In an exclusive interview with The5%ers, an 18-year-old trader named Adam shared his journey to securing his first prop trading payout, earning just under $5,000 from a $60,000 funded account, while balancing a full-time job outside the markets.
Adam, who works full-time in law, began learning about trading at the age of 16. Like many new traders, his early experience involved studying basic technical concepts such as support and resistance, trendlines, and market structure. After turning 18 in 2025, he became eligible to trade with proprietary firms and entered the prop trading space.
Speaking during the interview, Adam explained that the learning curve was not smooth. He spent time and money understanding prop firm rules, managing drawdowns, and adapting to the emotional side of trading. According to him, the turning point came when he shifted his focus away from rushing profits and instead worked on discipline, patience, and risk control.
Exclusive Interview: Learning at 16 to First Payout at 18 with The5%ers
“I didn’t need to make money every single day,” he shared. “That changed everything. I wasn’t forcing trades. I was letting the market come to me.”
Adam trades EUR/USD during the London session and NASDAQ during the New York session. His strategy involves identifying previous daily highs and lows, monitoring fair value gaps on higher timeframes, and refining entries on lower timeframes. Rather than aiming for extreme risk-to-reward ratios, he prioritizes consistency and exits trades once planned targets are reached.
Family reactions were mixed at first. While friends who trade were supportive, Adam said his parents struggled to understand how trading payouts work. That changed once the funds were received and withdrawn successfully.
Looking ahead, Adam plans to continue trading while working full-time, with the goal of building consistency before transitioning fully into trading. His focus for 2026 is steady payouts rather than chasing large monthly targets.
When asked for advice to new traders, Adam emphasized patience and realism. He advised beginners to avoid viewing trading as a quick path to wealth and instead treat it as a long-term process that requires structure, emotional control, and persistence.
About the Firm
Here are some interesting facts about the firm:
- Leverage up to 1:100 with High Stakes
- No Minimum Trading Day Requirements (Except High Stakes)
- No Maximum Trading Period
- Scaling Plan
- First Payout After 14 Calendar Days with Bootcamp & High Stakes
- Bi-weekly Payouts
- Profit Share of 80% up to 100%
Also, use our Discount Link for a 10% Discount or read the Review.
