I am not a big winner, I'm a consistent winner and I don't always beat the market. In fact, the market has beaten me the last two years but I crushed the market in 2008 and 2007. The only type of trader that will last is the one who realizes trading is a marathon, not a sprint. If you're looking for a get rich quick venture you'll be very disappointed. I've been through the highs and lows of trading and when I started working on myself, as noted above, it was a life changing event in a spiritual, physical, and profitable way. Take it for what it's worth. This is ET after all -- home of the pretenders.
1. Never trade through earnings. 2. Recognizing "hidden leverage". Stacking up option contracts like pyramid to end up losing everything at expiration is never a good idea. Never trade more than you can afford to deliver.
1. If you do not trade through earnings, or some other borrowed money to fund your trading account, what type of money do you suggest using? 2. Dollar cost averaging is always a "good" thing, in the sense that this is the ultimate goal of most traders anyway. I suppose there are different variations of stacking, martingale being the more extreme application of it. Much less extreme version can be used and you still get the results you need. Fear has a tendency to distort the reality of risk. By taking no action at all, you get no reward either. So take the risk (and responsibility) and make trades. Using logics and a mathematical approach is much easier and scalable over time than chasing the opinions of others.
That is absurd. I have been here a while and I try to stay in the conversation but I am far from a pro. I am marginally profitable and realize that a guy could register today, write his first post and yet have been profitable in a major way for years. You evaluate the substance and be wary of it all until you are sure. Hey ... even I have good idea from time to time!