Well its certainly not impossible to achieve financial freedom through trading--but on the other hand it does seem like perhaps the best way to make a living off of trading (or even get rich) is to start a business that provides something to traders that makes traders at least feel like they have paid for something that should give them an "edge" 1) Indicators 2) Algos 3) Software 4) Daily Trade Alert Services --people are generally lazy and would prefer to have someone (who seems to at least appears to know what they are doing) tell them what to buy and what to sell on a daily basis and of course put up a chart or 2 to at least appear to know something in depth about markets 5) Trading Chat Room - same as #4 except live chat room all trading day--people on Twitter and StockTwits looking for chat rooms and "people to lead them and give them a plan to follow (i.e. copy trade) each day of what to trade and pay attention to" - most people dont even seem to care if the main traders running the chat room are real traders or someone who just pretends to trade and uses fake money TD Ameritrade simulator accounts to make monster profits at will with no risk (i.e hello StockTwits and Twitter Fake Gurus) --you know the guys online who seemingly never have losses and post monster trading profits daily while sitting in their new Lamborghini or Ferrari they rented for the promo photo shoot and directing you to their website to sign up for their chat room and training at a "special price" so you can learn how to make $100,000 or more a week---every week-- like they do 6) Trading Education - Video courses, seminars, etc - (usually also has a chat room to sell as well)--education about really any specific trading style or specific market or trading vehicle - be it stocks, futures, forex, options. 7) Firms that sell Virtual Currency tryouts and resets (and upsell you on 1 on 1 coaching as well as training that you can pay for as well) for the "chance" at finally passing and getting a funded account. and that is just 7 ways - there are plenty more - the list goes on and on Yeah--there are some people that actually do make a killing trading live accounts (meaning individual traders...not institutional traders that work for Goldman Sachs or hedge funds--etc)--but dont kid yourself as less than 1% of individual people that try to either daytrade for a living or swing trade for a living--(after you factor in all costs and expenses) are able to make a good living at it (consistently year in and year out), about 4% or so make very little money or breakeven and the remaining 95% lose money and quite a few lose alot of money But there are quite a few people that make ALOT of money selling "the dream" to would be traders---you know--the 95+% of all traders who despite trying everything and buying everything to help them trade better they just cant make enough money trading on a consistent basis to support themselves full time financially by trading only --- and no matter what indicator they buy or what course they take or whatever path they throw money at---will never be able to trade and at best simply breakeven or lose money trading and spend alot of money on education, software, data, indicators, news, info--etc etc - of course there are people that fail at starting businesses to sell traders something but the demand is huge and traders are desperate for someone to sell them something that will be "the answer" to profitable trading