I saw that this is the first update to the first post of this thread on 1/14/09. This thread was started very long ago when Forex Factory was a much smaller place. It was unusual at that time to see more than 20 people online at any given time. My how times have changed.
This thread has changed my life in many many ways and it has changed many others as well if my email inbox is any indication. This thread is about helping people learn to trade with a simple method BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY its about providing a kind and non-threatening place for beginners. There is literally an army of old timers here that, along with me, make sure of it.
The single biggest reason this thread continues to produce winners is it constantly pounds home that this is a business and must be treated as such. Your going to get to read about that in a minute but first i want to thank someone.
Forex Factory is what it is due to the vision and care of one person, my friend Merlin. Merlin no longer carries the torch here but he is a hero to me and i am truly blessed to know and call him my friend.
ok are you ready to read the truth? are you ready to face what no beginner to this business wants to read or hear? of course its just my opinion but it comes from 26 years of blood,sweat, tears and experience. thats all i really teach here anyway...experience. Follow it and join the multitudes here that are succesful traders or dont and go thru hell like most do in this business early on including myself for 8 grueling years.
To succeed in this business you need a sound method (notice i did not say system), common sense, discipline and a rock solid understanding that if you do not treat this as a business you have a ZERO CHANCE of long term success. 95 percent of new businesses fail even when the owner knows what they are doing. Do you really think this business is going to work for you after 3 months practice or less?
Whats interesting about this business is it affords the person that chooses to use common sense a way to learn it without losing a ton of money or any for that matter. Below is the outline i used 20 years ago to finally find some success and i have become almost mental about it. To this day any new method im testing or any refinement to existing methods goes thru the same process. Also remember this. small accounts could never keep me focused to be ultra picky about my entries and you will almost surely find the same thing. small accounts = over trading and YOU SIMPLY MUST LEARN TO BE PICKY ABOUT YOUR ENTRIES. Solution? Force yourself to be ultra picky (virtually impossible) or follow the plan below while your saving.
Before the plan i want those of you that are new or struggling to read one sentence from someone that has come before you. Just a regular person just like you. This person followed the plan, got involved and stuck with it for half a year. Here are his words and they should tell you something. There are no free lunches in this business. Give it your best here for 6 months and see if you can do the same.
"Words can't describe where my trading was 6 months ago compared to where it is now"
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
If you are new to trading and/or you have had difficulty finding some consistent success, you must understand something. This is not a game and it's not a way to get rich quick. I suppose there is the odd exception of the person with a ton of money to play with, but if you approach this business without a business plan and the willingness to follow it, you are almost certainly doomed to failure. A doctor spends ten plus years in a grueling learning curve to be successful and earn a six figure income; anyone who thinks that their pot of gold in this business is a couple of months down the road is in for a rude awakening.
Below is a minimum requirement (in my opinion) to find out without losing your @#!@#$%$# if this business is for you. By following these recommendations, you will be treating trading like a business and you will be learning and gaining confidence. I think this is so important, I am going to make the following statement: If you start out in this business using no common sense, you have no one to blame other than yourself when you lose all your money. There is no reason to ever lose a dime of your money while learning to trade. A well thought-out business plan, common sense and hard work is required for anyone who wants a chance at success. Many people meet those requirements and still fail, but it does not mean you have to watch your bank account go to zero.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS / THIS IS A BUSINESS
WHATEVER / WHICHEVER WAY YOU DECIDE TO TRADE YOU MUST (AT A MINIMUM):
ON DAILY AND WEEKLY TIME-FRAMES, YOU ONLY DEMO-TRADE FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE PROFITABLE MONTHS IN A ROW. YOU DO NOT PROCEED TO STEP TWO UNTIL COMPLETED.
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH HALF OF THE INVESTMENT YOU INTENDED TO GO FULL WITH AND CONTINUE TO ONLY TRADE DAILY AND WEEKLY TIME-FRAMES UNTIL YOU ARE PROFITABLE THREE MONTHS IN A ROW MINIMUM. YOU NEVER RISK MORE THAN TWO PERCENT OF YOUR ACCOUNT ON ANY ONE TRADE. YOU DO NOT PROCEED TO STEP THREE UNTIL STEP TWO IS COMPLETED.
FUND A FULL ACCOUNT AND CONTINUE TO ONLY TRADE DAILY AND WEEKLY TIME-FRAMES UNTIL YOU ARE CONSISTENTLY BUILDING YOUR ACCOUNT FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS. YOU NEVER RISK MORE THAN 2 OR 3 PERCENT OF YOUR ACCOUNT ON ANY ONE TRADE.
IF AND WHEN YOU DECIDE TO DAYTRADE ON A SMALL TIME-FRAME AND YOU DON'T FOLLOW THIS TEMPLATE, AT A MINIMUM, YOU ARE ALMOST CERTAINLY GOING TO FIND YOURSELFE IN TROUBLE. IF YOU ARE GOING TO FOLLOW A SYSTEM OR ANY TRADING STYLE AND YOU DON'T FOLLOW THIS TEMPLATE AS FAR AS THE DEMO PROCESS, YOU ARE NOT TREATING IT AS A BUSINESS AND YOU HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME OTHER THAN YOURSELF IF YOU LOSE YOUR MONEY.
IF YOU EVER SUFFER THE LOSS OF 30 TO 35 PERCENT OF YOUR ACCOUNT, YOU STOP TRADING. PERIOD-PARAGRAPH. YOU GO BACK TO DEMO AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WENT WRONG. WHILE DOING THIS, YOU REFUND YOUR ACCOUNT BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL AMOUNT. YOU DO NOT GO BACK TO LIVE TRADING AGAIN UNTIL YOUR DEMO HAS SHOWN YOU WHAT WENT WRONG AND YOUR ACCOUNT IS BACK TO FULL STRENGTH BY WHATEVER MEANS. IF IT TAKES ONE MONTH OR SIX MONTHS, IT DOES NOT MATTER. YOU MUST FOLLOW THIS APPROACH IF YOU DON'T WANT BLOWN ACCOUNT AFTER BLOWN ACCOUNT.
Your goal should be this. Learn, learn and learn some more and don't do anything stupid while your getting your feet on the ground. The ultimate goal of any trader is to build an account to a size where just a few good trades a month produces a staggering income. Hardly anyone ever gets there because they don't treat it as a business. They do stupid things that they would never do in any other area of their life and it's because of the money that can be made. If it takes you a couple of years or even five or ten to reach the level of a staggering income, is it worth it? The choice is yours.
Here is a post from early 2009. It says in short form what im always trying to say and cant seem to keep short.
Every question that you could probably think of has been answered several times by now. The PF is good because it has all the material in one place, it's concentrated, without a lot of the "external noise" that you might get on a public forum. You definately just need to listen to certain voices especially in this thread (If you read the thread from the start you will just start skipping some peoples posts after a while lol, and get to the good , that's what I did )
I say if you are cash strapped then just read this thread and follow it and demo, backtest. . Work. . . No need to put yourself under financial pressure my friend. ALL of the material in the PF, ALL the excellent traders in the PF (Instructors, Senior members and traders alike) Still will not on their own make you profitable, that is up to you.
That is up to you my friend, be steadfast, brace yourself and work hard and victory will be yours . . Now, or in the future.
This thread is like a series of signposts in the RIGHT DIRECTION (To profitability ) Signposts constructed by people who have navigated the dangerous and inherently confusing jungle of forex before. I have only come to appreciate this recently, but each single line that is said by certain people in this thread, has literally hours of experience, backtesting and work behind it. To give it a seal of authority that only experience can give. . .
It's a jungle out there . . But we are lucky enough to have signposts erected for us here . . . Set in stone, by the people who have navigated their way through the jungle before us. . .
Just some of my thought's . . .
Godspeed,
T
NOTE: In over 25 years of trading and learning its important for me to give credit where credit is due.
virtually all of my methods are original but some of the ingredients are often things i have learned from others and use in my own way. This is true for all of us that truly put in time and effort to find success in this business.
I want to thank the following people and as i remember others i will add them. I think all of these people are honest and good at what they do and teach.
source:http://www.forexfactory.com/showthread.php?t=2331
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