Zen,
My son-in-law gave up trading for a living this year as well. He was a pattern day trader, and would trade the same stock 15 or 20 times in one day for very small profits (or losses). He is now a controller in his brother's real estate firm. His hang out was Zeev's board.
Although your initial capital outlay for trading/investment purposes is small, you have learned from the experience. The larger the "pile" becomes, the more flexibility you have. Also, there are those losses we have to worry with. I think I sell something for a loss every week, but my winners outgain my losers.
I managed to accumulate money initially from the sale of a house for my cash account, and IRA's and 401ks for my self-controlled IRA accounts (I have four accounts). Each time I left a company, I rolled over my 401K into my IRA in order to have full control of it.
I have been into tax free municipal bonds, mutual funds, Fidelity Select sector funds, and finally small cap and micro-cap stocks. In order to educate myself, I have subscribed to expensive newsletters for mutual funds and stocks, but the groups on these boards are the best.
There is more risk in the microcap/smallcap arena, but there is risk in everything. For instance, I knew a government alcohol tobacco and firearms agent and his wife who were wiped out on a municipal bond. There were into bonds for the nuclear reactor being built in Washington state when they were ordered to shut down. Their bonds became worthless.
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