I Turned $100 into $7K—What’s the Smartest Move Now?

(For context I’m 16 and still in school so most of these trades took place during class and analysis was mostly done per-market the day before,so I might not be able to use some of the suggestions)

Six months ago, I started with just $100, fully expecting to lose it. Instead of throwing it into random trades, I treated it like a challenge—testing strategies, focusing on discipline, and sticking to strict risk management. Now, my account sits at $7,000, and I’m at a crossroads: do I take profits, scale up, or play it safe?

• How I Turned $100 into $7K

At first, my only goal was not to blow up. I focused on high-probability setups, mainly trading momentum stocks and breakouts. Instead of chasing every green candle, I waited for confirmations—breakouts with strong volume, retests, and continuation patterns. I never sized up too early and always kept my stop-loss tight (1-2% per trade).

My biggest shift came when I realized win rate wasn’t everything—risk-reward was. Even when I lost, my losses were small, and when I won, I let winners run. I only took trades that offered at least 2:1 reward-to-risk, meaning even with a 50% win rate, I stayed profitable.

• Scaling the Account

Once I hit $500-$1,000, I started slowly increasing position sizes but never risked more than 5% of my total account per trade. I focused on high-volatility stocks at market open and close, avoiding the mid-day chop where my win rate dropped.

Another major shift was learning to stop overtrading. When I forced myself to take fewer but higher-quality trades, my P&L started compounding faster.

• The Crossroads—What Now?

Now that I’ve turned $100 into $7K, I’m wondering: • Should I withdraw some profits and secure my gains? • Should I scale up more aggressively and push for $50K? • Or should I refine my system further before risking larger amounts?

For those who have been here before—what’s the smartest next move? Would love to hear how others handled their first big account growth.