Paper Trading vs Live Trading: The Case for Rehearsal

Why paper trading is the single highest-ROI habit for new traders — and how to know when a strategy is actually ready for live capital.

Every professional trader you admire ran thousands of simulated trades before risking real money. Paper trading is not a beginner's toy — it's rehearsal.

The 3-month readiness rule

Positive expectancy over at least 100 simulated trades
Max drawdown below your personal loss tolerance
Consistent behavior across bull, chop, and bear regimes

If you can't stay profitable on paper, you will not be profitable live. Full stop.

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