My Real Money Trading Challenge: Earning Profits in a Wild Market

I’ve decided to trade real money and I’m planning to document every step in this trading challenge.

Here’s how it’s going down:

What’s the Plan?

Starting today, I’m putting real money on the line. I’ll be trading it using the market symmetry strategy I’ve been studying—inspired by The Great Mattsby.

Every trade I make—entries, exits, wins, losses—will be posted in the Skool group so consider joining for free. I’ll explain why I got in, what the charts told me, and how it played out. So 100% transparency with this trading journey. You will see the good and potentially the bad.

This isn’t “live” in the sense that I’ll be streaming every move, but I’ll do my best to keep the updates coming. Think of it like a trading diary: I’ll record my setups, share my thought process, and make updates after each trade closes.

Keep in mind, this isn’t a day trading strategy. I won’t be trading daily or even weekly sometimes. Unfortunately my current schedule doesn’t allow me to trade or watch the market everyday.

The Fun Twist: Can I Beat Tesla?

Here’s where it gets interesting.

I’m setting a loose challenge for myself: Can I trade and be more profitable than just holding Tesla stock until the end of the year?

Full disclosure: I actually sold Tesla stock to fund this challenge. I took some profits earlier in the year to raise cash and am now deciding to use these funds for this challenge.

So, this isn’t just a random benchmark.

Did I make a mistake selling those shares, or can I beat Tesla’s performance by trading my momentum strategy? Let’s find out.

Why Now Might Be the Perfect Time

Timing’s everything in trading, right? And I think now—April 2025—might be a sweet spot to kick off this challenge. The market’s been down lately thanks to some wild volatility. Tariff announcements have everyone on edge—and there’s probably other stuff in the mix too. Point is, prices are lower than they were a few months ago, and there’s a ton of fear out there. For a momentum trader, or an investor with cash on the sidelines, that’s not a bad thing—it can be opportunity.

When the market gets nervous, good stuff—like growth stocks or crypto—can drop to low points where buyers step in. My plan is to buy there, when prices are cheap but market structure is still bullish, then look to take profits at resistance levels.

Right now, prices are down, so I might grab some good deals before they rise again. It’s not a sure thing—markets can stay wild—but this drop looks like a good shot to use my strategy. This is why I’m excited to start now—everyone’s scared, but this might be a good time to accumulate shares.

Why I’m Doing This

Two big reasons:

1. Discipline: I have a momentum strategy (rules below), but sticking to it with real money is tough. Knowing I have to explain every trade keeps me honest—no chasing prices, no FOMO buys, just the plan. If I stray, it’s public, and will hopefully make me more disciplined.
2. Teaching: I’m still on my journey to full-time trading, just like many of you. By showing my trades—good, bad, and ugly—I hope you’ll pick up something useful.

Full Disclosure: Where My Ideas Come From

Not every trade idea will be 100% my original idea. I’m learning too, so I’ll lean on analysis from traders like The Great Mattsby and other online contributors to help shape some of my setups. I plan to always break down my reasoning.

My Strategy Rules: The Playbook I’m Sticking To

This challenge is all about trading my momentum strategy with real money—and staying disciplined while I do it. I’ve pulled these rules from my own journey, inspired by traders like The Great Mattsby, some solid books, and a bunch of trial-and-error with paper trading.

The 5 Core Rules

1. Stick to the Strategy: The hardest part of any strategy is just sticking with it, especially when trading real money.
2. Never Chase Price: ONLY BUY AT SUPPORT. Never ever chase price – let price come to me. Do not overtrade. There are many opportunities out there. Avoid FOMO.
3. Limit Position Size: Allocate a maximum of 10% of the portfolio per position. Enter positions with 1%-3% when volatile or lower conviction of support zone.
4. Buy at Support, Sell at Resistance: Avoid buying in ranges—wait for clear support or resistance. When price is in a range, volatility works against us. ONLY BUY AT SUPPORT.
5. Stay Uncomfortable: Be prepared to buy when the price feels low or difficult, as this can be when the best opportunities are available.

What to Expect

• Trade Posts: For every trade, I’ll share:
  • A short video (2–5 minutes) walking through the chart and my reasoning.
  • A written breakdown: entry price, exit price, profit/loss, and what I learned.
• Starting Point: Money in my brokerage account, ready to roll.
• Timeline: We’re kicking off April 7, 2025, and wrapping up December 31, 2025. On the last day, I’ll check what my fund is worth after trading, then compare it to what the value would have been from just holding Tesla stock—bought at the April 7th price.
• Pace: This isn’t day trading—I’ll hold trades for days, weeks, or even months if the trend’s strong. Patience is part of the game.
• Updates: I’ll post after each trade closes, plus occasional “portfolio check-ins” to show how we are doing.

*** These expectations are subject to change. I might be delayed in updating every trade, and there might be gaps in my trading given my busy personal schedule.

Join the Ride

Track everything in our free Skool group here.

If you’re a beginner, consider getting my free 6-Month Blueprint (download here) which is a great starting point. It’s the foundation I built this strategy on.

First trade’s coming soon—stay tuned!

Can I grow this account smarter than a Tesla buy-and-hold? Let’s find out…