Day 17 finished +$288.10 with a 6/6 discipline score. One crude oil trade covered a 3.46R sizing error I never flagged — the same mistake that cost me Monday, hidden by a green result.
The Good Trade That Was Still a Mistake: Why Process Beats Outcome
Day 4 of the $50K-to-$100K Challenge closed net -$211.77 across eleven trades. Buried inside that losing day was one trade that made money: a frontrun M2K breakout entry ahead of the key level, +$98.58. It was also the day’s one logged rule break. Read the full Day 4 post for every trade; this one is … Continue reading The Good Trade That Was Still a Mistake: Why Process Beats Outcome
$50K to $100K Challenge — Day 16: Three Trades Gave Back the Best Day of the Month
Day 16: three trades, no revenge trading, calm the whole way — and -$379.66, giving back all of Friday's record day. The problem wasn't discipline, it was that 6C was never tradeable inside a $50 risk budget. Plus August's full close: 86% of the month's loss came from three incidents.
The Mistakes Files: Every Trading Error Is Data If You Actually Look At It
Every trader has a mistake they’d rather not think about. The revenge trade. The size that was too big. The setup they chased instead of the one they planned. Most traders do one of two things with that mistake: they bury it, or they beat themselves up over it. Neither one makes them better. There’s … Continue reading The Mistakes Files: Every Trading Error Is Data If You Actually Look At It
$50K to $100K Challenge — Day 15: Six for Six, Best Day of the Challenge
Part of the $50K to $100K Payout Challenge — a real, daily-tracked run at turning a Topstep 50K account into $100K of cumulative payouts. Yesterday: Day 14, Chopped Up Chasing a Trend That Wasn’t There. Today in one line Six trades, six winners, and the best single day of the challenge so far — net … Continue reading $50K to $100K Challenge — Day 15: Six for Six, Best Day of the Challenge
$50K to $100K Challenge — Day 14: Chopped Up Chasing a Trend That Wasn’t There
Part of the $50K to $100K Payout Challenge — a real, daily-tracked run at turning a Topstep 50K account into $100K of cumulative payouts. Yesterday: Day 13, The Day I Tried to Make the Market Pay Me Back. Today in one line An up-and-down day in a choppy tape, and I spent too much of … Continue reading $50K to $100K Challenge — Day 14: Chopped Up Chasing a Trend That Wasn’t There
$50K to $100K Challenge — Day 13: The Day I Tried to Make the Market Pay Me Back
Part of the $50K to $100K Payout Challenge — a real, daily-tracked run at turning a Topstep 50K account into $100K of cumulative payouts. Yesterday: Day 11 & 12, A Wedding Day Trade and a Choppy Time-Stop. Today in one line Nine trades, one setup, and a full session spent trying to will a losing … Continue reading $50K to $100K Challenge — Day 13: The Day I Tried to Make the Market Pay Me Back
$50K to $100K Challenge — Day 11 & 12: A Wedding Day Trade and a Choppy Time-Stop
Part of the $50K to $100K Payout Challenge — a real, daily-tracked run at turning a Topstep 50K account into $100K of cumulative payouts. Last update: Day 10, Fewer Trades, Best Day Yet. No post went out for Day 11 (Aug 24), so this one covers both Day 11 and Day 12 together. Today in … Continue reading $50K to $100K Challenge — Day 11 & 12: A Wedding Day Trade and a Choppy Time-Stop
Journaling Tools Compared: Spreadsheet vs. Edgewonk vs. TraderSync vs. Paper
Part of The Trading Journal System series. This assumes you already know what to track, how to review it, and how to tag it — the tool is just the container. The wrong question "What's the best trading journal app?" is the wrong question to lead with. The right question is: which tool will you … Continue reading Journaling Tools Compared: Spreadsheet vs. Edgewonk vs. TraderSync vs. Paper
$50K to $100K Challenge — Day 10: Fewer Trades, Best Day Yet
Part of the $50K to $100K Payout Challenge — a real, daily-tracked run at turning a Topstep 50K account into $100K of cumulative payouts. Yesterday: Day 9, The Green Day That Scared Me. Today in one line Four trades. One loser. The best single day of this challenge so far — and the first time … Continue reading $50K to $100K Challenge — Day 10: Fewer Trades, Best Day Yet