I started trading live with just $500 with the intention of learning the software, executions, and the emotion of it all. I have had a couple successful trades if you don't count the commissions. Most of my money is gone but the lessons learned have been worth every cent. If I had put a large amount in I could have lost that as well. I believe I am a better trader because of these horrible trades and I know what I did wrong in each of these trades. My biggest problem is chasing right now.