Ten checks to tick before you move from a demo account to real money. Print it, or tick it off on screen.
Aim for at least 30 trading days and 40 closed trades. A handful of winning trades can be luck.
Work out your expectancy: (win rate × average win) − (loss rate × average loss). It should be above zero over all your demo trades, not just the last week.
Read your trade journal. Did you respect every stop-loss? If you broke your rules with play money, you will break them faster with real money.
Run the 5-minute broker licence check before you open the live account.
Spread, commission, swap and slippage add up. The trade cost worksheet shows how.
It means you cannot lose more than you deposited. EU retail accounts must have it. Find it in the account terms before you deposit.
Size every trade so one loss costs at most 1% of the account. Use the 1% position-size sheet.
Pick a number, for example 3% of the account, and write it down. When you reach it, close the platform for the day.
Deposit an amount you can afford to lose in full. Then ask for a small withdrawal and see how long it takes before you add more.
Use low leverage and your smallest trade size at first. Real money brings fear and hope that a demo never shows you. Write down how you felt after every trade.
Ticked all ten? You are ready to start small. Ready does not mean safe: most retail CFD accounts lose money.
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