Why do you trade?

Given the choice of a) absolutely loving, being passionate about my job and getting £20k -£25k per year or b) being in a job i hate but get £150k a year, i take a) anytime (but im not materialistic)
 
0007 said:
On reflection I reckon that's one of the nicest things about trading. And who else would give you a job where you don't have to turn up until 2.30pm - and that's only if & when it suits you?
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Hell yeah, eminis baby! Although I actually turn up a good bit earlier, sometimes you get very decent moves - rarely, but worth it in my opinion. So I actually work quite hard, I'm normally at my desk for noon, 12.30 latest.
 
Why do I trade? The honest answer is that the money is great and I enjoy the intellectual challenges of trading. And the complete satisfaction that comes from being a long term profitable trader, so I know I am doing it well. Better than the supposedly other 95% of traders out there.
 
traderman1 said:
Why do I trade? The honest answer is that the money is great and I enjoy the intellectual challenges of trading. And the complete satisfaction that comes from being a long term profitable trader, so I know I am doing it well. Better than the supposedly other 95% of traders out there.
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I trade to make money and because it doesn't require working for someone else and lining their pocket while their sitting on their ass. Being self employed is the way forward. Trading is the quickest way of making money. Imagine if you couldn't trade for a living. Making money would be a lot harder for us guys.
 
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bbmac said:
Your response to the Op's discussion point reminds me of one of those dumb-ass *@%!wit footballers earning £150k/week (yes I know there's a contradiction in that statement - lol.) They say 'I'd play even if I didn't get paid' Well yeh, but you'de have to earn your living elsewhere and so you wouldn't have as much to spend playing.

Howard, don't kid yourself, you do it for the wonga, like the rest of us mercantile soles. If you happen to find it fun too, great !..and if you'd do it even if it cost you the same as your other entertainment exps, then you need to get out more often.

G/L
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You are not the first to make that observation, starting with my wife. :eek:
 
I'm still sh1t but when I've finished all my studies (next year fingers crossed) I'll be going at it for no other reason than I'm too stubborn to admit defeat.
 
arabianights said:
To make money, wtf?
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Ok, she understood the the money, freedom, no boss etc etc side of things.

She was questioning the minute by minute act of trading. So sitting staring at a screen. No interaction with other people, no variation ....

She implied it was akin to a perpetual video game that eventually gets very very boring.

I said "well I just really enjoy it". I went into the fact I saw it as an intellectual challenge etc etc

But it came back to the same comment "it's just a red or green line on a screen" ... I didn't really have an answer to this.

But then again, maybe I didn't need to have one ....
 
Scotty2Cues said:
Given the choice of a) absolutely loving, being passionate about my job and getting £20k -£25k per year or b) being in a job i hate but get £150k a year, i take a) anytime (but im not materialistic)
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So you'd rather be a slave for 8-10 years of your life rather than 1 (excluding tax)?

Work is work, day in, day out, no choice slavery, usually stuck with a bunch of people you have absolutely nothing in common with apart from a shared circumstance. Even if it's something you love to do, doing it to order becomes another kettle of fish entirely. "You're creative aren't you?? Well be creative for us RIGHT NOW, you've got 5 minutes!"
I have been in that situation with an absolutely idiot of a boss! So I'd take the £150K any day and do what I love to do when I want to do it in my own time, not for some other f*&%$r.
 
Paulie_5 said:
But it came back to the same comment "it's just a red or green line on a screen" ... I didn't really have an answer to this.

But then again, maybe I didn't need to have one ....
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Set her up with a demo acct and tell her you'll take her to Paris for the weekend if she can double it.

I don't think anyone really 'gets it' until they've done it.
 
i trade as i needed something to fill the hole left after i kicked my crack addiction
 
I'm not being funny but why don't you just flip the question back to her? Just wait until she is getting out of bed in the morning and say to her..."I don't understand why you get up in the morning, hurry around in the freezing cold, then stand on a train packed in like a tin of sardines, just so you can have some big boss breathing down your neck that's making 10 X your salary?....Oh and hit snooze on the alarm clock would you? I see the Yen has hit my profit target overnight so I'm staying in bed for a few more hours".
 
trader_dante said:
I'm not being funny but why don't you just flip the question back to her? Just wait until she is getting out of bed in the morning and say to her..."I don't understand why you get up in the morning, hurry around in the freezing cold, then stand on a train packed in like a tin of sardines, just so you can have some big boss breathing down your neck that's making 10 X your salary?....Oh and hit snooze on the alarm clock would you? I see the Yen has hit my profit target overnight so I'm staying in bed for a few more hours".
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But Tom, the last time you said that to a bird was a few years back...and she dumped you remember..:p
 
My wife doesn't get it either. If it was up to her our money would be in an account earning 0.5%pa and I'd be in a permanent job, somewhere in middle management no doubt getting made redundant when I hit 50.
 
Paulie_5 said:
Ok, she understood the the money, freedom, no boss etc etc side of things.

She was questioning the minute by minute act of trading. So sitting staring at a screen. No interaction with other people, no variation ....

She implied it was akin to a perpetual video game that eventually gets very very boring.

I said "well I just really enjoy it". I went into the fact I saw it as an intellectual challenge etc etc

But it came back to the same comment "it's just a red or green line on a screen" ... I didn't really have an answer to this.

But then again, maybe I didn't need to have one ....
Click to expand...

Well there you go, you have given her 5 reasons:

1.Money
2.Freedom
3.No Boss
4.Enjoyment
5.Intellectually Challenging

I think most people would be hard pressed to give that many reasons why they do their job! Like Dante said, ask her, I bet she can't think of as many reasons. Incidentally, you say "No interaction with other people", and "No variation" as if they are bad things! I work in a pub - Most of the staff are muppets (Excluding myself obviously!!!) and all of the customers are pissed. I dream of having no interaction at work! As for variation, my personality suits routine. Variation makes me anxious! So depending on your personality these could be positives. But you're right, you don't have to justify yourself to anyone. Just do your thing la!

Sam.
 
I trade to make money as quickly as possible, with as little time as possible. I do not want to be a slave to my charts. Placing some nice swing trades and catching some good momentum moves is very satisfying, especially when you only need to update your trade/stops once at the end of every day.
 
Why the need to give reasons? I would expect if you were any good the reason would be obvious. Let me ask you Mark Zuckerberg, where’s the enjoyment in sitting in front of a computer writing lines of code all day?
 
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