Quote from pkts:
Wow, this is quite the advertisement for NOT getting married
I think the main issue here is that if you are really a trader, it is part of your identity, part of what makes you interesting, part of what drives your pursuits, effectively a type of entrepreneurship, more than just a way of making money that you can turn off after 5 PM like some 9-5 jobs. It also has issues such as capitalization required, non-predictable income, tax issues, insurance issues, etc. which many women don't understand well, or don't like the implications of.
So, when you first hook up, or are interested in someone, you need to be honest about the fact that you are a trader, and not hide it and assume the woman will understand later once you are more deeply involved. I think the problem is that some traders are not confident enough in their skills, or money-making ability, or communication of exactly what a trader is, that they hide it to avoid indicating to the woman that they might be some type of pathological gambler (part-time traders) or lowlife without a "real job" (full-time traders).
Then, later on the woman thinks that the guy is falling for some "get-rich-quick scheme" because he never communicated effectively what trading is, or that he is involved in it as a business. The wanna-bes, and infomercials that the general public sees in magazines and commercials just serves to reinforce the fears that women already have. Then you have the chorus of financial advisers suggesting that you need "professional assistance" to properly manage your portfolio, etc.
Personally, I always mention that I am a trader whenever I get involved with a woman beyond a casual level - it is kind of a filter that keeps me from wasting time on women that are going to stifle my interests later. Of course, you also have to communicate the reality that this does not mean you make money effortlessly from the market whenever it is open, or you will attract gold-diggers, or women with full-time mall shopping hobbies. But to hide it just causes more problems later...
I have also found that it is important to not use certain terms such as "day trader" to avoid fighting a ton of misconceptions of what trading is really about.