Simply to understand that receiving the full offer of the market pales anything in comparison. Investing and trading are frequently lumped together when the distinction is more clarifying. Both can embrace ambiguity and the opportunities that arise from that state but one attempts to ride out price oscillations and the other capitalizes on the oscillation itself. The money velocity possible from either when realized is a by-product of understanding the market's system of operation. It's worth the journey of self-discovery for the discerning, preservering and disciplined few. It's also a road of paradox, confusion, negative logic and significant emotional, mental, spiritual and financial costs for countless others. Through a process of market observation, annotating, logging, deciding and acting, one can develop an agile contextual understanding of the Price Volume Relationship where the majority do not. Working with a mentor and observing smaller, faster timescales can increase the pace of learning. The market itself can be an amazing zen teacher - serving a good whack when one's not in the present moment. Discernment is the key skill and is applied always in the areas of our lives we wish to improve. Discernment applied in 5min intervals requires capacity. Capacity which only comes from Monitoring, Analyzing, Deciding and Acting via logging in 5min(or higher) intervals not just staring at a screen. Staring at a screen is an unpurposeful waste of time for no quality inference is being built. Many attempt with varying degrees of success to automate via backtesting. The truth only comes out with forward testing whether the assumptions built into one's system accurately model the Market's System of Operation or not. With all that said, if you still get juice from RE, tweeking your biz is most likely the easier, faster and less stressful way to achieve your goals. I shifted from that arena when I lost a bunch of houses to foreclosure back in 2008-9 which was a result of my lack of inspiration amid a rapidly changing market - that and not screening renters properly. Solving people's problems and closing houses with private assignable contracts on kitchen tables was fun and something I miss occasionally - that and big checks! I don't miss waiting for those checks, especially those times when the big check never came. Thus we can witness the power of today's market's where a big/small check for those that can read markets is a small sequence of correct mouse clicks away.
Great word pic, no black boxes, no part time pilots.Its also easier to make money in REAL ESTATE part time, than any kind of stock trading investing part time. But, Bennie, good thing about learning stocks part time;you dont have to pick up the pace, like the Titanic did. Stock are much more liquid, than RE. Investors Business Daily helps a lot; But always double check your math; the Titanic had 20/+ lifeboats; about 50% of passengers covered.[ I thought that IBD guideline of new /comers want to much + not dong enough work/ time would not apply to me, i knew how to make money-LOL-wrong]
The typical hedge fund is a scam and does not make this much. Most hedge funds figure to do worse than their benchmarks after the fees they charge; often something like 2 percent of capital and 20 percent of profits over a years time. Very few hudge funds have beaten their benchmark after 10 years, even on a risk adjusted basis. The people running most funds, except for total idiot-salesmen, know they are charging big money to probably do worse than their bench mark (often the SPY). This is the dirty open secret of the industry. A few exceptions: Medalion (by Renaissance Technologies and David Tepper.
You're doing real estate in Australia, not the hardest gig by any means. When you go into trading, expect the competition to be much tougher, especially nowadays when trading offers no free lunches.
Many have lost money trying developments, and failing. Buying and holding (in both RE and Stocks) is a safer bet for the general public.
Newbies have more greed than fear in them. Especially those who are successful in another field before coming into trading. Successful long term traders focus on how much they can lose - not how much they can make. "Cart before the horse".