Many traders tend to gloss over risk disclaimers, as if they are mere technicalities required in the course of business in this industry. This is a dangerous habit many traders have developed. With all trading strategies, there is “profit potential” and there is “risk potential”. All too often, traders interpret “profit potential” as a “promise of profits”, while at the same time, if risks are realized, the term “risk potential” is interpreted “I was duped”. This is trading. There are risks, and these risks are very real. Risk potential means you could experience losses. Profit potential means you could experience profits. Past performance, whether hypothetical or real, does not diminish the risk potential of any strategy. The problem with simply glossing over risk disclaimers and not taking them seriously is that it causes traders to make decisions they would not otherwise make. Specifically, glossing over a risk disclaimer may lead to deciding to trade a strategy that you would otherwise decide against trading had you taken the risks associated with that strategy seriously. It also causes traders to stop trading strategies long before they should stop trading them because they did not take the risk disclaimer seriously.

Understanding risk is more important to the overall success of trading than you might think. In fact, your understanding of risk (or lack of understanding), affects virtually every trading decision you make from markets to trade, account size to start with, beginning trade size, levels at which you increase or decrease your trade size, and of course, how long to stay committed to a strategy. It is to your detriment to ignore this, and any other risk disclaimer associated with trading. Every strategy and trade opportunity associated with Seasoned Stocks carries risk. In all cases, you decide whether the “profit potential” is worth the “risk potential”.