This might sound pessimistic but if you trading with less than $25k, chances are the first 100-150% will be going towards fees. College takes most four years and yet you graduate with piece of paper in your hand to reduce the masses and you get that first job and they will have to train you to what you seldom learned in school. People who dream, most be dreaming all their life, those who conquer simple don't have time for nonsense, only have time for more research. Backtesting by many is 300 sample size, pro's is 20,000 plus sample size. You are light years from having knowledge enough to even be breakeven trader. "undivided attention" is 15 hours a week? were you joking? All my trading is through automation and yet I spend over 50 hours each week studying charts and back testing which I love to do. Coughing up a few trades? are you nuts? What did your method do in last 20 years and what is that sample size, what is the "mean" for protective stops, are they hard or loose. What are your expected drawdowns based on backtesting as in real time they always be much more.
Do you think this guy fantasize of making it would be enough? Stop day dreaming and you have to know what to do before shit hits the fan or you be dead. This guy had the answers during a worn equipment flaw, perhaps if he had done a better pretrip inspection, might have found weakness in harness, but regardless, he knew what had to be done when going bad.
You don't.
