And some beginning traders start with more than that. And lose it all. The amount of money involved has nothing to do with whether one approaches the task as a professional or a hobbyist. One can trade thousands yet make less than he would flipping burgers.
Think & Grow Rich, and Law of Success, by Napoleon Hill. There aint no such thing as something for nothing. The Market pays profits to those who provide a service, and to those who cheat.
I should have added that they would do well to check what is behind the behavior. As we know that many people would never imagine what can happen 20,30,40 years down the line.
Quote from xelite777: If a system has been backtested with enough data (20 years for example) and the drawdown is reasonable then the "psychological" stuff (discipline, confidence, etc...) usually takes care of itself, because now the trader knows the value of his system and is 100% confident about its profitability. In other words he knows exactly when to enter a trade, when to exit and each position is opened and closed without any hesitation. May I ask : Question1: would you invest 80%, or even 10%, of all your networth IF - as an example - this individual say father whom he is extremely closed to , had just died? Question2: WHY ? Can you explain a bit better why you would not take the risk? Push the explanation/reasoning deeper shall we. Question3: Is any psychology/spirituality involved? Heu : what is that psychology/spirituality involved in trading success? Do you mind to explain better?
I've never actually read a trading psychology book. I've mostly dealt with my stress on my own. Not that I've been very successful.