Hi. First time poster here -- it seems like this might be a good place to come for this type advice, so I thought I'd give it a shot. To make a long story short, I've been trading on my own for a while, want to "take it to the next level" and join a prop firm, and have recently begun doing some research on them. Here's my question for all of you.
I knew coming into this that these are completely non-salaried positions (if you even call them "positions"), but I've been a bit caught off guard, I guess, as to how much it essentially costs to work for these firms -- not just the capital contribution, but in many cases training as well. And that's in addition to the ongoing fees such as software fees. Basically, can any of you recommend what you consider to be the least risky firm to join to get started as a prop trader? By "least risky," a lot of that does mean the least expensive, but not all. That is, Firm A could charge $5000 for training/capital contribution but let you keep trading if you don't show a profit after a set amount of time, but Firm B could charge $3000 for that combination but then let you go if you don't show a profit after a set amount of time. If that's the case, I think you can make a case for Firm A being the less risky option, even though the initial cost was greater. But certainly, cost is a factor for me as well (not just contribution and training, but software fees as well). I know there is no perfect answer -- low-cost/free and I can keep trading forever. I'm just looking for the least of all the evils, I guess you could say. Thank you.
PS. By the way, the payout rate is actually a secondary factor for me. I figure that if I can't afford to get in the door, or to get properly trained, then how much of the profits I keep is a moot point anyway! If payout rates actually become a factor for me, it means that I'm trading profitably, which is really my goal anyway.
I knew coming into this that these are completely non-salaried positions (if you even call them "positions"), but I've been a bit caught off guard, I guess, as to how much it essentially costs to work for these firms -- not just the capital contribution, but in many cases training as well. And that's in addition to the ongoing fees such as software fees. Basically, can any of you recommend what you consider to be the least risky firm to join to get started as a prop trader? By "least risky," a lot of that does mean the least expensive, but not all. That is, Firm A could charge $5000 for training/capital contribution but let you keep trading if you don't show a profit after a set amount of time, but Firm B could charge $3000 for that combination but then let you go if you don't show a profit after a set amount of time. If that's the case, I think you can make a case for Firm A being the less risky option, even though the initial cost was greater. But certainly, cost is a factor for me as well (not just contribution and training, but software fees as well). I know there is no perfect answer -- low-cost/free and I can keep trading forever. I'm just looking for the least of all the evils, I guess you could say. Thank you.
PS. By the way, the payout rate is actually a secondary factor for me. I figure that if I can't afford to get in the door, or to get properly trained, then how much of the profits I keep is a moot point anyway! If payout rates actually become a factor for me, it means that I'm trading profitably, which is really my goal anyway.