The Money Situation

Quote from TradeMetal:

Forget it. Work your way up until you saved at least $25.000. Paper trade for the next 3 years while doing this.

Of course, this will not happen and you will not do it the right way, because we're all tempted in the 'it's possible' ... 'what if it's working' .. 'I can do it, I'm smart' ... game.

I'm 17. Unless you want me to sell crack I can't make $25,000 in 3 years as a high school / college student.

Paper trading has its uses IMO but it does me no good - without money invested I have no interest.

Just for the record, I'm not a beginner, just because I"m 17(I made a 30% return in like two quarters of this year-not great, but it's not bad). Just someone short on cash.
 
Quote from jprad:

That same $45, about 11% of your current $400 stake, could buy you a damned good snow shovel. Buy one and make some risk & tax free money this winter. If you're as fit as my 17 year old son you can pull in $300+ in one day.

When Spring arrives buy a lawn mower, rake, shovel and a pitchfork. You can make some damned good money doing lawns. Again, risk and tax free.

When you're not doing yard work study some charts and backtest your ass off until you've got an edge.

Between that and saving most of what you earned, by this time next year you just might have a snowball's chance at success.

I live at the beach in NC; no snow here. I've done the lawn thing, and I'm considering doing it in the spring. But with 2 AP classes, 2 honors classes, being on the golf team, and going to the gym, along with creating an investment club, going to other clubs, and the SAT, I don't have all that much extra time.
 
Quote from nfamousyoungest:

Wait, what???? How is micro FX more levered than equity options? And what underlying has deep ITM options trading that you can buy for $500?

Excuse me, I did say I would use deep ITM options. I thought I said I would use options only barely ITM. My bad!
 
Quote from Roark:

As Tushar Chande wrote, if not the gods, put the odds on your side. The odds are stacked long and tall against a trader. If you really want to put the odds on your side, it isn't in trading, it's in selling tools to traders and taking commissions so that you win no matter what the market does. Do more of what works and less of what doesn't. If your website is averaging $10 a day and that's your thing, work on it until it's bringing in $20.

There's a very old accounting principle dating from biblical times that you should take to heart: what does it profit one to gain the whole world and yet lose one's soul? Work like you don't need the money. You don't want to windup a broke, old, loser, shilling crappy trading tools and advice because you need the money.

Finally, make sure you phuck a lot. The sex is much better when you're younger. That's straight from Warren Buffett.

Finally, some good advice.
 
Quote from rgilbert93:

I'm 17. Unless you want me to sell crack I can't make $25,000 in 3 years as a high school / college student.

Yes you can. Without doing something illegal. I said it before and will advise it again: If you want to earn money, start a business. If you want to become rich. Start a business. It's way easier to find funding and to become rich.
 
Quote from TradeMetal:

Yes you can. Without doing something illegal. I said it before and will advise it again: If you want to earn money, start a business. If you want to become rich. Start a business. It's way easier to find funding and to become rich.

It probably is, but I just don't enjoy businesses like I do trading.
 
Quote from TradeMetal:

Then keep dreaming, and enjoy the dream.

Just because you have inadequacies in trading doesn't mean the rest of us do. You're the one on an investor website. Where's your business?
 
In Europe.

Just keep looking for the posts that say that you will make it with $400 or even $4000. Just ignore the other posts.

That will help your dream satisfaction.
 
Kid, you're showing some maturity beyond your years. It's only 500 bucks for god's sake. Do what you want with it. I like your idea of using itm options (you have enough to go a couple strikes itm on some options. (There are some with dollar strikes.) You are essentially using options to leverage your $500 on either a long or short position. And you can consider spreads as well. I'd be cautious of really cheap stocks, and I'd stick too very liquid ones, i.e., big open interest. Best of luck to you, and let us know how you did. Even if you quickly lose it all, you're bound to learn something in the process. I have a feeling you have a bright future ahead of you. (Oh, one other bit of advice -- which I think you have already figured out on your own-- don't try for home runs, reward and risk are linked. Steady small gains mean a big gain over time. And be a good loser. When you're wrong, take your lumps and live to fight another day.)
 
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