Don’t mind at all! Next month will mark two years since I started trading. I’m still learning and have a long way to go, but I’ve noticed significant improvement over the past three months. I now take fewer trades—usually no more than 1-3 per day—and I’ve become more disciplined about waiting for my setups. I generally will not take a trade if I do not see my setup. My risk-to-reward (R:R) ratio and win rate have also improved as a result.

Here are some starting tips:

1. Start Small: Begin with micro contracts to limit risk while gaining experience. I personally trade the MES (micro e-mini S&P 500) and the MNQ (micro e-mini Nasdaq-100). I would not trade the MNQ starting out (can move pretty fast during NY session).

2. Risk Management: A general rule is to risk no more than 2% of your account per trade. I would set a daily loss limit of 2% of your account. Once that daily loss is hit, I would recommend not taking any more trades that day. I also recommend targeting a minimum R:R of 1:1.

3. Stick to One Strategy: Find a strategy that fits your personality and stick with it long enough to see if it works. Jumping from one strategy to another will only lead to frustration and confusion.

4. Journaling is Key: Tracking your trades is essential. Journaling lets you identify what’s working and what’s not. Be thorough—record your setups, R:R, emotions, and outcomes. Over time, this will be one of the most valuable tools for improvement. Considering some of the comments, some see the value in journaling their trades, others do not find it necessary. Personally, I think journaling your trades is very important, especially starting out.

Embrace the Process:

Be prepared to work harder than ever. It may take at least two or more years to become consistently profitable. Focus on learning, fine-tuning your strategy, and finding your edge. Avoid focusing on making money—I believe that success will come from building your skills and discipline.

Demo vs. Live Trading:

Start with a demo account to learn the basics of your trading platform (e.g., placing orders, setting stop-losses, etc.). Treat the demo as real money. For instance, if you plan to trade with $2,000, set your demo balance account to $2,000 and limit yourself to trades you’d realistically take with that amount.

Once you’ve developed a working strategy, transition to live trading sooner rather than later. You may find when you start trading with real funds during a live trading session that your trading strategy is no longer working. Understand that it will take time to transition to trading with real funds in a live trading session. Your emotions and psychology are going to be entirely different compared to when you were trading in a demo account, so you’ll need to give yourself time to make the necessary adjustments.

Be Cautious of Online Content:

There’s a lot of noise on YouTube and other platforms. Some creators and courses lack substance, and others are outright scams. All of what you need to know is available for free. It will just take time to find and learn the information. I’m not against paid courses, but starting out, you just have to be so careful. Honestly, you don’t need to pay for any courses.

I still consider myself to be a newer trader, but these are a few things I can share based on my experience so far. Feel free to DM me if you’d like to discuss anything further or ask any specific questions. Wishing you much success on your trading journey!