leonarda, that is great then! I've known a few who like the software side but never graduated from a demo account, or small test account.
>>It also reduces potential for error and should reduce the stress level as well.
meanreversion, this is spot on for me. Since fully automating my system, the stress level has dropped to nothing now. Before it would be tough, making breakfast for the kid while juggling the markets. Often I would have my laptop on and ready to go in the front seat of my car and have to pull over just after I dropped him at school to put on potential trades. It got to be very bothersome indeed! Necessity is the mother of invention!
>>. An algo trader would put hundreds of hours into an algo to get it going which would mean effectiviely earning less than the minimum wage
Coopster, when you look at it like "time invested vs monetary reward", then often it may seem like that. I read a great book once which helped me with my relationship with money and in turn my trading - "your money or your life - Joe Dominguez". Very good book as I got caught up in the greed side a few years back.
For me personally developing the software was a passion I enjoyed doing. I would have been happy to take vacation days off work just to work on it (in essence paying money to work on it !!). The reward I got out of it was beyond financial. It was like taking an awe inspiring trip to South America, where the rewards are personal growth.
But you are correct when looking at it from a purely business perspective. I probably would be fired for spending too much time on software before it became rewarding