Free Course · Live Challenge

$1K Per Month Challenge

Start with $1,000. Grow it to $10,000. Every trade posted in the open — wins and losses.

The Rules · How to Follow · The Update Format
$1K CHALLENGE 1.0 · Chapter 01 — The Rules

What Is the $1K Per Month Challenge?

A $1,000 account, a $10,000 goal, and every trade posted in the open.

The Gist
  • The whole record is public, losing trades included.
  • Challenge sizing is aggressive on purpose, and it's not for your main account.
  • Exits follow the stock's chart, not the option's price.

This is the $1K → $10K Challenge under a new name. I start with $1,000 and trade monthly options swings to grow it to $10,000.

1.1The Rules
The Challenge at a Glance
START $1,000 GOAL $10,000 EVERY TRADE POSTED Losing trades included Running totals in every update
The challenge runs from $1,000 to $10,000, with every trade posted along the way.

Honesty is the point. Each update lists what's open and what's closed, so you see the real record.

The RuleEvery trade posted: open and closed, wins and losses.
1.2How Challenge Trades Are Sized
Challenge Size vs Your Size
THE CHALLENGE PER TRADE 10–20% IN DOLLARS $100–$200 PER TRADE 1–3% LEAPS MAX 2–3% YOUR ACCOUNT
The challenge puts 10–20% into each trade, and your account's options cap is 1–3%.

Options are leverage, so your own account caps them at 1–3% per options trade. LEAPS (options about 1–3 years from expiry) get 2–3% of the portfolio max.

Inside those caps, size by conviction, the confidence you earn from research. There's never one fixed size.

WarningThe challenge runs $100–$200 per swing on purpose. It's an aggressive account I can afford to lose. Do not copy that percentage on your real account.
The RuleOn your own account: options 1–3% per trade, LEAPS 2–3% max.
How Johnny Sizes Options

Sizing depends on your conviction level, and there should never be a fixed way to size.

I keep each options trade inside 1–3% of my total portfolio — how much depends on my conviction, never a fixed number.

LEAPS get 2–3% of the portfolio, max. It's essentially 5x leverage — that's how I see options.

1.3What Kind of Trades
Picking the Expiry
PAST MOVE PAST MOVE Next move NOW EXPIRY 2–3 MONTHS
The expiry window, 2–3 months out, is set against the stock's past moves.

The challenge trades monthly calls (call options, a bet the stock goes up) about 2–3 months out. Each call has a strike, the price the contract is locked to.

I pick the expiry, the date the contract ends, from the stock's past moves. That gives a similar move time to play out.

The RulePick an expiry about 2–3 months out, based on the stock's past moves.
Why Johnny Trades Monthly Calls Here

I started with long-dated options, but on a $1,000 account they're simply too pricey.

1.4How Challenge Trades Exit
The Stock Decides the Exit
RESISTANCE Take profit TREND Trend flips: out
Resistance marks the take-profit, and a break below the trend line marks the exit.

A post may still show option prices, but only as a reference. Resistance is a price where the stock has stalled before. Theta is time decay, the value an option loses each day.

  • Trend flips, you're out. The most important rule.
  • Time stop. Not moving your way in the expected time: feel free to exit.
  • Take profit at resistance. Theta eats the option while you wait for more.
  • Shorter date, sooner exit. The closer the expiry, the sooner you take profit.
The RuleGet out when the stock's trend flips, the most important exit rule.
Read the Technical Analysis Volume →