I Tried Becoming a Funded Day Trader

the ultimate new years resolution: hitting the thumbs up button on all of my videos.

The best advice I ever got was from a smart friend who wasn't even a trader. I showed him a trade I made and said "It was good but I could of made much more if I held it" and he just plainly said "Yeah but it's irrelevant because you didn't know" like it was obvious. Even though it's so simple, now every time I miss out out on a bigger move I just remind myself it's irrelevant because I didn't know that in the moment. Being upset about missing even bigger profits can lead to revenge trading because you feel like you should have what you missed out on.

Man day trading has been by far the most difficult thing I have ever done. My first year I lost 50k, wanted to die. 2nd year I made 13k not happy, but I learned a lot. My 3rd year I made well over 350k in profits, and now I am entering my 4th year. You literally have to change as a human being to be a good trader.

Dude, that was a MAJOR improvement in your futures trading compared to the other 3 videos. Day trader next door has said....if you can get to around a little profitable in futures or even break even...you're damn near there to being full on profitable, so you are pretty much there man. Keep going! great editing, as always love the transparency...don't lose your confidence you are almost there bro.

Patience, Green is Green! Love the video Daniel. You can tell your trading is looking great!

As a European who is a fulltime trader i notice a common thing among alot of american traders who trade Nasdaq, S&P and the like , risk management. It always best to risk the same amount per trade instead of having variable losses. For example being risking $100 dollars every trade so you're keeping losses the same and targeting a fixed risk/reward so that if you're edge is working that you will be profitable in the long term and the bigger losses wont be holding you back, instead of having sometimes 3 or 400 hundred dollar losses. Best of luck with your trading Daniel

I'm really impressed with how much you've improved since the last videos, it's really fun to watch! I'm also currently going through an prop evaluation so I'm right there with ya.

great video man. appreciate the transparency. and also getting to witness your progress. feels like you’re right there. stick with it and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. you got this!

I'm right there with you dude. It's amazing how much harder trading gets when there's something at stake.

Hi Daniel, just recently found your channel and im loving it! I really respect that you are so transparent. On a totally unrelated note, you have a great voice, its very soothing. You could probably make good $$ narrating stories for people with anxiety, no joke. I have it, and have found myself just listening to your videos when I need a calming distraction from my overactive mind. Something to consider? Regardless, thanks much for all your doing on your channel. Wishing you great success and happiness.

You're doing great! Not giving up after all these years is key. I struggle with impatience and exiting trades prematurely as well, for me it helps if I enter a trade, set my stops and just ignore the trade until it closes, staring at it as it goes adds a lot of suspense and anxiety.

Daniel I have just started to learn trading and am already many many hours deep into studying into the fundamentals of trading. You have been a great help with your honesty and also your calm personality in your videos. You have been a great resource for myself and many others I would say. Keep the videos flowing and I will keep watching you. Thank you !

Dude, your trading has LEVELED up! We're basically adapting at similar rates, using similar tools (Bookmap, etc...), and have roughly the same general strategy (targeting supply/demand zones). This was a major inspiration and got me seriously considering TopStep (and similar programs). Well done. I've recently switched over to ES as well; seems to respond to lvls more reliably than NQ/MNQ. Lastly, don't beat yourself up - Late Dec thru mid Jan were ABSOLUTELY brutal as far as weak volume, market reaction to economic reports, etc. Please try again soon. P.S. I can't speak for you, but constantly adjusting your SL to allow for more drawdown makes me cringe, personally. The more consistent my stops are, the better my entries get over time.. swear to God. Sometimes I stop out and reinter instantly if levels are still looking good; usually I'm able to spot where the original entry mistake was made (even if it was off by just 2pts tops).

love the dedication you're putting into becoming a better trader

What a great video. Amazing editing and patience while recording this. Max respect. You motivate me.

Two things stand out for me in analyzing your performance: #1 When your first trade is a loss, your day tends to get worse. When your first trade is a win, your day tends to continue to improve, peaking around your 2nd/3rd win. Might try stopping day if first trade is a loss, or after 2-3 trades if first trade is a win. #2 you put a lot of pressure on your self in missing home run trades, but you never make any home run trades so that doesn't seem to be your strength, so just focus on small-medium base hits as your strength. Centralize around your strengths and expand on them. Those 300-400 dollar plays see if you can expand those to get 400-500 out if context allows. Those 100-200 dollar plays, try expanding those out to 200-300 if context allows. I think the combination of these two points could see your stats move towards your winning days being 2:1 your losing days which will create a healthier, consistent pnl curve. Great job!

I just started getting the interest of day trading and wanted to say that I appreciate your honesty! You don’t fake things and show the good side of it but also the bad. Your my fav day trading youtuber for sure. Hopefully you can teach us how to use that platform you used in this vid!

Great video as always, you make us feel the pain going through all if this, thanks for sharing your journey to be funded

The thing about these Funded Challenges is that we are not trying to get this big account to trade and then suddenly make a lot of money. The expectations need to be realistic and the goal needs to be thought through a little more for most people. The goal of working for a Funded Company like TopStep is to use their money to make a business out of your trading. If you pass the challenge, suddenly you have enough money to maybe consider trading full time. Longevity in the markets is the goal. Making enough money to maybe pay for your food for the month or some bills you have to pay, and then gradually making more as you get more experience. Most people lose these challenges and in trading in general because they want to get rich quick and their emotions take over their trading. The goal is not to pass the challenge for the Prop Firm, but to last in the markets for many years to come.

Hey Daniel! Thanks for posting all your trade videos. I like also haven’t been very profitable, but with every loss I learn valuable lessons. I can see that the same is happening with you too! Continue the grind