I like to think my trading income is something that provide my lifestyle. I have a simple rule: Every week I withdraw all profits made that week. I reinvested 20% of it in some longer time frames to grow the nest egg and to never touch again. 80% is desposible. It
If you treat your trading as a business, you should pay yourself a salary. No different than any other business venture. But first, cover your investment. If you put up $5,000 to trade, take the first $5,000 in profit out and invest it elsewhere - like a savings account or something conservative. Then you're trading with "free" money. Start taking a salary twice a month depending on what your equity curve looks like. For instance, if you net 10% per month on $5,000, then take $250 twice a month. If you want to build your account to trade more contracts, take $250 once a month and let the other $250 build over a period of time. The idea is - cover your initial investment. Then build on "free" money.
If you have another job that's paying your bills...do not mess with your trading capital. Yet, if you do not have another job, it would imply your trading is your full-time job. You then already know the answer (enough to pay your bills and put a little away in your savings) to your question. wrbtrader
%% Once you have 3-6 month savings; alap=as little as possible. And try to fund a Roth/back door Roth also, if you don't all ready have...................................................................................................................
Yup. And I go one further.... I pay myself a set salary weekly, profit or not. Monthly salary is factored into the "fixed" account size. It would take a minimum of 4 back-to-back losing weeks of the salaried amount or more for a reload to the fixed size. It has been many many years since that happened. I have upped the fixed size over the years to "grow" my profit potential via size. Of course, when upping size it's good to keep in mind Jurrasic Park... just because you can doesn't mean you should.
%% And the younger you are; the more it make sense to be aggressive. NOT with withdrawals; deposits.......I don't really regret buying 3or4 new cars; but if I did it over, I would most likely limit it to one .LOL Bid /ask auto spread/depreciation is a real waste. Monthly budget planned helps. I would prefer to pay auto insure every month, but its so much cheaper prepay 6 months..........................................................................
I'm guessing you have had your share of fender benders and accidents... behind the wheel and behind the trading screen!
%% LOL, exactly.MOST run a green or yellow signal light . BUt be careful/slow down near clowns who decide to slam on brakes in the middle of a yellow light. LOL I have my good drivers /discount now.
spend no more than 250k a month at worst on biddies. no debt and always buy property because it only goes up
%% LOL, but lot of truth there; except property in a hi crime or hi tax area could easy be a loss\ chicago, SF.....]. An investor told me someone called him up, wanting to do an real estate exchange[higher crime area\ not as bad as chicago or SF]. He said I would not exchange there @ ANY price