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Why I’m Starting Over With $12,415

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Written by Timothy Sykes Reviewed by Jack Kellogg Fact-checked by Ben Sturgill
Updated 9/12/2026 5 min read
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I actually opened a brand new brokerage account last week and funded it with $12,415.

Why would I do that?

Because for 25+ years, people have asked me the same question question…

Also, it’s the exact amount I started with in high school after I told my parents that I wanted to invest in the stock market…

Seriously, though, they gave me access to my Bar Mitzvah money after I’d had surgery on both elbows.

My dad was sure I’d lose everything, but he let me do it anyway. (He thought it would be a good life lesson.)

Obviously, that was a long time ago

Things have changed a lot.

But back then I turned $12,415 into $1.65 million my senior year of high school and in college.*

Here’s the question everyone asks…

Could You Do It Again?

Finally, I have an answer…

Today I’m starting over with the same stake, the same goal, and a live account.

Guess what?

The Pressure Is On Me To Deliver

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Look, I’ve been trading for so long that I’m not worried about doing just another small account challenge.

Everyone does them now. I was one of the first, right?

So, I decided to do something different…

I have ONE specific rule with my new $12,415 account…

I Can Only Trade 15-Minutes a Day

I have a very busy life that already limits how much time I spend trading.

But with my new account, I’m going to focus on one, ultra-specific 15-minute window every day.

See, what I’ve noticed over the past couple of years is…

There is a market phenomenon that sends certain stocks into overdrive during this 15-minute window.

And that’s EXACTLY when I’m going to trade my new brokerage account.

Here’s what I LOVE about the window…

Even if you’re a busy person, you can still do this.

To prove it, I’m challenging MYSELF because, frankly…

You Need the Right Strategy AND the Right Market

That’s why I’m doing this.

Back in 1999 and 2000 I had the benefit of youthful naiveté and a hot market.

Since then the market has had its ups and downs. I’ve always just tried to adapt to what the market gives.

Which is why this is SO different…

Never in the past 25-years have I put so much pressure on one strategy to deliver.

But based on the results of my backtesting, recent developments in the market, and trades I’ve taken over the past few months…

I’m READY for the challenge.

And TODAY, at 10AM ET, I’m going to show you how I plan to do it.

The 15-Minute Millionaire Summit

This is a very serious strategy (and easily the most game-changing strategy that I’ve seen in my career).

But don’t expect me to get to $1.65M overnight.

I’m going to take $12,415, and turn it into $1.65M.

Trade…

© Millionaire Media
© Millionaire Media

…by trade… by trade.

In today’s live presentation I’ll show you the exact 15-minute window that’s offering everyday traders the fastest market gains in history.

All you have to do is…

Join me for the free live class today, September 14, at 10AM ET.

This is the single best strategy that I’ve seen in the past two decades.

For example, during this 15-minute window:

  • CCSC Technology International Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: CCTG) spiked 221% in 9 minutes.
  • SL Science Holding Limited (NASDAQ: SLBT) spiked 412% in 60 seconds (it was CRAZY!)
  • And Wearable Devices Ltd. (NASDAQ: WLDS) ran 201% in just 17 minutes

Today I’m going to show you how, using this window, you could have grown your account by 1020% in the last two years alone.*

THAT is why I’m so confident that I FINALLY have an answer to the question…

“Tim, could you do it again?”

Yes, and I’m about to do it.

Let’s GOOOOOOOO!

See you there at 10 a.m. ET.

Cheers,

– Tim Sykes

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Timothy Sykes

Tim Sykes is a penny stock trader and teacher who became a self-made millionaire by the age of 22 by trading $12,415 of bar mitzvah money. After becoming disenchanted with the hedge fund world, he established the Tim Sykes Trading Challenge to teach aspiring traders how to follow his trading strategies. He’s been featured in a variety of media outlets including CNN, Larry King, Steve Harvey, Forbes, Men’s Journal, and more. He’s also an active philanthropist and environmental activist, a co-founder of Karmagawa, and has donated millions of dollars to charity.
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* Results are not typical and will vary from person to person. Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. There are inherent risks involved with investing in the stock market, including the loss of your investment. Past performance in the market is not indicative of future results. Any investment is at your own risk. See Terms of Service here

The available research on day trading suggests that most active traders lose money. Fees and overtrading are major contributors to these losses.

A 2000 study called “Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors” evaluated 66,465 U.S. households that held stocks from 1991 to 1996. The households that traded most averaged an 11.4% annual return during a period where the overall market gained 17.9%. These lower returns were attributed to overconfidence.

A 2014 paper (revised 2019) titled “Learning Fast or Slow?” analyzed the complete transaction history of the Taiwan Stock Exchange between 1992 and 2006. It looked at the ongoing performance of day traders in this sample, and found that 97% of day traders can expect to lose money from trading, and more than 90% of all day trading volume can be traced to investors who predictably lose money. Additionally, it tied the behavior of gamblers and drivers who get more speeding tickets to overtrading, and cited studies showing that legalized gambling has an inverse effect on trading volume.

A 2019 research study (revised 2020) called “Day Trading for a Living?” observed 19,646 Brazilian futures contract traders who started day trading from 2013 to 2015, and recorded two years of their trading activity. The study authors found that 97% of traders with more than 300 days actively trading lost money, and only 1.1% earned more than the Brazilian minimum wage ($16 USD per day). They hypothesized that the greater returns shown in previous studies did not differentiate between frequent day traders and those who traded rarely, and that more frequent trading activity decreases the chance of profitability.

These studies show the wide variance of the available data on day trading profitability. One thing that seems clear from the research is that most day traders lose money .

Millionaire Media 66 W Flagler St. Ste. 900 Miami, FL 33130 United States (888) 878-3621 This is for information purposes only as Millionaire Media LLC nor Timothy Sykes is registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any of the securities mentioned in communications or websites. In addition, Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns.

Citations for Disclaimer

Barber, Brad M. and Odean, Terrance, Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors. Available at SSRN: “Day Trading for a Living?”

Barber, Brad M. and Lee, Yi-Tsung and Liu, Yu-Jane and Odean, Terrance and Zhang, Ke, Learning Fast or Slow? (May 28, 2019). Forthcoming: Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=2535636”

Chague, Fernando and De-Losso, Rodrigo and Giovannetti, Bruno, Day Trading for a Living? (June 11, 2020). Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=3423101”