I'm 17. Unless you want me to sell crack I can't make $25,000 in 3 years as a high school / college student. Paper trading has its uses IMO but it does me no good - without money invested I have no interest. Just for the record, I'm not a beginner, just because I"m 17(I made a 30% return in like two quarters of this year-not great, but it's not bad). Just someone short on cash.
I live at the beach in NC; no snow here. I've done the lawn thing, and I'm considering doing it in the spring. But with 2 AP classes, 2 honors classes, being on the golf team, and going to the gym, along with creating an investment club, going to other clubs, and the SAT, I don't have all that much extra time.
Excuse me, I did say I would use deep ITM options. I thought I said I would use options only barely ITM. My bad!
Yes you can. Without doing something illegal. I said it before and will advise it again: If you want to earn money, start a business. If you want to become rich. Start a business. It's way easier to find funding and to become rich.
Just because you have inadequacies in trading doesn't mean the rest of us do. You're the one on an investor website. Where's your business?
In Europe. Just keep looking for the posts that say that you will make it with $400 or even $4000. Just ignore the other posts. That will help your dream satisfaction.
Kid, you're showing some maturity beyond your years. It's only 500 bucks for god's sake. Do what you want with it. I like your idea of using itm options (you have enough to go a couple strikes itm on some options. (There are some with dollar strikes.) You are essentially using options to leverage your $500 on either a long or short position. And you can consider spreads as well. I'd be cautious of really cheap stocks, and I'd stick too very liquid ones, i.e., big open interest. Best of luck to you, and let us know how you did. Even if you quickly lose it all, you're bound to learn something in the process. I have a feeling you have a bright future ahead of you. (Oh, one other bit of advice -- which I think you have already figured out on your own-- don't try for home runs, reward and risk are linked. Steady small gains mean a big gain over time. And be a good loser. When you're wrong, take your lumps and live to fight another day.)