How do I judge success? 1. Did you beat the SP500? 2. Did you beat opportunity cost (day job)? What was your return? Mine here: http://4nursebee.blogspot.com/2016/01/2015-year-in-review-reflections-thoughts.html
Yes, yes, around 50%. Spent most of the year making nothing, a very very challenging year but with a lot of progress made plan wise.
what's a "day job"? Do Elite Traders have day jobs? Oh heck yes, I could have made more money if I had a "day job" But who wants to work for a living? There's more to life than money I've been a worker and I've been a trader, and I'll take trader everytime (even though the money isn't always that good.)
1. About 80% return, sadly only 4k usd, thats been taken out and spent to, lack of time, been sucking a lot until recently. Approx min wage but its fun lol 2. Only trade when no work, so its extra money on top of work, business about 25k usd after costs. Not a great year, normally 30k+ 2014 was up approx 800% so expected better. Wanted to be 30k area and taking 5k wage monthly, sadly not, maybe this year lol
...You were up 125% at one point...over a million dollars...but you ended the year only with a measly 13.5%? ...So much for trade management...and that famous saying by Gordon Gekko::
Up until I got ill, I have always worked for others for various reasons, often times I just loved whatever I did till it became a job then quit. When I started trading long ago, it was a hobby, after years when by it became far more than a hobby, but to this day, I don't consider trading work, 98% of time I trade my 401k, IRA and Roth, still not old enough to draw on it, but I have all my rental property in it, businesses, generally anything of worth, 1996 put 401k in LLC. The more of my systems have become automated, more I feel removed from trading. Well, there is money-way to keep score cause you can't eat money and there is life, I grew up where everyone worked and you came out ahead if you worked at what you loved, that's me. I know I should be well by late spring and eager to get a job and travel, longest I been home in my life. Girlfriend working in gold mine up in Canada, that sounds interesting....job I had once: replace litebulbs-sounds easy eh? Top of smokestacks, tallest being over 800 feet, did many high antennas, takes a long time to get to top of anything, you constantly moving safety harness straps each step you take, by time to get to top it can be icy and your mind wonders for minute what the hell I wanted to do this for? LOL but I like the unusual. All my trading, automation and staff net did 54%. Day trading was consistent throughout year, long term commodities are never consistent and often comes in chunks like two months of the year were chunks and other ten months small gains/losses, but that is how long term is generally are for most, usually one year in three is good several months. Spread trading was good, my options trading not near where I want that to be, but after three years, finally have system I like, so hoping this is year will do much better. I love passive investments like rentals, to a degree options, long term commodities, spreads, anything I don't have to be somewhere.
Like the man said, There's money earned and there is money won. And every penny that was ever earned has a cost associated with it. And the memories of those costs can on a bad night be almost unbearable. But money won has a mozaic of both good and bad memories. And every penny ever won has a good story behind it and will keep you comfortable on a long snowy winter night.