Hello BBT Community -
Brian Connoy from Minneapolis, MN here. I joined the BBT Community as a lifetime member last week and will begin simulating trading next month (January 2019). I work full-time in financial reporting consulting and aiming to day trade equities on the US exchanges for the first hour to hour-and-a-half of the market. While not simulating trades yet, I am simulating my routine for the morning--testing out different aspects such as: can I get home from my morning workout in time to provide myself enough preparation time before the market opens? Can I sufficiently monitor my work email, etc., while preparing for trading and during the market...will I be too distracted? Am I eating enough before I sit down to my computer...am I getting too hungry. Is my workstation sufficient? How can I best utilize the chat in the morning? All of these things sound mundane, but I feel are important. Further, I have a big three-week trip to Southeast Asia upcoming in less than two weeks, so I figured it would be great to start the clock on trade simulating in DAS after I return.
I do not have any wild ideas day trading will become a new career and replace my current job, but it is nice to think about from time-to-time. I imagine many of us think about it, and a good number of community members here have likely accomplished this. I am primarily seeking to refine another skill set and add a supplemental income. All of this said, I have not been so genuinely excited about something in a long while, as I have been about learning to day trade. I have seen the statistics that a high number of day traders fail in the first year, but I believe that can be attributed to a lack of determination and preparation. I have completed six marathons and I feel like if I can train for a marathon I can train to day trade.
A little background: my first exposure to the stock market was investing in dividend reinvestment plans and direct purchase plans when I was fourteen. I remember my first two stocks were McDonald's and Norwest Bank (now Wells Fargo). I loved receiving those monthly and quarterly statements in the mail and tracking the closing prices daily. Paying attention to the markets has always interested me.
I enjoy traveling. I try to make two international trips per year. I also enjoy attending concerts. Spotify just told me in their "2018 Wrapped" annual summary that my most listened to artist was Depeche Mode.
May all you trades be green
Brian
