Money management is a strategy for increasing or decreasing the position size to limit risk while achieving the greatest growth possible from a trading account. There are good and bad ways of implementing money management, and the right way focuses on both the risk and reward factors on your account. It allows you to leverage the account while balancing risk. Money management can be used when trading any market as it is focused on one thing alone, and that is account performance.
Martingale vs. Anti-Martingale Strategies
Martingale methods increase the position size with losses. As the account is in a losing streak the trader will double the position size in order to re-coop all the losses and make a little profit.
Anti-martingale methods are the opposite. The position size increases with wins and decreases with losses.
What Money Management is NOT
Money management is NOT risk management.
Money management does NOT position sizing.
Money management is important because it will give you a strict path to follow in order to reach your goals as a trader. The goal as an independent trader should be to make as much money as possible while making sure you don’t blow out your account.
1. The 2% Rule Method
The 2% Rule is an anti-martingale money management method that is based on your account size.
Risk per Trade = Account Balance X 2%
2. Fixed Fractional Method
One fixed fractional method commonly used is to trade 1 contract for each X amount of dollars in the account. X can be set to be a large or small number.
X = Rs 10,000; If Account Balance = Rs 20,000, then Position Size = 2 contract
3. Optimal f Method
This method was developed by Ralph Vince, and it is a mathematical model to determine f which stands for fraction. The method solves for the optimum fraction from a given set of trades that will produce more returns than any other fraction.
4. Secure f Method
Secure f is a safer version of Optimal f.
The risks have become manageable but at the expense of geometric growth.
5. Fixed Ratio Method
The Fixed Ratio Money Management Method was developed by Ryan Jones and presented in “The Trading Game”. It is a very different approach to money management.
Martingale vs. Anti-Martingale Strategies
Martingale methods increase the position size with losses. As the account is in a losing streak the trader will double the position size in order to re-coop all the losses and make a little profit.
Anti-martingale methods are the opposite. The position size increases with wins and decreases with losses.
What Money Management is NOT
Money management is NOT risk management.
Money management does NOT position sizing.
Money management is important because it will give you a strict path to follow in order to reach your goals as a trader. The goal as an independent trader should be to make as much money as possible while making sure you don’t blow out your account.
1. The 2% Rule Method
The 2% Rule is an anti-martingale money management method that is based on your account size.
Risk per Trade = Account Balance X 2%
2. Fixed Fractional Method
One fixed fractional method commonly used is to trade 1 contract for each X amount of dollars in the account. X can be set to be a large or small number.
X = Rs 10,000; If Account Balance = Rs 20,000, then Position Size = 2 contract
3. Optimal f Method
This method was developed by Ralph Vince, and it is a mathematical model to determine f which stands for fraction. The method solves for the optimum fraction from a given set of trades that will produce more returns than any other fraction.
4. Secure f Method
Secure f is a safer version of Optimal f.
The risks have become manageable but at the expense of geometric growth.
5. Fixed Ratio Method
The Fixed Ratio Money Management Method was developed by Ryan Jones and presented in “The Trading Game”. It is a very different approach to money management.