Brian shares his inspiring story of how he recovered from disqualification, revamped his strategy, and once again passed the CTI Challenge. Learn about the key adjustments he made, the powerful risk management techniques he adopted, and how he optimized his trading psychology to achieve impressive results. Watch as Brian reveals his journey to success and shares valuable insights for any trader looking to refine their edge.https://youtu.be/pj1lDF-Rtt8
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Program | CTI Funded Account |
| Result | PASSED ✅ |
| Profit Factor | 3.38 (High Performance) |
| Win Rate | 50% |
| Relative Drawdown | 3.42% (Excellent Risk Control) |
| Risk Per Trade | 0.5% – 1% (Professional Approach) |
| Risk Strategy | Scaling-in & Break-even protection |
| Stop Loss Logic | ATR-based (Volatility-adjusted) |
| Timeframe Focus | Weekly/Daily for direction; 4H/1H for entry |
| Trading Philosophy | Business-centric mindset; process over profits |
| Validation | ✅ Validated by CTI Risk Team |
Key Takeaways:
- The Importance of Patience: Brian emphasizes that success in trading comes from long-term dedication and a clear understanding that it’s not a “get rich quick” venture. He advises traders to focus on the process and treat trading as a business, not a lottery ticket.
- Adapting and Refining Strategy: Traders must be willing to adjust their strategies when needed. For Brian, this meant moving from hourly charts to higher timeframes and adding more robust confirmation tools.
- Risk Management as Key: Brian highlights the importance of keeping risk small and adding to positions only when confident in the trade. He encourages setting break-even stops and managing trades cautiously to avoid significant losses.
- Consistency is Everything: Brian’s primary advice is to stick to your plan and “rinse and repeat” what works. His success came from understanding his edge and trading it consistently.
Introduction
Brian’s trading journey exemplifies resilience. After initially passing the CTI evaluation, Brian faced a disqualification due to flaws in his strategy. But instead of giving up, he revamped his entire approach. In this interview, Brian returns to share how he made vital improvements, optimized his strategy, and once again passed the CTI evaluation, emerging stronger and more disciplined than ever. He offers valuable insights on risk management and maintaining a strong trading mindset during setbacks.
Background
Brian initially struggled with applying Elliott Wave theory as a complete trading system. Despite understanding market patterns, he realized Elliott Wave alone couldn’t guide his trades successfully. His over-reliance on the system caused him to lose his portfolio manager account. Recognizing the need for deeper confirmation tools, Brian adjusted his approach, blending his Elliott Wave analysis with stronger indicators like moving averages and Fibonacci retracements. After being disqualified, Brian bounced back by refining his strategy and risk management approach.
Key Adjustments to His Strategy
Brian identified the need to move from hourly charts to higher timeframes like daily and weekly charts. Trading with a larger perspective reduced stress and allowed him to take more calculated trades. He also started using moving averages (50, 200, and 800 EMAs) as key decision-making tools alongside Fibonacci levels for setting his limit orders. His approach evolved to taking fewer, more precise trades, waiting for the market to confirm his analysis before entering a position.
Risk Management
Brian’s risk management strategy became more disciplined. He reduced his risk per trade to just half a per cent to one per cent, with stops placed around two times the ATR (Average True Range) on the daily timeframe. He focused on setting break-even stops after the trade moved into profit, limiting his losses on all trades. If a trade went in his favour, he would add more positions while maintaining a break-even on earlier trades, minimizing risk and increasing profit potential.
Mindset and Psychology
During his evaluation, Brian faced a period of floating losses but maintained his composure. His focus was on “rinsing and repeating” his process without letting emotions interfere. His trading psychology became centered on accepting temporary floating losses and sticking to his risk management rules. By focusing on data and the process rather than emotional reactions to market fluctuations, Brian managed to keep a strong mindset and navigate drawdowns.
Conclusion
Brian’s journey teaches us that setbacks are not failures—they’re opportunities to learn and improve. By refining his strategy, managing his risk better, and maintaining a disciplined mindset, Brian successfully passed the CTI evaluation for a second time. His story is a powerful reminder to never give up and to keep refining your trading process.
