3-5k is doable for swing trading, but very suboptimal i did it. so i know it can be done. 10k is decent first of all, u need rock bottom commission. ameritrade izone is nice for really cheap stocks, because you can get $3 per trade, unlimited shares. otoh, IB's commission structure is nice too, but izone is actually cheaper i think if u are using very cheap stocks ($1-$2/share) i had some success with this,"back in the day" imo, a good risk control thang is to never risk more than 3% of your equity on any one position that's a bit difficult to do with only 5k in yer account, but it can be done