I am still optimistic the University of Options guarantee is going to work out, but it isn’t perfect. The more people using the “copy trader” simultaneously, the harder it is for all participants to catch a “good” trade. That has been extremely evident this week.

Despite the jumpiness in the futures market this week, the “copy trader” master has caught some winning trades. When those trades were “copied out” to my NinjaTrader system, the trade was not as profitable. Focusing on this week, the trades are leaning toward being “losers.”

I have a predetermined amount of money set aside for this project. If the bugs get worked out and if the money doesn’t run out, I am looking forward to this project still helping me curtail the bot losses from earlier in the summer. The ideal situation is to have the copy trader be successful enough that I can pull out my seed money. Then, the money that is left (the ‘house’ money) can continue to grow within my NinjaTrader account.

Should I switch to the “simulation” (fake money) account for a few days so I build confidence in the system and provide them data without losing money? I am enthusiastic about the possibilities, but realistic about the hiccups. The present results are based on less than 100 people being on this system. Are my losses the fault of the current market or the result of the excess of future contracts being triggered by the software? (How bad will it be if more are added?)

The more I keep looking for the perfect passive income tool, the more I question my ability to succeed. I have a part of my portfolio that will accept yearly gains typical of a CD. This part of our portfolio wants better returns. If I am not careful, my “adventure” money is going to be gone before I find the perfect instrument. Caution, restraint and limiting how much time and dollars a tool are given is key…I think.