you gave me some good ideas with regards to how you manage risk, thanks... I appreciate you returning and responding... to be honest I didnt know about the 1 hour carry over... I only carry overnight spreads, so I dont really worry about margins much... as to your platform... don't reinvent the wheel would be my suggestion... look at the following platform.. http://www.buttontrader.com/ for IB, it is one of the best third party front ends out there... better than TWS Booktrader, NT7, and MC... is it better than CQGT? depends on features you are using... I know one of the features I use a lot is Dom Triggered entries and exits... so take a look at BT... it might be worth your while before you commit cash to a development effort... heck, you might be better of contacting Robert (BT guy) and have him customize the platform based on what you want... he knows the IB API better than anyone out there from what I am told..