what kind of training do you get at a prop?

at anyrate, for a stock trader, it's going to be hard to get the kind of training you need without either becoming a broker or going prop for a while

 

if you're a futures trader, you could probably learn more by driving to Las Vegas (gotta drive, so you can spend some time in Iowa or Kansas talking to bean or wheat farmers) and blowing (or making) your training money at the Texas Holdem Table.

 

and if you want to trade options, best idea is go to school and get an enginerring degree

 

that's why I trade forex. So far, as far as I know, It takes absolutely no brains as long as you have a decent coin to flip and can operate a calculator

 

I've met many a dumb forex / futures / options traders. They just didn't 'realize' it yet.

 

I've never met a dumb options trader

 

Not at all, all trading is nothing more than common sense and a passion to succeed. If you have neither of these you will never be able to trade anything. If you have both of these things you should be able to teach yourself how to trade.

 

that may be true if you're just buying and hope it goes up, but there's a lot of behind the scenes things that go on that yes, eventually you will figure out as a retail trader, but it will be cheaper to figure them out with some training in the brokerage business, or nowadays, a little time with a prop firm. But that is just for stock traders. For futures and forex I would agree with you 100%.

 

I disagree with that, I have been trading for about 13 years now and nothing but stocks and only day trading. In the 13 years I have not lost nearly the amount what it would have cost me to pay someone to to teach me at a prop firm etc. And yes I am profitable and have been for a long time. It took me alot of trial and error and I have never had a sim acct. I started with $600.00 and started with penny stocks which I do not fool with anymore. I have no college degree and have never read a book on trading or had advice from anyone. It really is not that hard, most people make it harder than it is.

 

common sense, and a passion to succeed, yep, that's all you need, I guess the amazing thing is just how many people in the world are appparently lacking common sense, or simply the passion to succeed.

the only thing I can figure is, most of them don't have the sense they was born with, and the other half just don't want to succeed.

otherwise, we'd all be rich

but thank you for pointing out just how simple it all really is