generally speaking...
beginners should use MAXIMUM of 10k per contract and a MAXIMUM of 2 contracts.
i strongly strongly recommend no more than 1 contract per 20k and no more than 2 contracts total.
and generally speaking, i like trainees to have practiced at least a couple of hundred trades with DIA (much lower leverage) before they consider trading YM (if you can trade DIA, you can trade YM... period)
beginning traders should spend AT LEAST as much time working on their business plan, trading manual, trading rules, etc. as they do watching the market and waiting for trades.
they should METICULOUSLY go over every trade, and meticulously document every trade with more data than they think they need (i prefer about 15 data points to be recorded PER trade)
they should stop worrying about the magic indicator, system, etc. it doesn't exist.
they should NOT concentrate on the money, but on their methodology, their emotional control, the psychology of trading, their risk management, etc.
you really should not start with less than 20k (for one contract) or 30-40k for two contracts... minimum.
if you are considering mentoring with somebody AND you are not already an experienced and profitable trader in futures - any less than 3-4 weeks of training is not going to be worth much. and that includes homework, etc.
imo, futures trading (at least for me) offers the most consistent opportunity to make a nice steady income. there are ALWAYS opportunities in the YM. every day. some days more than others. sometimes you enter a trade early on, and ride it into the close for 50-100 or more points. other days, the setups determine earlier exits.
it is NOT about how much you make, or can make. it is about your profitability factor - how much you risk per $/won, how smooth your equity curve is, and how defined your edge is .
the VAST majority of futures traders lose money. if you can't CLEARLY define what your edge is (and if it's some neato keen indicator, or lord forbid some moving averages - trust me. you almost certainly do not have an edge), if you cannot have ROCK SOLID DISCIPLINE in respecting your stops, defining your risk, and controlling your emotions - you are almost guaranteed to lose money.
it is NOT that complicated. it is difficult. there is a difference.