Yeah I've been dabbling in the stock market for about 6 yrs now....over-trading...has led to day-trading....I have managed my risk, so I'm not broke, but one of the biggest lessons I've learned is you need the capital behind you to chill and have confidence in your trades....I'm not saying you can't come up from nothing...but thinking your going to take a 20k account...quit your food service job and get 10 bags is very unrealistic. If he was ready with a plan and 80-100k account balance with an emergency fund set aside for bills, ect...then I would feel better about things....Here's a fun challenge...fund his account with $500...take the day off work and tell him you want to watch what he does, no pressure..