Iman’s Free Trading Guide for Beginners and Experienced Traders
I want you to succeed, I have no course to sell you, and I have clear instructions for navigating every phase of the trading journey - from pure beginner experimentation all the way to the final development of your trading strategy. I publicly and transparently filmed my entire journey, and, years later and after thousands of hours of work, I’m finally done creating this guide. I am not a full-time trader, but I’m very happy with the consistent payouts I’ve received from funded accounts since July of 2024.
There’s only so many ways to say I’ve done the best I can to help. The two videos below this took around 6 months to make. There is no hidden motive - use ad-block on YouTube if you want.
Only start with this video if you’re completely new to trading. Otherwise, move ahead.
This video covers the most important topics in trading at an extremely introductory level. For example — brokers, indicators, technical analysis, order types, trade placement, journaling, candles, timeframes, charts, pyschology, what to trade (futures, Forex, crypto, stocks, options), general advice, and more. It’s an intro to trading class. The REAL guide is below this.
The video has outdated information on my trading performance. I’m not a full-time trader, but I’m happy with the payouts I’ve received from prop-firm funded accounts since 2024. The prop-firm-specific trading guide is here.
Ready? This is the full guide (and pretty much my life’s work)
I recorded my entire trading journey from the day I first started as a beginner. Because of that work, I was able to create a 1.5-hour-long trading guide backed by LIVE clips from every phase of the journey. Here, you’ll learn how to experiment as a beginner, make the first draft of a trading strategy, experiment and test ideas, and then finally execute the final version of your system. How? Because I filmed myself going through ALL of it for years, and I now understand where I went right and wrong. It took me 4 months to make this, and I’ll never make a more important video. This is everything. I cannot be more helpful.
The video is timestamped to navigate sections as needed. For example, if you’re not a beginner, then you can skip the first experimental phase and get right to everything on creating your trading strategy (including tweaking an existing one). Journaling, collecting data on your trades, tweaking your strategy, and everything else is covered.
Do not use real money until you’re ready. Get started with simulation trading on the best futures trading platform by going HERE.
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR 100 25K ACCOUNTS!!!
MyFundedFutures is letting me give away 100 FREE 25k Flex accounts! This is insane and incredibly generous of them. It’s done through a Google Form, and winners will get the 100% off discount code sent directly to them around March 27th. Entering is very easy and free. Join the Prop Firm Discord (only if you trade through props).
Becoming profitable is up to you - NOT some trading influencer.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you read indicator or trading strategy?
RSI, EMAs, Keltner channels?
Supply and demand, opening range break, smart money concepts?
All popular trading strategies (like supply and demand) and indicator-based systems have already been automated with 100% precision, and you can actually find most of them for free on TradingView. So, why would someone give away an algorithm that perfectly follows the rules of a “profitable” trading strategy? Because they don’t actually work on their own. Of course there are profitable algorithms, systems, and indicators, but they’re not being sold for $15/month to retail traders! Imagine how silly it would be for Jim Simons’ massively successful algorithmic hedge-fund to start selling an indicator or trying to grow their social media presence.
They wouldn’t give up their edge for $15/month, because they’re too busy using it to make billions!
Yet, there ARE profitable traders using indicators + these strategies
So, how is this possible, and what exactly is going on? Most traders don’t last long in their learning journey to understand the answer:
The system or pattern either works, so automate it and become a millionaire — OR, The system only works when you choose how and when you will or will not follow it, making discretion what truly makes that system “work.” Algorithmic/systematic trading strategies are valid, and so are discretionary strategies. But, you must understand the difference between them. By doing that, you’ll see exactly what you must learn next and how to spend your time.
And understanding that ^ is how you navigate YouTube, Twitter, and all other social media platforms. You’ll see exactly how to extract value from what you find while discerning what is helpful and what is not — and that’ll make it clear on exactly why paying for a course, indicator, mentorship, and anything else is illogical.
This video has been embedded to start at 54:08, which is the section that clarifies the difference between systematic vs discretionary trading systems and what that means for your learning.
This is the puzzle piece you’ve been missing.
I trade futures. Here’s a full futures trading guide (covers every important topic)
I believe futures are the best to trade for many reasons, which was covered in the intro to trading video at the top. Futures have no PDT rule (you can day trade with less than $25,000), fantastic liquidity (great bid/ask spreads), flexible trading hours, excellent prop firm options, and more.
Trading influencers, YouTube videos on day-trading, who to follow, what to watch, how to not get scammed, and important info
You learned from the first section that nobody is giving away a system that works without discretion, so, when you buy a course, you’re paying for a broken algorithm. Most courses contain some helpful information, but all of the real learning is actually up to you. The only value a course has is the information that you learned for free in the beginner guide at the top.
Please watch the video above, which will teach you about the red flags for a fake guru. You should now understand the specific information and value that can be extracted from trading videos. However, it’s not that simple. You are at a very high risk of completely ruining any chances of succeeding by following advice that is blatantly wrong. That is why it is essential for you to watch the video where I exposed the “#1 day trading podcast in the world.” It’s not an exaggeration to say that just by understanding the fundamental differences and the implications of systematic vs discretionary trading, your understanding of trading will be greater than most trading influencers. I’m not kidding.
EVEN IF THESE TRADING INFLUENCERS WERE PROFITABLE (they’re not), WHAT THEY’RE SELLING CAN STILL BE LEARNED FOR FREE.
I know many consistently profitable traders. None of them sell courses, mentorships, or private communities.
Watch these with ad-block if you want, but LEARN from them!
I spent thousands of hours and multiple years learning to trade through pure experimentation and without ANY outside influence. That means I did a lot of stupid stuff, and I also learned a LOT about crucial topics that others don’t discuss. I poured my entire life into this and became hyper-obsessed for several years, so please benefit from the lessons, breakthroughs, and realizations that I turned into videos in order to benefit others.
1st video: learn about risk reward ratios and win rates, but particularly their relationship to each other as you’re learning and developing a strategy
2nd video: learn the REAL relationship between your trading strategy and “trading psychology”
3rd video: price action is actually fractal, but what are the implications behind not being able to tell the timeframe on a chart? Take the test yourself and see.
4th video: your strategy will or will not work depending on the overall price action conditions, so what are the implications of that when designing a system?
5th video: ATR is a helpful indicator for telling you when volatility changes. That helps you adapt to correct trade sizes. Adjust the period from 14 to 1.
8th video: this is a collection of some of the most helpful trading advice in the trading industry.
And, only once the simulation environment is no longer of use…
I think prop firms are a great way to eventually transition yourself to real money — or, maybe you stay with prop firms like I did for the advantages they offer. Just like with a personal brokerage account, do not start with real money until you are ready. I have made a complete prop firm trading guide here. Or, go here for the best firms. Prop firms are no different from personal live accounts in the sense that if you start before you’re ready, then you will lose money. There is money to be made with firms if you’re smart about it, so don’t even think about them until you’ve spent some time sim trading.
For getting started with sim trading, go here to see my page on NinjaTrader (the #1 futures trading platform).
The Prop Firm Center Discord is ONLY for prop firm traders. Decide if you want to join LATER.
100%-free community only for prop firm traders. Discuss trading, your strategy, the best firms, and more. Plus, there are up-to-date discounts at only the best firms as well as tons of free account giveaways.
I started the Prop Firm Center Discord after my video on Apex Trader Funding made them shut down their Discord server to public chat. I wanted a place for all prop users to have a home and to discuss trading, firms, issues, news, and anything else outside of the control of each firm’s moderation team. It is mostly for futures prop firms.
Why I trade through prop firms instead of risking my own money
The firm takes the loss, but you keep the profits. Sort of. Read below.
Risk-free trading
You pay a set price to take an evaluation (hit a profit target before the max drawdown), and, if you pass the evaluation and follow the rules, you are guaranteed funding. If you fail the funded account and lose the firm money, you don’t pay for any of that (the firm does). You just have to take another evaluation if you want to get funded again. If you make money, you keep 80-90% of the profits.
Less pressure
Since the only costs from you are paying to take the evaluation, you can’t lose anything beyond that. So, rather than being paralyzed by fear while trading with your own money, you can trade with the firm’s money. That makes it safe and easier to trade with larger sized positions. It’s much easier to trade when the money being risked isn’t yours! This makes scaling up much less difficult than when your own money is on the line.
