What they tell you
Prop firms sell you on big numbers. $50,000, $100,000, even $300,000 accounts. They say you’re funded, you’ve got capital, you’re trading like a pro. It sounds like freedom.
Social media makes it louder. Traders post dashboards with six-figure balances, hype passing evals, and some flash payout receipts. They make it look easy—like you can pass, print, and withdraw forever. What you don’t see is the graveyard of failed evals and the endless resets.
What they won’t tell you
That $50,000 account isn’t trading capital—it’s buying power. a big difference.
Think of it like a credit line. The bank doesn’t hand you $50,000 cash. They give you permission to spend against it, as long as you don’t cross the line (and pay it back). Prop firms work the same way.
Once you pass a $50,000 eval, you only get about 4% to 5% of it as actual risk capital. That’s your drawdown. Apex gives $2,500. Topstep around $2,000 with daily caps. My Funded Futures $2,000. Once that cushion is gone, the account is gone with it.
The big numbers get the attention. The drawdown is what you really trade.
The truth about it
I trade with six funded accounts. On paper, that’s $1.15M. Sounds impressive right? But here’s the math:
3× $250k accounts = $6,500 initial drawdown each = $19,500
1× $300k account = $7,500 initial drawdown
2× $50k accounts = $2,500 initial drawdown each = $5,000
So in total: $32,000 of real capital. That’s only 2.78% of the $1.15M. That’s what I truly manage. That’s a far cry from being a “7-figure funded trader.”
This past week I made over $5k in profits across those accounts. Sounds great, right? The kicker—I can’t pocket all that yet. Prop firms put guardrails in place to protect themselves first. We’re trading their capital. It’s business.
Because of those rules, I was able to request $1,002 from that +$5k profit. No complaints at all! I’m grateful, but here’s how Apex keeps it in check:
Consistency Rule: 30% of your profits during a payout cycle can’t come from one trade. If I had one big day that made up too much of my total profits, Apex won’t approve the payout until more trades balance it out. That could take days—or weeks.
Payout Caps: Early on, you can only withdraw so much. The more payouts you stack on one account, the more they allow you to take out.
Minimum Days: Apex also only let’s trader take profit after 8 profitable trading days between payouts, and 5 of those days you must make +$50.00.
Here’s the truth: don’t fall for the social media hype, or believe the Youtube guru lies. Five-figure payouts are possible, but aren’t the norm. Being a “seven-figure funded trader” doesn’t mean what you think it does.
You truly can make profits trading with prop firms if you understand their rules and stick to a profitable strategy. You can build a business and see consistent payouts. Used wisely, prop firms can give you access to more capital than you personally have and let you leverage more. But you’ve got to be level-headed and consistent. This game rewards discipline—not chasing fantasy.
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Remember, trade smart. stay consistent.