How do broker bonuses and trading contests affect trading decisions?

Volume requirements, leaderboard rankings, and clawback clauses tied to a bonus or contest can influence position size, holding time, and how often you trade, independent of what the market is actually offering. Check the 8 statements that apply to you to see how many of these patterns show up in your own recent trading.

Does this quiz mean I should not use broker bonuses?

No. It is a self-check on whether an incentive is currently shaping your trading decisions, not a judgment on bonuses themselves. A higher score is a prompt to separate the promotion from the trade in front of you.

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Am I trading differently because of a deposit bonus, referral prize, or trading contest?

The market doesn't reward being right. It rewards managing being wrong, cheaply.

Jason Parker, Founder of Trading Habits

Check What Applies to You

I have placed a trade partly to hit a volume requirement tied to a deposit-match bonus.
I have increased my position size to move up a leaderboard or win a contest.
I am holding a position longer than my plan called for so a referral bonus does not get clawed back.
I have made a trade I otherwise would not have to unlock a streak, badge, or reward in my trading app.
I chose my current broker mainly because of a promotion rather than its execution quality or fees.
I feel pressure to keep my trading activity up to maintain a status tier or perk.
I deposited more money than I originally planned in order to qualify for a bigger bonus.
The size or timing of my last several trades would have been different with no bonus or contest at stake.

Your Result

Check any statements that apply, then click Score My Answers to see your result.

How this is calculated

Deposit-match bonuses, referral rewards, and trading contests are designed by the platform offering them to increase trading activity. That incentive does not automatically match your own trading plan.
A promotion tied to volume, a leaderboard position, or a clawback clause can push position size and timing decisions that have nothing to do with the setup in front of you, without you noticing it happening in the moment.
Checking more of these statements does not mean the bonus itself is a bad deal, it means more of your recent trading decisions may be responding to the incentive rather than the market.

Risk & liability disclaimer: This quiz totals the statements you check and does not know your specific broker, bonus terms, or trading history. It is an informal self-check, not a financial, psychological, or diagnostic assessment. This is not financial advice. Trading involves risk of loss regardless of any bonus, reward, or contest attached to it. Trading Habits is not a broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, or affiliated with any broker, exchange, or promotion referenced here.

Am I trading differently because of a deposit bonus, referral prize, or trading contest?

Check What Applies to You

Your Result

How this is calculated

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