The Reality of Trading: A Cautionary Tale

Not a week goes by without someone sliding into my DMs or emailing me, eager to break into trading. And most of them aren’t just looking to dip their toes—they want to dive headfirst, convinced they’re destined to become profitable professional traders. But they’re not usually reaching out to ask if it’s a good idea to gamble their capital, time, and sanity on a pursuit with incredibly slim odds. No, they typically want the secret trade or magic strategy that’ll turn them into millionaires overnight.

My usual response to anyone wanting to jump into trading is always the same: Don’t do it.

A Story of Experience and Reality

Recently, I began sharing the story of a good friend with these eager traders. Until just last month, he had been a professional trader for 20 years. I had dragged him into the game a few years after I started, convinced that his gaming skills and competitive nature would make him a natural. He saw real success—multiple seven-figure years. He spent his career at two of the best prop firms in the industry, surrounded by some of the sharpest minds in trading. Those offices thrived on communication and collaboration. Strategies were shared, competition was healthy, and the environment was almost ideal for trading.

And yet, after two decades in the game, he hung up his gloves last month after a couple of rough years, and with his savings dwindling. In his words: “There was no edge in my trading, and little edge in the market in general.” In other words, he realized he was gambling, not trading.

So I tell these aspiring traders: if a highly skilled, well-capitalized trader with two decades of experience in nearly perfect conditions is calling it quits, what makes you think that you—with no experience, little capital, and a laptop at your kitchen table—will make it?

My Own Trading Journey

I’m honest about my own journey too. Despite nearly 25 years in the game, I’m not living in a multimillion-dollar mansion or cruising the Mediterranean on a yacht. No. In fact, about five years ago, I was dead broke, sleeping on my dad’s couch. Things have improved since then, thanks in part to a global pandemic shaking up the markets, but it’s still a grind.

Every month is a battle to pull money out of this market, waiting for the next global catastrophe or financial meltdown to pull in serious cash. It’s not glamorous; it’s survival. And the hardest part? Knowing that after all these years, one bad streak, or maybe one bad trade, could still take it all away.

The Hard Truth About Walking Away

As for my friend, I’m not sad or disappointed that he retired—I’m proud of him, and happy for him. I know how hard it was to walk away from the only career he’s ever really known. Trading offers freedom, independence, and the potential to make insane money with just a few keystrokes. But now he’s stepping into a foreign world of bosses, deadlines, two weeks of paid vacation, and almost zero chance of striking it rich overnight. And he’s doing it with hardly any “real world” skills.

Knowing how to read an order book isn’t exactly a skill that 9-to-5 employers look for.
When I hit rock bottom and desperately needed any kind of income, the best I could find was teaching English to non-native speakers for $10 an hour.

Trading's Collateral Damage

And yet, I’m certain that when my friend lands a regular job, he'll find it a relief compared to the rollercoaster that is trading. No more sleepless nights replaying bad trades. No more mental anguish and self-loathing sparked by a single wrong keystroke. No more dancing order books rattling around in his mind. No more slouching in front of a screen for hours in a dark room.

And no more of the collateral damage trading can bring—drained savings accounts, divorces (two for me, one for him), ruined family moments spent obsessing over market moves, and the dependency on alcohol or drugs just to ease the mental strain. And the irony? He’s one of the few traders who actually made money. Most get chewed up and spit out by this brutal business, left with financial losses they may never recover from. And yes, some leave in even worse mental shape—I even shared the story of a friend in my book who took his own life, partly because of trading.

In this new chapter, my friend might finally do something meaningful—something that benefits society and genuinely helps people. He might work alongside a diverse group of colleagues, not just a room full of adrenaline-fueled young men. I’m optimistic for him because, for the first time in a long time, he’ll be free from the shackles of market speculation and the constant anxiety of wondering if the next trade will be the one that breaks him.

The Harsh Reality of the Long Game

Yes, there are other traders who have been in the game as long as us, and they’ve handled the grind far healthier. They’ve been smarter with their profits and wiser about developing non-trading skills or planning an escape route. In fact, every other trader I know who has survived the long haul is wealthy enough to not have to worry about an escape route—but that sample size is extremely small.

It seems that my friend and I have accomplished the peculiar feat of being professional traders for 20 years, only to end up living by the seat of our pants.

A Caution and a Hope

Let me be clear: I’m not saying it’s impossible to become one of the few successful traders. The dream is real—but so are the risks, the heartache, and the relentless grind that come with it. If you still want to pursue it, I genuinely want to help. I want to share the real, unvarnished truth of this business—the highs, the lows, and everything in between.

I want you to understand the risks, the reality, and the cost of this path—because I’ve lived it. My friend has lived it. We’ve seen the triumphs and the wreckage. We’ve made fortunes and watched them slip away. And yet, despite it all, my love and passion for trading remain. I still believe there’s a way forward for those who are disciplined, realistic, and brutally honest with themselves.

To those who are actively trading and find resonance in these hard truths, understand this: walking away is never easy—but sometimes, it’s the right thing. The courageous thing.

Ignore the so-called gurus who profit off your persistence and call quitting a sign of weakness. Quite the contrary—many times, it’s a sign of strength. Real strength isn’t draining your savings, time, and mental capital while making those around you suffer. Real strength is knowing when to let go.

Trading is a battlefield, and sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is surrender—walk away with your head held high and your soul intact.