As previously mentioned there can be a substantial learning curve in trading, however, once you master the craft it is perhaps one of the best professions in the world. The freedom, time and flexibility it offers are second to none. A good day trader can literally trade 1-2 hours a day and be completely finished. Personally I love to trade the market open, so I get to my desk at 9am EST to prepare, which usually entails creating my morning gap list and daily carry over list. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes, once finished with that, I then go through the list again and pick out my top 3-4 ideas, the ones that are most likely to move at the open due to a special gap or some other type of shock value. When the market opens at 9:30 I am ready to pounce.
On most days I will be in a trade within the first 3 minutes of the day, and I’m usually completely finished trading by 10:30am EST. Some days I’m done by 9:45am EST, if I get a couple quick wi ers. I keep my trading simple, which is something we teach at Live Traders, so that the learning curve is significantly shorted. I focus on only 2 patterns, and I typically only take 2-3 trades per day. Occasionally 4 or 5, but most days I’ll only trade 2-3 trades and be finished within 1-2 hours. I’d say that’s a pretty good lifestyle. It certainly beats working for ‘the man’ from 9-5 everyday, being told when to show up and what to do.