There is no need to burn through your capital while learning. Here's how to avoid it:
1. Before you enter a trade, have several reasons for entering it: i.e. seasonality, technicals, fundamentals.
2. Define your loss point and stick to it.
3. DON'T start by trading the S&P.
4. Don't spend money on expensive mentoring. But DO go out of your way to read a LOT of different and diverse viewpoints on trading. Authors I've found EXTREMELY useful are:
Larry Williams, Jake Bernstein, John Murphy, Steve Nison, George Kleinman, Linda Rashke, Larry Connors.
5. The most profitable piece of advice I've followed is to ALWAYS seek out differing viewpoints regarding your particular investment vehicle. The good news about trading is that there are a LOT of web sites that offer free newsletters and webinars where you can garner expertise. Even though the free newsletters always include some sort of pitch for a bigger product, they nevertheless offer useful advice and tips.
Don't ignore the webinars at
www.cbot.com. Very useful stuff.
Always get a good night sleep.
Do aerobic exercise in the morning to wake up and get your blood flowing.
Eat healthy during the trading day and don't get drunk if you intend on trading the following day. Alcohol DOES impair observation.
Good luck.
b