1: To Trade or Not to Trade

Round 1 of trading my way to a Porsche.

Please note this is not investment advice. I'm just having fun.

Special thanks to Charlie Larkman for the photo: https://unsplash.com/@charlielarkman

Round 1: To Trade or Not to Trade

Have you ever heard the anecdote about trading vs. long-term investing?

Both the trader and the long-term investor are filling a bucket of water.

The trader holds a cup above the bucket, pouring it in each time it fills.

They may reach a similar outcome- but one demands far more effort along the way.

In this round, I will be trading a stock I'm somewhat already familiar with.

My goal is to end each round with no shares, alongside an increase in cash.

This round is also meant to serve as an experiment: is day trading even worth it?

Below is my trade log and some of my thoughts along the way:

ACHR: Archer Aviation Weeks 1-5

Date	Order	Shares	Price	Total	Price Δ	Balance	Total Shares
03/26/26	Buy	10	5.37	(53.65)	-	(53.65)	10
03/27/26	Buy	10	5.20	(51.95)	-3.2%	(105.60)	20
04/02/26	Sell	10	5.39	53.90	+3.8%	(51.70)	10
04/06/26	Sell	10	5.61	56.10	+4.1%	4.40	-
04/07/26	Buy	10	5.37	(53.74)	-4.2%	(49.34)	10
04/08/26	Sell	10	5.66	56.60	+5.3%	7.26	-
04/09/26	Buy	10	5.53	(55.27)	-2.3%	(48.01)	10
04/09/26	Buy	10	5.33	(53.30)	-3.6%	(101.31)	20
04/13/26	Sell	10	5.51	55.10	+3.4%	(46.21)	10
04/15/26	Sell	10	6.00	59.95	+8.8%	13.74	-
04/20/26	Buy	10	6.01	(60.05)	+0.2%	(46.31)	10
04/21/26	Sell	10	6.21	62.10	+3.4%	15.79	-

Though I still consider myself somewhat a beginner, I've been doing this long enough to know that total shares don't always balance to zero that quickly or easily- but I'll happily take that start.

Before more money is involved, I think it's important to create a set of rules for trading.

Mistakes are bound to happen; there's a learning curve involved with things like this.

However, the stock market can be volatile and unforgiving. Building a foundation early on may end up protecting you from emotion-based trading, severe losses, and to some degree, decision fatigue.

Here's what I have so far:

Subject to change

1. Be up by 6:30am, Mo-Fr.

2. Always have two pre-defined setups: one for upside, one for downside

   1. Update alerts at the end of each trade

3. Maximum investment: $500

4. Only sell when the price has increased 3%+ from the buy price

   1. During reversals or near market close, keep trades within a 5-cent range

ACHR: Archer Aviation (Cont'd) Weeks 5-6

Date	Order	Shares	Price	Total	Price Δ	Balance	Total Shares
04/21/26	Buy	12	5.97	(71.58)	-3.9%	(55.79)	12
04/22/26	Sell	12	6.24	74.82	+4.5%	19.03	-
04/22/26	Buy	12	6.02	(72.22)	-3.5%	(53.19)	12
04/23/26	Buy	12	5.83	(69.90)	-3.2%	(123.09)	24
04/23/26	Buy	12	5.77	(69.24)	-0.9%	(192.33)	36
04/23/26	Buy	12	5.62	(67.38)	-2.7%	(259.71)	48
04/24/26	Sell	12	5.83	69.96	+3.8%	(189.75)	36
04/24/26	Buy	12	5.76	(69.17)	-1.1%	(258.92)	48
04/24/26	Buy	12	5.69	(68.22)	-1.4%	(327.14)	60
04/27/26	Sell	12	5.83	69.96	+2.6%	(257.18)	48
04/27/26	Buy	12	5.75	(68.94)	-1.5%	(326.12)	60
04/27/26	Sell	12	5.91	70.86	+2.8%	(255.26)	48
04/28/26	Buy	12	5.83	(69.90)	-1.4%	(325.16)	60
04/28/26	Buy	12	5.76	(69.06)	-1.2%	(394.22)	72
04/29/26	Buy	12	5.65	(67.76)	-1.9%	(461.98)	84
04/29/26	Buy	6	5.55	(33.33)	-1.6%	(495.31)	90
04/30/26	Sell	12	5.72	(68.64)	+3.0%	(426.67)	78

I broke one of my rules here.

Waking up at 6:30am has been difficult for me. I'm really not much of a morning person.

I sometimes trade in bed, half-asleep, which is consequently what led me to trade at the right price, but wrong quantity. The pre-defined setup rule doesn't help if I'm not awake enough to use it.

Edit to Rule 1:

• Be up by 6:30am, Mo-Fr.

  • No trading in bed

You can torture yourself all day with "should've, could've, would've", or you can choose to savor the lesson and commit yourself to consistency and discipline to achieve your goal. In Charles Schwab's memoir, I remember reading that investors need to learn to stomach volatility and exposure. Though it may not yet (or ever) be profitable, this downtrend may be good practice. Even the worst case scenario is not so bad; you may lose some money, but the payoff will reveal itself in other areas of your life.

ACHR: Archer Aviation (Cont'd) Weeks 6-7

Date	Order	Shares	Price	Total	Price Δ	Balance	Total Shares
05/01/26	Buy	6	5.65	(33.87)	-1.3%	(460.54)	84
05/01/26	Sell	12	5.84	70.11	3.5%	(390.43)	72
05/04/26	Buy	6	5.77	(34.62)	-1.2%	(425.05)	78
05/05/26	Buy	6	5.73	(34.35)	-0.8%	(459.40)	84
05/05/26	Buy	6	5.66	(33.96)	-1.1%	(493.36)	90
05/05/26	Sell	6	5.85	35.10	+3.4%	(458.26)	84
05/06/26	Sell	72	6.13	441.37	+4.8%	(16.89)	12
05/06/26	Sell	12	6.22	74.58	+1.4%	57.69	-

Round 1: Experiment Results and Profit Summary

• In total, 222 shares of ACHR were purchased

  • The weighted average cost was ~$5.6823/ share

  • Total investment would have been $1,261.46

• Assuming all 222 shares were sold at $6.22:

  • The total trade would have been for $1,380.84

  • Total profit would have been $119.38 instead of $57.69

However, the simple calculation above fails to consider initial investment:

• Profit of $119.38, with an investment of $1,261.46, yields a return of 9.46%

• In my trading experiment, the most I invested was $495.31

  • The profit earned of $57.69 actually yielded a greater return of 11.65%

Conclusion: my day-trading efforts were indeed worth it, and I'm $57.69 closer to a Porsche.

Here's a visual representation of the results from Round 1:

Follow along as I navigate Round 2.

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