TRADING EDUCATION CURRICULUM
Day trading basics through advanced tactics — all filtered through the OPERATOR Setup Gate. Every concept here maps to a rule you already learned in the books. Start at Section 1 and work forward.
Every section connects to your Setup Gate. You don't need all of this. You need the sections that directly improve your gate compliance.
01 Foundation
Day Trading Basics
What trading actually is, whether it's for you, and what separates people who survive from people who blow up in 90 days. This is Chapter 1 of your book in curriculum form.
Connects to: All 6 Gates — this section explains why each gate exists
Day Trading Guide
Day Trader Definition
How Much Money You Need
PDT Rule
Day Trading Rules
When and What to Trade
02 Preparation
Premarket & Setup
What happens before the market opens, how to build your watchlist, and the exact Sunday workflow that defines the OPERATOR week. Gate 4 and Gate 6 live here.
Connects to: Gate 4 (market context) · Gate 6 (earnings check)
Premarket Trading
Morning Watchlist
How to Buy Stocks
What Is a Trading Edge
03 What You Trade
Trading Products
Stocks, options, ETFs — what each instrument is and which ones the OPERATOR system uses. Futures and shorting are covered for context but are outside the IRA swing system.
Connects to: Scanner B (options scoring) · Options Checklist tool
Stocks
Options
ETFs
Futures
04 Toolbox
Day Trading Tools
Brokers, scanners, charting platforms, and paper trading. The complete tool stack for the OPERATOR system — what you need, what you don't, and what to avoid paying for.
Connects to: Gate 1 (broker choice affects liquidity) · All scanner tools
Brokers
Stock Scanners
Paper Trading
Best Trading Tools
05 Chart Reading
Stock Charts
Candlesticks, patterns, volume, and indicators — all in the context of the Setup Gate. Gate 2 (structure) and Gate 5 (thesis) both require fluent chart reading.
Connects to: Gate 2 (structure/support) · Gate 5 (thesis) · Breakout Drill tool
Chart Reading Guide
How to Read Stock Charts
Candlestick Charts
Best Free Stock Charts
06 Trade Setups
Day Trading Strategies
The specific setups the OPERATOR system targets. Momentum and gap setups are calibrated for swing entry — NOT day-trade chasing. Each strategy maps to the Breakout Drill setup types.
Connects to: Gate 2 (each strategy = a specific structure) · Gate 5 (thesis template per strategy)
Momentum Trading
Gap and Go
Bull Flag Pattern
Reversal Trading
Mean Reversion
Penny Stocks
07 Execution & Mind
Trading Tactics & Psychology
Position sizing, risk management, multiple time frames, and the mental discipline that separates traders who follow the gate from traders who override it. This is where most accounts blow up — not from bad analysis, but from bad execution and emotion.
Connects to: Gate 3 (R:R) · Gate 5 (thesis = prevents emotional entry) · Trade Journal tool
Position Sizing
Risk / Reward
Risk Management
Multiple Time Frames
FOMO
Mastering Emotions
Holding Losing Trades
Shorting Stocks
BOOK REFERENCE
Sections 7a (risk management) and 7e-g (psychology) map directly to Chapters 9-10 of Trade with an Edge and Chapters 4-6 of Hold Without Panic. Read those chapters before the psychology section here — the book covers the emotional mechanics at depth this curriculum summarizes.