| |
| |
|
Stocks & Mutual Funds Information |
|
|
|
Trading For A Living - Part 1
There can't be many traders who haven't at least considered the idea of telling the boss what they think of him, throwing it all in and going off to trade the stock market for a living. It's a big risk financially, and that uncertainty is what stops most from jumping ship. Is it really possible to trade for a living? The Dream You know how it is, you're sitting in a traffic jam at some unearthly hour of a particularly wet and miserable morning, on the way to the same office you have sat in for too long to remember, and you're thinking - there must be a better way - life shouldn't have to be like this. Your mind starts to wander and you find yourself thinking back to that stock you bought only a week ago, and how it skyrocketed giving you enough profit to takes the kids to Disneyland in the summer, and you begin to consider if you couldn't make a fulltime living at this trading game. The advantages are certainly tempting; no more pointless meetings with the manager, hours to suit, holidays whenever you feel like it, and with your home-office - no more traffic jams. Heck, come to that you could even make home anywhere you want it to be! By the time the traffic starts moving again. you're busily calculating how much cash you could make if all your trades went like that last one - you're almost ready to write your notice letter there and then! The Bad News Time for a reality check. Certainly all of the above benefits are there to be enjoyed, but it's a huge step from full time employee to full time trader. Are you really ready to give up that monthly pay-check just yet? Can you really cope not knowing how much money you're going to make month to month? Are you prepared for the months when you actually lose money instead of make it? There are many things to consider before taking the leap of faith. Considerations Before you even think about trading for a living you have to know how much money you need to live on, that is, how much cash do you need to generate every month in order to survive. As a financially minded person you already have good home accounts, or are at the very least vaguely aware of where the money goes. So take the annual figure (monthly is no good, you need to account for annual recurring items like insurance premiums, car servicing, and vacations), add 50% and divide by 12. Why add 50%? Because there will always be unexpected expenses, and as traders we are always prepared to expect the unexpected. Now you know how much money you need each month, you can look at your savings and work out how much buffer money you have, that is, how long you could survive without earning anything at all. You can't expect to be an instantly profitable trader, and even the best and most experienced have periods of drawdown, so you need to be ready for the worst. If you can't live for at least six months from your savings then you are probably under capitalised and are not ready to give up that pay-check just yet. An important but often overlooked aspect of under capitalisation is the effect it will have on your trading; if you are trading because you need the money, then you are trading scared and you're almost certainly going to lose. You cannot distance yourself from the money-aspect of the trade if you are relying on the money. Living expenses are only one part of the financial equation. Next you must consider how much trading capital you need. This is the money actually facilitate trading, in other words your account balance for trading margin, and the money you will be spending on data feeds, software, and internet access. You must account for this separately, you cannot start eating into your daily living expenses money just because you took a bad trade and need some more margin. The amount of trading capital you require will depend very much on your trading style. To day trade the US Stock Markets for example, you must have at least $25,000 in your account, so budget for $30,000 to allow for positions moving against you (if you fall below the $25k minimum even briefly, your account can be frozen for up to three months). If you are holding positions overnight you may manage with a lower balance but bear in mind your buying power and consequently returns will be reduced. If all this is starting to sound expensive, well it is. There's no two ways about it, you simply cannot survive long term as a trader if you are under funded. This article will be concluded in part two. About The Author Geoff Turnbull is a full time day trader, and a contributor to http://www.stock-trading-world.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Stocks-Mutual-Funds - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Investing in Dividend Paying Stocks I was recently interviewed for a press release through a financial question and answer format. One of the questions asked of me in the interview was:Where do you think the stock market is headed over the next five years?My Answer!Charles M. Bollinger Bands Strategies The Bollinger Band theory is designed to depict the volatility of a stock. It is quite simple, being composed of a simple moving average, and its upper and lower "bands" that are 2 standard deviations away. Some Good News for A Change Before we get into all the good news out there, let us first take a look at what the term "news" really means. By definition, the term "news" means the exception to the norm. The Inside Scoop on Mutual Fund Rip Offs The bear market that showed up at the end of 2000 has every brokerage house-as well as the entire mutual fund industry-scrambling to find creative ways to boost both their image and bottom line. Unfortunately, this is often at the investors' expense. Stock Options Trading Strategies - Lean Professional stock options traders use the term lean to refer to one's perception about the directional strength of the stock. When you own a stock option and intend to hold it for a period of time, you are aware that you will probably be holding it while it goes up and while it goes down. Hot Stock Trader: How to Pick Momentum Stocks with Ease and Simplicity Most stock traders know that momentum trading can be a very profitable activity. You can make big amounts of cash in a short period of time. Never Fall In Love! Recently I watched my favorite football team lose a vital game.I simply love this team. Mutual Fund Expense Lies When purchasing mutual funds we are cautioned to read the prospectus, look at past performance, check out the fund manager's record and see what their expense ratios have been.We are also told that we should not buy funds with expenses exceeding 1% to 1. Prospering with Mutual Funds: How Anyone can "Afford" an Investment Advisor Recently I was invited to appear on a live CNNfn television show to discuss my article "How to evaluate Load vs. No Load Mutual Funds. The Golden Goose is Sick It is finally catching up with them. The brokerage companies I mean. Stock Trading Success The ABC's of Stock Trading SuccessStock trading success.. China Syndrome There has been great condemnation recently because China has been selling its goods on the world market at prices below what other countries, especially the U.S. Finding A Good Stock One of the things people are always asking me is how can I find a good stock. The answer I give does not please them. Adding Funds Someday you may want to retire and continue to live in the life style to which you have become accustomed. According to conventional wisdom you will need less money because you will have fewer expenses than when you had to go to the office every day. Psychology - How to Reduce Negative Thoughts Relating to Trading? The thinking process of the brain relating to the psychology of trading involves:-- Beliefs -- Feelings -- Values -- Dispositions and -- FaithThe positive or negative energy brings power to a person's actions, which ultimately determines whether a person is a winner or a loser. You can change for the better or for the worst. Managing Investing and Stock Market Risks Reduce your investing and stock market risks by:Setting your sights on the long term, patiently riding with the ups and downs!If you have the time to be patient, you can benefit from time diversification. The more numerous good years for stocks outweigh the bad, pulling your return up. How To Pick A Mutual Fund Mutual funds by definition are a mixed bag of stocks, bonds and a little cash. Their price per share is the NAV, Net Asset Value of the total amount of money in the mutual fund divided by the number of shares. Take The Time You must take the time once a month to review your investment portfolio. It won't take long - less than one hour, maybe 15 minutes. Duck Duck! No I don't mean a quack, quack. I meant get down, look out for a huge blob of brown stuff is heading your way. Why Change Funds? On November 17 I bought 7 different mutual funds and went to a 100% invested position. One of the funds I bought was Robertson Stevens Information Age (RSIFX) and it has made money as have the other six.
|
| Good Credit Loans | home | site map | School Bus Clothing | Florida Pool Heating |
| © 2006 |