Can you really make a living trading forex as a business from the comfort of your own home?
Can you really create a replacement income as a part time trader and then retire young?
Of course, the answer depends on how much is your current income or the desired amount of income you wish to obtain from forex trading before you wish to quit the rat race and be a professional trader, either part time or full time.
But there are many traders who are quietly making 5 figure incomes monthly trading from the comfort of their homes, and some of these are part time trader.
So before you embark into forex trading as a part time trader, here are some guidelines you ought to consider:
1. Your devotion of time - how much time are you going to devote to trading forex? Contrary to popular opinion, you do not need to be glued to your trading monitor to watch the prices of forex or currency pairs all the time. The larger part of your time is spent on finding those trading setups based on your trading system and the execution is fast, and you can also pre-set your stops and profits or give instructions to your broker.
In fact, it is the learning process that will take time. So budget sufficient time to learn how to trade, and that time allocation is actually required before you even place a live trade.
2. Your allocation of capital - again, if you trade the mini forex the amount of capital is not large. Contrary to popular opinion, you can start a mini forex account with around $500 and can start to trade. With a mini forex account you can leverage off the system and be profitable.
3. Your Risk Profile and Trading Discipline - you need to consider your risk profile. Are you aggressive in trading, so that you will prefer day trading the forex and thereby assume more risks? Or are you happy enough swing trading the forex over a few days? This will determine the methodology and trading system you will want to follow.
4. Advancing as a Forex Trader - to advance further as a forex trader, you will need to constantly improve your trading skills and see increase profits in your trading. Good traders always keep a trading log and review whatever trades they have executed and consider the outcomes. In this way, they learn from their errors and know whether they have obediently followed their trading strategies and had kept and maintain discipline in their trading.
In making the transition into a forex trader, the learning process is the most important. Many forex traders have muddled along the way by a self learning process without guidance, with the end result that while they may be profitable, they are not consistently profitable. Many of them are seeking ways to unlearn some of their bad trading habits. You can avoid such a situation by understanding your own risk profile, and seeking out a professional trader who can become your mentor and to pass on his trading skills to you.