You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers
These are our most commonly asked questions.
Program Overview
KickStart Trading is proud to present the future of trader funding, through KickStart’s Trader Funding Program.Â
We are serious traders on an unrelenting mission to find, cultivate, and ultimately fund serious traders. All you have to do to qualify is prove you can generate 10%, without losing more than 6% overall, or 5 % per day. That’s it.
No combines, challenges, multiple stages, or other silly rules to trap you. Keep up to 90% of the gains, and trade with total freedom and autonomy knowing there is absolutely zero pressure.
FAQ's
The Assessment
How long will it take to qualify? Which platform is used? What happens if I'm unsuccessful? What can I trade? etc.
The Live Funded Account
Is the account really live? Is there a "scaling" plan? Are there any minimums? Can I have multiple accounts? etc.
Logistics & Calculations
How do payouts work? What is the signup process? How is the DD calculated? What is Max DD Lock-In? etc.
Rules & Regs
What are the rules around overnight & weekend holding? Is Kickstart regulated? Are there max exposure rules? etc.
The Assessment
Prove you can generate 10%.
Don't lose more than 6% overall, or 5% per day.
That's it.
That’s entirely dependent on you. We don’t have any minimum position counts or trading days, nor are there any maximums. There are no multiple stages, combines, challenges, or other silly rules, and we believe it shouldn’t be impossible for good traders to prove themselves.Â
So, as soon as you’ve made 10%, without losing more than 6% overall, or 5% per day, that’s it. You’ve qualified. Seriously – that’s it!Â
Yes. We aren’t bothered so much with things like which strategy you’re using or what individual trading style you have. The only thing we really care most about is that you are deploying good risk management practices (always trade w/ a S/L!) and trading for consistent profits.
In the unfortunate event that you are unsuccessful, either in your assessment or once funded, don’t sweat it! You can always try again! The one-time reset fee is just 80% of the value of the original one-time fee.Â
You are not responsible for losses at any point.Â
Absolutely not! All you have to do to qualify is prove you can generate 10%, without losing more than 6% overall, or 5% in a day. That’s it. Do it in a day, a month, a year – it doesn’t matter to us!
Forex
- All Majors / Major Crosses
CFDs
- AUS200, EUSTX50, FRA40, GER30, HK50, JPN225, NDX100, SPX500, UK100, US30, VIX
Indices
- US30, FRA40, GER30, ASX200, UK100, SPX500, EUSTX50, NDX100, JPN225, HK50, USDOLLAR, VIX
Metals
- XAG/USD, XAU/USD
Stocks
- 300 assets listed on NAS, NYS, LSE, GER, and ASXÂ
Cryptos
- ALL
No, however, if you are going to be inactive for 30 consecutive days or more, all we ask is that you get in touch to let us know, as going beyond this is a breach and would result in forfeiture of your assessment or account.Â
Because KickStart is a different kind of prop firm, for a different kind of trader.Â
You can trade on your own (and BTW – there’s nothing to prevent you from doing that, if you wish, concurrently). But chances are, you’re under-capitalized. When you’re under-capitalized, you’re likely over-leveraging. And, while leverage can work for you, it can just as easily work against you.Â
As a Fully Funded KickStart Trader, you are able to leverage our capital against your trading skills. You’re able to do so with total autonomy and freedom. You’re not under any pressure of any kind, and you keep up to 90% of what you earn.
*75% profit split is standard. 90% available as optional add-on at checkout
Congratulations!Â
Almost immediately, we’ll get in touch via email to confirm you’ve achieved your 10% profit target.Â
We’ll then be in touch shortly thereafter to request some basic documentation from you to verify your ID and satisfy our AML/KYC requirements.Â
From that point, you’ll be sent the login details to access your live funded trading account.
Any serious trader 18 years of age or older, who can demonstrate they can successfully complete our KickStart Trader’s Assessment, proving they can trade consistently and profitably, is welcome to apply!Â
We want to work together to fund and empower your future!
Once qualified, trade our capital without undue pressure,
arbitrary targets, or silly minimums, and keep
up to 90% of the gains.
Yes, absolutely! This may sound like a strange question, but believe it or not, there are firms out there that place you on demo, tell you it’s LIVE, then selectively execute trades you place that they deem likely to succeed with use of a trade copier.Â
The result? Sometimes trades don’t get taken. When that happens, profits are obviously, not really achieved, and cannot be paid out.
KickStart is different. The only time you’re on demo with us is during your assessment. Beyond that, it is all live.Â
We’re not doing a “scaling plan” in the traditional sense because, what we’ve found in developing our program, is that – the vast majority of traders don’t actually benefit from this. In fact, it actually is counter productive, because when you are trading to a target, you’re going to be trading differently than if you were to just simply… trade. We’ve endeavored to remove all barriers, gimmicks, and other things that are known to trap traders regularly with the competition!Â
Having said that, we do allow for what we call “horizontal scaling,” meaning, you are allowed to purchase one instance of each account simultaneously (e.g. 1x $100k + 1x $250k), but you could NOT have two instances of the same account simultaneously (e.g. 2x $100k).Â
We also have the ability to offer an account with a bespoke starting balance (all other parameters would remain exactly the same, however!).Â
Beyond your trading assessment, there are no minimum performance standards of any kind.Â
This gives you the freedom and flexibility to trade only when it’s best, and not because you’re trying to meet some sort of arbitrary minimum.Â
Yes, absolutely!Â
We allow you to hold one instance of each available account (for example, 1x $50k, 1x $100k, 1x $250k, etc.), but to prevent and combat cheating, you cannot hold two instances of the same account (e.g. 2x $50k).
Some programs out there do this – we certainly don’t. The only thing we ask is, if you’re going to be inactive for more than 30-days consecutively, do get in touch to let us know so we can organize something.
Otherwise, we will close the account and you will have to start again beyond 30 consecutive days of inactivity
Nope, none!
Taxation, of course, varies based upon where you are located.Â
It is your responsibility, exclusively, to ensure you are in compliance with your local regulations.Â
Please consult a qualified tax professional to discuss your specific circumstances and tax abligations for your respective region or territory.
Each KickStart Funded Trader is an Independent Contractor for KickStart Trading.Â
You have access to trading our capital and are rewarded with 75% of your profits. At no time does ownership of the account or capital transfer, and you are responsible for compliance with your local regulations and tax obligations.
Logistics & Calculations
Most frequent questions and answers
NEW FEATURE: Convenient Dashboard Withdrawal Requests!
We are excited to announce a new feature that makes managing your withdrawals even easier. Introducing the ability to request a withdrawal directly via your trader dashboard!
Now, in addition to submitting your withdrawal requests through [email protected], you can also simply navigate to your dashboard and make your withdrawal request hassle-free.
You are allowed one withdrawal every 30 calendar days. We strive to provide you with a seamless and efficient trading experience, and this enhancement is designed to further streamline your experience trading with us.
Please note that the Max DD lock-in feature remains in place, ensuring the security of your investments. Your Equity Stop Out (ESO) will be set at the starting balance under two conditions: 1) When your net profits exceed 6%, or 2) After you make your first profit withdrawal.
To maintain your ESO and continue trading uninterrupted, we recommend keeping at least 6% of your net profits in the account above the starting balance.
Just select your desired account and click “Get Funded.” Follow the prompts to checkout, then check your inbox within 5-10 minutes for your welcome email with login details for both the traidng account, and your trader’s dashboard.Â
*(Sometimes, the welcome email can get blocked by certain email providers for unknown reasons. If you do not have a welcome email in either your inbox or spam, please get in touch with us at [email protected] so we can ensure you get your email).*Â
Log in and start trading. Don’t lose more than 6% overall, or 5% in a day. Feel free to hold overnight and through news events/announcements, but do close for the weekend. Then, once you’ve generated 10% net profit, that’s it – you’ve qualified!Â
We’ll first get in touch to verify your ID and collect some basic dumentation to satisfy our AML/KYC requirements, then, we’ll issue your live funded account and send you the details within 24-48 business hours.
The overall DD is a fixed 6% of your starting balance. So, for example, if you’re starting with the $100,000 USD account, your DD allowance is $6,000, making your Equity Stop Out (ESO) $94,000 USD.Â
This fixed 6% ($6K USD in this example), floats as you generate profits. But, once you’ve generated at least 6%, we lock your ESO in at the starting balance and never move it from there.Â
The Daily DD calculation is done by first taking a snapshot of your account balance, every day, at 5 pm EST. Whatever that account balance is – you cannot lose more than 5% of it over the next 24 hours (5 pm EST to 5 pm EST).Â
Our Maximum Drawdown Lock-In™ Feature, allows you to lock your equity stop out (ESO) level to your starting balance once you’ve generated a min. 5% net profit, so that, provided you do not lose more than 4% per day, the more profits you generate, the more drawdown allowance you afford yourself.
For example, if you started with $100K USD, your Equity Stop Out (ESO) Level would be $95K USD (5% of 100k). If you were to grow the account to $104K, your ESO Level would be $99K USD.Â
But, once you’ve hit $105K USD with the account, your ESO will be locked in at $100K USD, and it will not move beyond this point, no matter how much your profits do!
Balance at $145K? Your MDD is still locked in at $100K!Â
Absolutely. The trading platform has an app available for both the iOS and Android platforms, and can be found in your App Store or Google Play Store, respectively.
In line with sound risk management practices, we allow up to 20:1 leverage, with 10:1 as standard.
Forex, Metals, and Indices are 10:1. Equity Shares are 5:1. Cryptocurrencies are 2:1 as standard.
Yes, Absolutely!
We allow you to hold one instance of each available account (for example, 1x $50k, 1x $100k, 1x $250k, etc.), but to prevent and combat cheating, you cannot hold two instances of the same account (e.g. 2x $50k).Â
You could pursue multiple assessments at once, or in a stacked fashion, i.e., starting with one, then pursuing the next, then the next, etc.Â
Yes – because these are live funded accounts, we need to be sure that you can trade effectively and consistently with the amount you’re applying for. We’ll only need to do it once per account – once you’ve qualified, just trade!
Yes! We allow you to hold one instance of each available account (for example, 1x $50k, 1x $100k, 1x $250k, etc.), but to prevent and combat cheating, you cannot hold two instances of the same account (e.g. 2x $50k).Â
The short answer – yes.Â
Because we are serious traders, though, and looking for serious traders, we’d want you to start with the $1 Million USD, prove you can trade at this level consistently, and then we’d be more than happy to discuss accessing even larger funded accounts.Â
No, absolutely not!Â
Once you’ve qualified for the live funded account and begun trading, you can request a profit withdrawal at any time, and once every 30 days.Â
**Please note that your Equity Stop Out Level (ESO) is set to your Starting Balance in one of two scenarios: 1) Once you’ve achieved a minimum 5% net profit in the account or 2) Once you’ve taken your first profit withdrawal.**
Yes, we do!
No, absolutely not!Â
You are in total control of not only when you withdraw, but also, how much you’d like to withdraw and, of course, whether you’d like to withdraw at all.Â
We only ever take our 25% if/when you request a withdrawal.
Absolutely.Â
You’ll just have to pay the one-time reset fee, which is always 80% of the original one-time fee.Â
You can reset directly from your Trader’s Dashboard.
Of course you can!Â
You can even link your KST account(s) to your other account(s) via a trade copier.Â
We know we’re not the only firm out there looking for good traders – so, we’re happy to share! 🙂
Our number one priority here is preservation of capital. It has to be – of course, any prudent firm would take this same approach.Â
Consider this scenario: You have just passed your assessment for our $100K account. You’re elated, and at first, you do really well.Â
Let’s say you generate your first $3,000 USD, or 3%. Now, you’d like to go ahead and make a withdrawal request.Â
Because of the 75/25 split, you’re entitled to $2,250 USD. We (KST) get the other $750.Â
So far, you’ve walked away with $2,250 in profits, and we’ve had $750. Now, next month you lose the full DD amount – $5,000 and therefore, exceeded the maximum DD.Â
You’re not responsible for your losses, of course, so these losses don’t affect you, but for us, we are now out the $5,000. Subtract the $750 we got from the profits you’d generated initially, plus the fee you would have paid for the account in the first place, and even still, we’re at a net loss of $3,500 USD.Â
This is obviously not sustainable at scale and over the long-term, which is why we lock in your ESO to your starting balance once you’ve had your first withdrawal. (We do this anyway once you’ve exceeded 5% net profits, so this only really affects you if you are looking to take a withdrawal prior to achieving that minimum 5% net profit.Â
Most frequent questions and answers
You are more than welcome to hold your positions overnight if you are so inclined.Â
But, as there is much greater risk inherent with holding over the weekend, you must close all open positions by Friday 3:45pm EST.Â
Our Trader Funding program is brand new, as we’ve only just launched it in July 2021.
However, KickStart is NOT brand new! KickStart has been providing 5-star trader education and coaching since 2019, and our Founder and Head Trader, Christopher Guzman, has over 12 years of experience as a trader and trading coach.
We cannot service residents of OFAC-Sanctioned countries. Otherwise, absolutely not! As we are a privately owned and operated fund, if you are over 18 years of age you are able to participate.Â
Your country of origin or country of residwnce does not matter whatsoever. We are proud to have traders from all across the globe.Â
*Please note – you are responsible for knowing/understanding the laws and regulations around leveraged markets trading specific to your local jurisdiction.Â
No. We don’t need to be. We are a privately owned and operated educational services provider and a private fund with ownership of a Foreign Exchange trading account, held under a regulated broker.Â
You will be trading our fund’s capital when you enroll. We are not financial advisors, we DO NOT manage clients’ money, and we will NEVER accept investors’ trading capital, as we are NOT a broker. Please see risk disclaimers and terms and conditions for full details.
Yes and, well, Yes!Â
Just be sure each position has a set S/L, unless you’ve purchased the optional stop-loss requirement waiver at checkout.
You can withdraw your profits at any time, once per calendar month. At the time of any withdrawal request, we will also withdraw our share of the profits made, as well. This is the only time we will withdraw our share of profits.Â
Important Note: Once you request a withdrawal, your maximum trailing drawdown will be set at your starting balance. This means that if you take a full withdrawal of your share of the profits made in your account, it will also serve as a breach of your account. In order to avoid this, we highly recommend leaving at least 5% above the starting balance in the account.Â
Get it all done directly from your Trader’s Dashboard! Whenever you are ready to withdraw your profits, just simply submit your request via your Trader’s Dashboard. You are allowed one on-demand withdrawal every 30 calendar days.
Your dashboard will also show you the amount you’re entitled to withdraw at all times. Once you’ve submitted your request, we will post your profit share into your Deel account, which you can withdraw via any of the available methods they offer.
Trading hours are set by our broker. We do not have any control over the trading hours. You can see the trading hours for each product by right-clicking on any product in the Market Watch window of the trading platform and selecting Specifications from the dropdown menu.
Please note that holidays can have an impact on available trading hours.
Additionally, pursuant to the no holding trades over the weekend rule, we close all open trades at 3:45pm EST on Fridays (unless, of course, you’ve purchased the weekend-holding optional upgrade).Â
When trading a Funded account for KickStart, you are treated as an Independent Contractor. As a result, you are responsible for any and all applicable taxes on your share of profits. Please consult with a local tax professional to get tailored guidance specific to your circumstances.
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