Just two years after she graduated high school and started trading, Mari crossed the $1 Million milestone in profits. How was this young female trader so successful in such a short time? Mari attributes her success mainly to discipline and patience. But Alex is determined to find out more details. Keep reading to get some valuable advice, and to learn more about Mari’s unusual journey.

Humble Beginnings

Inspired by her dad who is a long-term investor, Mari started her trading journey after graduating high school in 2018 and joined the Tim Sykes challenge shortly after.  Even though she wasn’t immediately convinced that day trading would be the right path for her, Mari attended Tim’s 2019 trading conference and was inspired by meeting so many other traders in her age group who traded successfully. Soon after the conference came to close, she decided to become serious and started day trading full-time with $15,000 in two trading accounts, only putting on small sizes while studying every day. Instead of going to college, Mari had become a day trader! What are your thoughts? Can day trading replace a solid education and a college degree?

Trading Journey

Despite being initially confident and profitable in her trading, Mari soon found out (much to her surprise) that she lost $3,000 – $4,000 in commissions by overtrading OTCs (Over-The-Counter market securities that are traded without being listed at an exchange). She consequently changed her trading approach and became more selective while focusing on patiently building up her accounts – taking small gains and even smaller losses consistently.

Mari has been disciplined all her life. She’s very patient and established a good daily routine that helps her stay on track. Initially, she was content with the little gains she made in her trading account and kept working on making money and increasing her account. Mari also meticulously tracks her trades, going back and reviewing all her losses to analyze what went wrong to improve her trades in the future.

When Covid hit, Mari had grown her account within 8 months to $25,000 by being a disciplined trader and by simultaneously studying day after day. After overcoming PDT (Pattern Day Trader rules), Mari’s trading really took off and she started making $10,000 every month up until November. Yet, things got even better!

Challenges

At the beginning, Mari used to buy into strength when longing a stock and kept losing money. But after Jack Kellogg advised her to change her approach and buy weakness, she started buying into dips while being more patient staying in the trade.

One of Mari’s other challenges was sizing up. Emotionally and technically, she didn’t feel ready. But once Mari grew her account to $100,000, she felt more comfortable to upsize on her go-to patterns as she had enough resources to overcome a pull back.

Female Traders

Women seem to be more cautious in trading. Is that an advantage or disadvantage? As far as Mari is concerned, taking small steps and trading cautiously were the keys to her success. Be secure and patient, and there will be less risk of failing, getting emotionally exhausted, or losing your account. Taking time is key! You don’t have to risk a lot to get started.

After hitting the $1 Million-dollar mark, Mari fulfilled her dream of becoming a millionaire trader in the Tim Sykes’ challenge. Now, she focuses on protecting her gains while adapting to the current markets. In other words, sizing down if the market doesn’t present the right opportunities for her trading style.

For reference, Mari traded 95% OTC stocks and traded 90% long. She uses E*trade as her broker, and Charles Schwab’s thinkorswim trading platform for free scanning.

Pro tips from Mari:

1. Trust in your potential! Be confident in what you can achieve.
2. You can always get better the next day. Don’t give up and keep refining your skills.
3. Surround yourself with people who can make you a better person and trader.

Thank you for sharing your inspiring story, Mari! Skipping college after high school was certainly the right move for you.

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Additional resources can be found here: Top Trading Resources for Enhanced Performance | BTheTrader

**Follow Mari on Twitter: **/ mari_trades