Having spent many years in the crypto world, from initial anxiety over liquidation and staying glued to the charts every night, to now achieving stable profits with an annualized return of 70%+, and a account size reaching eight figures. The biggest realization along the way is: surviving always comes first, making money is secondary.

Today I want to share these practical experiences with friends still fighting in the market. This is not a call for signals or recommendations, but a set of trading survival rules distilled from blood and tears that you can truly apply.

**Profit to be Taken**

Making money itself isn’t difficult; the hard part is actually withdrawing the profits. My approach is simple—whenever the account increases by $1,000, I immediately transfer $400 to my bank card, and continue rolling over the rest. The money in the account is paper wealth; the funds in the bank are real gains. Many people ruin themselves with the psychology of "earning a little more," only to have a wave of correction wipe out their principal.

**Let the Data Speak, Not Intuition**

Relying on gut feeling is a typical retail trader trait. I mainly look at three indicators on TradingView: MACD, RSI, and Bollinger Bands. Before entering a trade, at least two indicators must give signals simultaneously. For short-term, I analyze the 1-hour chart; for medium-term, I compare with the 4-hour chart. For example, when going long on ETH, I wait until two consecutive 1-hour candles break above the Bollinger middle band and MACD shows a golden cross before considering entry.

**Stop-Loss is Insurance for Survival**

Hard stop-losses are easy to get swept out on. If you have time to monitor the market, dynamically move your stop-loss to protect profits. If not, set a fixed stop-loss (e.g., -3%) to defend against extreme market moves. Many think stop-losses show cowardice, but in fact, they are a bottom line that professional traders must adhere to.

**Regular Withdrawals, Don’t Expect to Double Your Money Overnight**

My habit is to withdraw 30% of weekly profits every Friday. Regardless of whether I made gains or losses that week, I take some profits off the table first. After three months, you’ll find your account curve becomes healthier and your mindset more stable. This method helps you break out of the vicious cycle of repeatedly resetting your account to zero and starting over.

**Red Lines for Risk Control**

Leverage should not exceed 10x; beginners should control it within 3–5x. Open positions no more than three times a day; frequent trading signals emotional loss of control. Stay away from meme coins like Dogecoin or other high-volatility, low-value tokens—they are tools for harvesting retail investors. Most importantly, never borrow money to trade crypto.

Treat trading as a profession, not gambling. Study the charts when it’s time, rest fully when it’s time to rest. No all-nighters, no chasing highs or panic selling. What you truly want is long-term stable income, not the fleeting thrill of quick riches.

Once you establish a stable, replicable, and risk-controlled trading system, you’ll experience the sense of security that comes with steady profits—much more valuable than overnight wealth.