How many of you on ET actually make a living from trading?

How many of you on ET actually make a living from trading?

  • Yes - I post here and make a living

    Votes: 22 46.8%

  • No

    Votes: 25 53.2%
  • Total voters
    47
Not me. I have a nice income from my "real job"/business and trade on a monthly time frame to compound my accounts for retirement and to leave a sizable inheritance to my children.

After studying trading for a number of years, I have determined that the odds are much better for me to go this route than they are to try to pay my mortgage and feed my family by strictly trading. Thankfully I was never crazy enough to try trading full time.

If I can manage 12%+/yr CAGR, my retirement and kids will be set.
 
I'm on the same route clacy is on, only a little more aggressive. My goal is to make 20%+ CAGR, with all the same intent. However, I do believe I can "retire" fairly soon if i can prove that return over a number of years. I guess you could consider that "full time."


Anyway, after studying the hell out of it, i've pretty much concluded 20% or 30% is all thats reasonably possible without suffering extreme drawdowns. As you can imagine, to live off those type of returns, you would need a very significant capital base.


I know some people do more with less, and i think most of those folks mostly have some sort of edge, either based on certain types of liquidity plays (or lack thereof), or other fleeting edges. Simple trading using TA or price action, it seems tough to exceed 30%.
 
the closest thing to a real job i've ever had was lifeguarding for 3 summers in high school- i've been a pro-trader since the day i graduated college.
 
Not many but you don't have to make a living at it to be successful at it. Trading is my primary source of income and when people ask me if they should try and make it full-time I answer them with a resounding, "NO!"
 
I traded full time from 1985 until 2010. My own capital, no employees or partners. That was enough for me. It was a nice run.
 
Quote from rmorse:

I traded full time from 1985 until 2010. My own capital, no employees or partners. That was enough for me. It was a nice run.
More...

so what do you do now?
 
Quote from sneakoner:

so what do you do now?
More...

I work for Victor Securities. We sponsor the options forum. I use my 30 years in the business to help hedge funds, trading groups and active traders run their business through our relationships with prime brokers, administrators, attorneys, accountants, electronic platforms, floor brokers, etc.

I'm enjoying meeting new people every day. Something I did not get to do as a trader.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top