A man took his life. He was a day trader.
I found out through his wife.
And I keep thinking... how many more are there?
I've worked with prop firms long enough to know what the industry doesn't advertise. The people down $10k, $50k in countries where that kind of money is someone's entire future, one even $160k.
I've watched people chase a promise that was mathematically never meant for them.
Prop firms are casinos with better branding.
The difference is that a casino never convinced you that you were building a skill.
The gurus selling courses? Some of them are net negative traders. Made $50k, spent $100k on challenges, holding up certificates like proof of something. And because they tell a good story, people believe them.
If someone has been trading for 3–5 years and is selling you a course, they have lived through one market cycle. That's not mastery. That's a marketing strategy.
The people most targeted are not stupid. They're desperate. In debt. Hating their jobs. Wanting to save their families. The entire marketing machine is built to find you at your most vulnerable and sell you hope.
Trading is harder than any conventional profession and it's the only one where people genuinely believe a few months of study is enough. A doctor trains for a decade before touching a patient. A trader is expected to risk real money after a weekend course.
To trade seriously, you need to rewire how your nervous system responds to uncertainty. You need to dismantle beliefs built in childhood. You need savings, structure, and the ability to function without external accountability. Neuroplasticity doesn't happen in a quarter.
Nobody talks about this because the loudest voices in the room are the ones profiting from your silence and your next challenge fee.
If something feels off to you, it probably is.
Zoom out. Ask harder questions. The industry won't do it for you.