Account balance less than 5,000 USDT? Don’t rush into placing orders just yet.

Last year, a friend came to me with 800 USDT sitting in his wallet. He was just getting into contract trading. Every time he clicked the buy button, his fingers would tremble—afraid that one wrong move would wipe out his principal in an instant. Back then, he couldn’t even tell the most basic candlestick patterns apart. I told him, “What’s the rush? Follow the rules—small sums can snowball too.”

And the result? Four months later, his account balance jumped to 19,000 USDT, breaking 28,000 USDT in half a year. He never got liquidated once and moved forward steadily every step of the way.

You might think: Wasn’t that just luck? Wrong! It had nothing to do with luck. He strictly followed three ironclad rules, ingraining discipline into his bones. These three moves are both life-saving and money-making—climbing from 800 USDT to where he is now all thanks to them:

**First Move: Divide Your Principal into Three Parts—Always Leave Yourself a Way Out**
Split your funds into three: 300 USDT just for intraday scalping, only trading mainstream coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum. As soon as the volatility hits 2%-4%, take profits immediately—never get greedy. 250 USDT is for swing trading; only enter when the market gives a clear trend signal, hold for 2-4 days, aiming for stability, not quick riches. The last 250 USDT is your emergency reserve—no matter how wild the market gets, never touch it. This is your capital to get back on your feet if things go south.

Have you seen those who go all-in with a few thousand USDT? When prices rise, they’re on cloud nine; when prices drop, they panic and try to catch the bottom—most end up losing out. The truly profitable traders know to always keep an escape route.

**Second Move: Trade Only Trends—Don’t Waste Time in Choppy Markets**
Most of the time, the market is just moving sideways, grinding people down. Frequent trades just hand over fees to the platform. If there’s no clear signal, sit tight; when you see a clear trend, strike decisively. When profits hit 12%, withdraw half—money in your pocket is money you’ve truly earned.

Experienced traders know to “act only when it’s time.” I saw him double his account, and he withdrew half the profits according to the rules—no chasing, no lingering. That’s the foundation of a steady approach.

**Third Move: Rules Above All—Don’t Let Emotions Control Your Trades**
Single-trade stop-loss strictly capped at 1.2%—cut losses at that point, don’t think “let’s see what happens.” If profits exceed 2.5%, reduce half your position and let the rest run free. Never add to losing positions—don’t let emotional trading drag you into a deep hole.

You don’t need to predict every market move with precision, but you must stick to your rules every single time. At the end of the day, making money comes from using a system to keep your itchy trading fingers in check.