Young and in an excellent position

EmergentFungus

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Well I've read around this forum and I realise I could be among the youngest here. I'd like advice frpom the seniors here who have experience and what they may do if they were in my shoes.

Right, here's the situation. I'm 19 and I stand in a very priviledged position. I've been trading for 4 months now, going long on positions on the UK stock market. To start I inevitably made a loss but in the last month I've been holding positions short for just a few days and in in some cases even day trading and have made profit. I've got £5k to hand.

I've got another £8k bond maturing in December and another £20k next year. My mum is also passing down £60k next year.

Most kids my age would blow the lot but I've been brought up to save.

I'm a bartender so I work nights and am free to trade all day. Its not a career I want to persue, nor was university ever for me.

Thoughts and opinions much appreciated.
 
When do you sleep!? :p

Thought I'd reply as I'm also probably one of the 'youngest' on this forum! Sounds like you've got your head screwed on in terms of saving instead of spending, hats off.

What made you decide to try this? How are you trading? Are you simply buying shares or spreadbetting or...? How do you decide when to buy/sell?

It's good to hear from someone else who has also become interested at a younger age, some people might give you stick about it but the general rule in life is the younger you start the quicker you learn - I see no reason why this doesn't apply to trading too.
 
Indeed. Who knows. Only time will tell. I did write, "Some might say" which is slightly different to just stating it as fact.
 
time for some practical advice....

"it depends" may seem like a cop out, but it really does. If you are definate you want to be a trader, then I'll throw my 2 pence into the ring. Near in mind, though, that you're only 19 - I dont mean to sound patronising, but accept that what you want for yourself may change, and it'd be a shame not to have the same 100k available in 3 years...

... also, I guess you have taken uni off the table completely. In that case, I might suggest you take your 5k, buy a good quality rucksack and **** off around the world. Just as much an education in life as University, but a hell of a lot more exciting and interesting. Even if you do it for just a year, I doubt it is something you will regret. And there will come a point - far sooner than you think - when "taking a year out and travelling around the world" comes after "paying off the mortgage".

(not trying to get all "new age california" on you, but I do kinda believe in that stuff... it's make you a stronger person, put you in difficult circmstances and generally enhance your life skills... all of which might make you a better trader upon you're return. The markets will always be here, opportunities like this will not).

Having said all that, some practical and trading relevant advice....

I would:

Use the 5k to get access to a simulator for a market that is popular with prop firms. I dont believe equities is that popular with them here (I'm sure there are a few, and many many more in the US), but futures are definately up their street. So, find a simulator for Bund futures, spoos futures, all sorts. Anything that will be liquid in the time you have... if you are working in a Bar, 7am starts might be a little ambitions, so consider US futures as well. You will have to pay for the data + systems, but at 19, you will probably spend more money on text messages.

Then, once you've got a feel for the products you like (i.e. consistently profitable on the sim), move to trading 1 lot with the 5k. When you've turned the 5k onto 2k, don't panic,
just keep your discipline and build up your capital. Turn the 2 into 5 again, then build up your profits. Record your PnL.

Once you have proven to be a profitable trader, approach a prop firm with PnL in hand. Bash out a deal for yourself (a fully backed deal) and find a position. Clear out the 5k+profits account and use it to survive while you learn to adjust to bigger size in the prop firm. Once you are comfortable trading larger amounts, start introducing some of your own capital into the mix (and get it leveraged if you can). Trade bigger size, wait until your comfortable, add more of your own capital etc.... Keep doing this until your trading the most you feel comfortable with, and it's all your capital. Save profits. Retire.

Briefly explaining why I suggest this.....

@19, with a roof over your head and a bar job on the side, you are ideally placed to take your time and dip your finger into many pies. Take the time to look carefully at all the options out there. I do believe you should trade your own money first, to learn all the of lessons that doing it with someone else's won't teach you (the 5k stage)... it'd be a shame to lose 5 grand, but a total disaster if you threw over 80k behind yourself and went pop!

with 80k waiting in the wings, this should be enough to trade and make a living off. My point to you is that it would be better to get yourself in a prop firm and use their capital, rather than your own, to see if you can make the adjustment to trading with size. If you can, great, you've got your own wedge waiting. If you cant, your prop firm are going to let you know pretty sharpish, and save everyone alot of money.
 
Go For it Bro :)

Start small. If you have an edge, you can just as easily turn 10k into 100k.
Take some time off and use profit to travel and or start another business. I'm 19, also using trading as my way of life and to pave my way into other business opportunity.

Learn about risk management and position sizing and you'll never lose your shirt, period!
 
Dude, travel around the world man. Your young , now is the time, the markets will always be there. And buy a house when you get back, it will be around the right time. That will be one sound investment you wont regret, as long as the place you buy is fit for purpose of course...
 
Me again.

Really turned a corner in the last month and am making a sound living and having plenty left over to reinvest. I quit bartending, not because of my interest in trading but the fact that I...well...hate it!

Tried getting another job elsewhere but due to the buggered economy there is way too much competition. I've given up job hunting until January but will see how my trading goes.

I've already done a fair bit of travelling but I do intend to do more maybe next year.

Also, does anyone use TD Waterhouse Level 2? I may get it in the new year.

Cheers.
 
Sounds like you have no responsibilities or need for large sums of income each month coupled with a substantial capital base - which is probably a position 99% of people on this forum wish they were in.

Don't waste it & make the most of your financial freedom. There is nothing stopping you taking a laptop to the beach...!
 
What ever you do, just dont think you are better then other people when you become a good trader, I'm in the same situation, except I didnt get any money to start off with. I've had to work really sh!t jobs for almost no money to scrap capital up and support myself while I take time off work. If some other kids comes along and tells me how much better he is then me, even though he was spoon-fed, I might break some bones.

Good luck to you, stay humble.
 
Haha! I turned $50 into $500 trading FX over 2 weeks. Slept with the PC on (Australian time so most movement past midnight). Then in a rush of ego and overconfidence, brushed my system and "gambled". Took up a big AUS/USD longs and removed stops. Ended up back where I started!

MY 2 cents, don't break the system! Don't move stop losses downwards! And don't listen to "lay people" talk about stuff they know nuts about!
 
Here's what I think....

Go for glory - stick it all down on black at the nearest casino.

If it goes wrong, you've learned a valuable lesson and you will probably stumble upon some more money at some point - people chucking around those sorts of sums often do.


good advice, but stick it all on RED not Black !!

:whistling
 
I'm doing good guys... Big boost to the trading account last 2 weeks.

I've done a fair bit of travelling already round Europe last summer. Ended up in ibiza and can't remember too much from there on...

I intend to do more in May.
 
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