There’s one silent account killer that doesn’t care how long you’ve been trading, how well you read a chart, how many backtests you’ve run, or how sharp your entry and exit points are.

It gets newbies and 20-year vets just the same.

It’s position sizing.

I’ve seen traders pull down six figures in a quarter, only to give it all back in two weeks because they sized up on the wrong setup.

That’s not a strategy problem, it’s a discipline problem.

And it’s easy to miss, because when you’ve scored three, four, or five wins in a row, your brain starts doing something dangerous.

It convinces you that you’re better than the math:

“I’ve got a cushion. Let’s press it.”

“This setup is different.”

“This trade can’t lose.”

You know what that is? Ego. And ego doesn’t care about probability.

For example, let’s say you’ve got a setup that wins 70% of the time. That means you lose 3 out of every 10 times, even when everything looks perfect.

But if you’re swinging with 20%, 30%, or even 50% of your capital on a single trade, you don’t just lose a few bucks — you wreck your whole month. Maybe your whole quarter.

And then what happens? You chase it. You size up again to “get it back.”

That’s the point where you’re not trading anymore. 

You’re reacting, and that’s how even experienced traders spiral.

If you want to stop the bleeding before it starts, you need to do these four things.

Here’s the Fix

These are a few rules that have saved my account more times than I can count:

1. Never risk more than 1%–2% of your total capital on any single trade.

This is non-negotiable. 

It doesn’t mean your position can’t be bigger than 1%–2%, but the risk — the amount you’ll actually lose if you’re wrong — has to stay in that range.

If your stop is $2 wide, and you want to risk $500? You trade two or three contracts. That’s it. 

Doesn’t matter how good the setup looks.

2. Use dollar risk — not contract count — as your guide.

Too many traders think in terms of number of contracts: “I usually trade five contracts, so I’ll do 10 on this one.” 

That’s arbitrary.

Instead, think in dollars. What are you willing to lose if you’re wrong?

Position sizing isn’t about aggressiveness. 

It’s about control.

3. Standardize your size — and get boring.

You should know your size before the market opens. 

Set a consistent risk level across all trades, especially during hot streaks. That consistency is what lets your edge play out over time.

Trading isn’t about the one big win. It’s about showing up again tomorrow with your account intact.

4. Cut your size when you’re cold.

When I’m in a slump, I shrink my size by half. 

Automatically. No questions asked.

That gives me the room to trade my way back without pressure.

There’s no glory in going down with the ship. 

Reduce risk, stay liquid, and fight another day.

Play the Long Game

The traders who last aren’t the ones with the flashiest trades. They’re the ones who control risk like it’s a religion.

They trade small and smart, and they don’t let a single trade dictate their future.

If you’ve been feeling stuck — or like you’re one bad trade away from a meltdown — stop looking at your charts and start looking at your size.

That’s where the problem probably is.

And fixing it is how you stay in this game long enough to win.

Stay street smart,
Jeff Zananiri

P.S. Want a real edge in this market?

Aaron Hunziker’s going live today at 4 p.m. ET inside the APEX War Room. 

He’s walking through the trades on his radar, what’s actually moving, and how he’s setting up in this tape.

If you’re serious about staying ahead of the herd — don’t miss it.

*Past performance does not indicate future results