from your trading 6000x12mths to cover “2024”. That is already $72,000. Now, if we assume that a 10% annual return on capital from trading is achievable then your capital requirement before you even start is around $720,000, in theory…
Naturally, one could earn a higher return, but if one is consistently that good over a period of years then that person is in a very different league to your average retail trader dreaming of being a sole trader and earning a high reward on a $1000 equity.
But that leads, once again, to the question of whether prop firms are indeed the answer to how talented retail traders can earn big returns without needing to first accumulate the capital. However, even that scenario is not so rosy as it might at first seem. Although the nominal size of a prop firm acc may be a 6-figure sum, the actual account size from a practical trading perspective is only the max drawdown. E.g. if you have a $10,000 prop firm acc with a 6% target of $600 that doesn’t sound too difficult but if the max drawdown is 5% ($500), then you are trying to earn $600 with a $500 account - now that is a very different set-up! The only real purpose of the nominal $10,000 acc size is to provide a figure on which to apply leverage and derive the max position size available, it doesn’t mean you can lose funds up to $10,000
But I am rambling . The point is that one needs to know the concrete amounts of money involved as well as the required trading performance, and sustainability over a prolonged period, before evaluating whether trading full-time is actually feasible.
It’s kind of frightening, sometimes, when you read forum conversations about prop-firm try-outs, the number of people who seem not quite to understand this point!!
Please continue: your “rambling” is hugely valuable to the forum.
And, I would say, a lot of pressure if one is going to rely on it!
That is precisely why I would always recommend capital building as the prime objective alongside a salaried job or alternative income source. There is more than enough to focus on when learning trading without having to constantly work out how much I need to draw to live on v. how much I need to keep in my account to trade it enough!
@SmallPaul Your page deserves to get mentioned twice!
It helps keep me going!
Dream big and work hard! Don’t let anyone discourage you!
Yup, let’s be real. If you are expecting to reach the moon with $1,000 in your account, you’ve got another thing coming. However, you’re only limited by your imagination. Sure, you won’t 20x your account overnight, but if you stick with it, it will grow. If you want it to grow faster, well, you better figure something out.
Nothing is impossible. You can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price. It will be difficult, it will be scary, and you will make sacrifices. Your plan may change along the way, but keep your eyes on the prize. You’ll get there!!
Many may label me a pessimist but I don’t fully agree with this. Ok, so there are optimists and pessimists in this world, but there is also a third group, the realists. They are the ones that seek opportunities but also rationalise their probabilities of success and select those dreams/plans which are optimal in terms of achievability and degree of input.
An extreme and ridiculous example of this: the global population currently stands at around 8 billion people and the US population is about 345 mill. So 8 billion people set their dreams on becoming the next US president. But only a US citizen is eligible for that so that means well over 7 billion people are totally wasting their time, efforts and resources on something that is impossible regardless of how hard they try.
Our lives are guided by chance and external opportunities and limitations far more than we care to admit. Our ability to freely choose is actually very limited, and certainly guided, by circumstances and the available possibilities at any one time.
One can certainly try walking with one’s head in the clouds whilst keeping one’s feet firmly planted on the ground - but the trouble there is that you cannot see clearly where you are treading and fairly soon you are going to walk into something that hits you where it hurts!
It is fine to take a peep above the clouds and see what’s on offer but always better to then come back to earth and analyse what makes sense, what is achievable, what assets/resources are needed, what risks are involved, and then make your concrete plans how you are going to achieve it.
As you wisely say, things may (and probably will) change along the way, but at least realism helps you manage such situations and rationalise the solutions as you go. Even to the extent of proactively and not just reactively!
But realism is boring, everyone loves a dream…
Another example is in the video @SmallPaul posted above. I would love another Lambourghini but it would be totally impractical because I would need to sell one of my 50 Ferraris to make room for it on the parking lot in a slot next to the Bentleys. Life is so full of such inhibitions and dreams can be so impractical at times!
I don’t know why but the symbolism of success in trading is always making a million and buying a Lambourghini. But, anyway, the big problem with big dreams is that there is no clear concrete plan how one is going to get there.
As a realist, one’s thinking is that in order to make a million one has to first make 500,000. But in order to make 500,000 you need to make 100,000, and in order to make 100,000 you need to make 50,000, and so on.
So the concrete approach is to work out how you are going to make the first 1000 before dreaming of your 1st million… If you can’t make a 1000 then why destroy yourself dreaming about how to spend that 1st million?
As Desmond Tutu is attributed as saying:
“There is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time.”
It is fine to dream big, but such dreams are high in the sky. What one really needs to find is the ladder that gets you there. Without a ladder the dreams remain beyond your grasp, always in tomorrow, at the end of that rainbow.
One could also add a reminder that it is also very important to “enjoy the journey as much as the destination”. Bon voyage!
P.S. one small ponder regarding big dreams: If you can make just $10 per month consistently then you are already better than 80% of all retail traders…
Don’t want anyone to know where you’re logging in from?
How about a portable router with a VPN?
The Keepgo hotspot also comes with a VPN. For simple tasks online, in my opinion, a hotspot will suffice and the mobile router won’t be necessary. Less is more when travelling.
It seems I’ve talked myself out of yet another trade. I actually took the sign, but then price pushed my SL, and I got scared. I started thinking about other charts I was studying, and concluded that I should wait.
I was so confused, and now price is trending in my favour. The positive side is that this is the closest I’ve ever been to trading properly.
So, now, when I practice my charts, I’m trying to train my brain to be more aggressive when I see the entry signs.
Nope. Different pairs. I spent time trying to see if there were some details in my entry signs that I’ve been missing.
I spent about a week or so studying entry signs. At that moment, I was studying a different type of entry, and it confused me.
The bottom line is that I’ve done this before–regardless of what I’ve been studying. I find something to psych myself out of a proper entry. My real problem is fear. Mind you, this is demo. I shouldn’t have ANY fear. But i guess it’s good to treat demo like it’s real. That way I don’t take it for granted.
But through my practice I’m trying to focus more on determination. Take a trade and hold it–have confidence in my strategy.
I can’t believe this is what people carry while traveling. But I get it. They’re executing multiple trades per day.
For me, all I need is a laptop, ergonomic mouse, mobile hotspot. Done. That’s it.
I can’t imagine carrying three laptops or extra monitors, stands, multiple keyboards, etc.
Don’t forget about your luggage with clothes and shoes, etc. That’s a lot to carry.
When traveling, I prefer to travel as light as possible. If I were traveling internationally and trading, my carry-on would be my backpack with my laptop, hygiene products, and extra underclothes. Keep it as light as possible. My checked back would be a light suitcase–hopefully. A medium or large suitcase would also be suitable.
. The point is that one needs to know the concrete amounts of money involved as well as the required trading performance, and sustainability over a prolonged period, before evaluating whether trading full-time is actually feasible.
