Day Trading Tips: What Not To Do When Day Trading

To many just starting out as day traders, it can seem like the ideal set up: you don't have to report to an office every morning. No tending bar or waiting tables for fast cash. No uniform or suit to don when you clock in. Day traders just starting out think trading is mainly sitting at your home computer, pajama-clad with coffee in hand, making quick buy-and-sell stock decisions and raking in loads of cash. But some of the best day trading advice to be given to those newbies out there is that trading isn't as simple as it sounds. If you're thinking about quitting your job and resigning to the life of the wayward day trader, here are a few day trading tips to serve as your reality check. These tips aren't meant to discourage you, but they're to make your transition into trading easier by dispelling some common misconceptions about the practice. If you keep these tips in mind you can hit the ground running when you start.

1) Don't go all in. Trading isn't a game of cards. The reality with day trading is that most newcomers, before they get their day trading strategy down, will lose money. So if you're thinking about putting your kid's college fund, rent money, or grocery money up in your day-trading endeavors because you could really turn around a potential profit—don't do it. The key word in that last sentence is "potential." There are no guarantees in trading. Don't be a hero, you'll probably end up losing whatever you put in the beginning, it's all a part of the process.

2) Understand the expenses that go along with day trading. If you're embarking on your trading career with a company (for training or equipment purposes), you may have to pay some pretty hefty commissions in exchange for their services. In order to maximize your profit potential, you're going to need to have a clear understanding of any fees or commission obligations.

3) Get the idea of day trading being easy, out of your head. If you're getting into day trading because you think it's an easy way to make money, you're going to be extremely disappointed. Trading is something that takes a lot of skill, strategy, industry know-how, and of course, practice. Chances are, you're going to take a lot of blows before you really start to rise above and get the hang of everything and start to see some profit.

4) Don't blow off training sessions, classes or seminars. New traders should most definitely take advantage of classes, seminars, and online trading academies. If you're new to the field and looking for some insight into the inner workings of day trading or really need some great starting out day trading advice from professionals who know their stuff, you should look into day trading classes. Online day trading classes are a great option if you need flexible training to accommodate your busy schedule. All in all day trading classes, whether in person or online, are great ways to better your overall understanding of the practice and how to sharpen any existing skills you may possess.