Prop Trading Firm FTMO made $213 million last year.
Not from successful traders—from challenge fees paid by the 95% who fail.
The math is brutal: If even 20% passed and got funded, these firms would hemorrhage money.
Instead, they’re printing millions because the evaluation isn’t testing trading skill—it’s psychological warfare designed to extract fees.
The Kill System Exposed:
Trap #1: Daily Drawdown Noose – You hit two -$800 losses early. Now you spot a perfect 1:3 setup but can’t take it because one stop-out triggers the 5% daily limit. The rule doesn’t protect you—it prevents you from trading your best setups after normal variance.
Trap #2: Profit Target Time Bomb – Need 8% profit in 30 days while respecting daily limits. Trade enough to hit the target? Risk hitting drawdown. Trade conservatively? Time runs out. The contradiction is engineered.
Trap #3: Funded Account Mirage – Pass the challenge, get “funded,” then 80% blow their accounts anyway. Why? The structured pressure disappears, discipline collapses, and overtrading kicks in. They know this. That’s why they fund you instead of hiring you.
The Discovery That Changed Everything
One trader reverse-engineered the entire system.
Passed his evaluation by treating it like what it actually is—an emotional regulation test under arbitrary constraints, not a trading competition.
When this trader’s results landed on Don Kaufman’s desk, he cleared his calendar to break down the method publicly.
“This is the first systematic approach that actually neutralizes their psychological traps,” Kaufman said.
The trader had mapped the exact failure points and built countermeasures:
Position sizing that respects daily limits while hitting targets
Entry criteria that eliminates emotional decisions under time pressure
Post-funded protocols that prevent the discipline collapse
“Once you see the traps,” he explains, “you can navigate around them.”
The Framework Goes Public Tomorrow
Kaufman is hosting an emergency breakdown tomorrow – October 9th at 2pm ET – revealing the complete system.
What you’ll get:
All three trap systems dissected with real examples
The exact position sizing math that solves the contradiction
The “passcode” entry criteria that keeps you out of kill zones
Funded account discipline protocol
FREE Report: “The Prop Firm Passcode: Why 95% Fail By Design”