Size Counts!

What the heck am I talking about?

It is often said that to grow mentally, spiritually, emotionally and personally that you have to stretch and move out of your comfort zone. I definitely believe in this concept, however... When it comes to day trading, swing trading or position trading stocks, futures, options or forex, going outside your comfort zone can be dangerous!

Let me explain... Say, a trader is used to buying 100 shares of a stock at a time with the average value of $50/share. He/she is very comfortable with putting this amount at risk. They never experience any anxiety and can sleep well at night at this level. However, watch what happens when these traders decide to up their ante to 200 - 300 shares.

All of a sudden they are worried about every tick against them and start riding an emotional roller coaster based on the current price of the stock. At these levels they become much more emotional and their judgment becomes cloudy at times. Now they start making bad decisions that never occurred at the 100 share level.

A good idea is for you to take a good hard think about "what size trader" you are and where you are completely comfortable at. Write these numbers down and force yourself to never deviate from them. When the time does come to raise your bet size up, do it in increments over time. For example: If you want to go from 100 -200 shares, do 120 on week number 1, 140 on week number 2 etc.

I assure you, that by sticking to the concepts in this article that you will make trading a much more comfortable and profitable experience. Be patient and stay focused and the money may roll in at levels you never thought possible!

This article by Dr. Jeffrey Wilde, a trading veteran with 15 years of experience in all major markets. He is a trading coach to over 1400 traders in 38 countries.

For additional info: http://www.win-at-trading.com