One Prop Trader a Day - Meet Cristian Dumitru: One Strategy, One Trade, One Day
👤 One Prop Trader a Day - Episode 10
About Cristian
Cristian Dumitru is a 26-year-old trader from Bucharest, Romania. He got his first funded account in 2022 with My Forex Funds - secured a few payouts and a place in their VIP group - then watched the firm shut down overnight, leaving him unable to cover rent after he'd already quit his day job. He regrouped, pushed through 10+ failed challenges, and built his own clean-rules US30 strategy from scratch - backtested across 4 to 5 years of data. Today he trades exactly one instrument (Dow Jones), exactly one timeframe (5M), exactly one trade a day during the New York session. Same lot size, same risk, same risk-to-reward. One and done.
Q Quick intro - who are you, age, where are you from, and what do you trade?
A My name is Cristian, I'm 26 years old, and I'm from Bucharest, Romania. I specialize in trading CFDs across different markets.
Q When did you become a funded trader? What changed for you at that point?
A I first became a funded trader in 2022 with My Forex Funds. I managed to secure a few small payouts and eventually earned a place in their VIP group, which was a big milestone for me at the time. Becoming funded gave me a strong sense of validation and confidence that I could actually succeed in trading. I was extremely happy to reach that level, especially after all the effort and challenges that came before it. Unfortunately, that feeling did not last very long because the firm was later shut down, which was a very disappointing moment in my journey.
Q How did you feel when you became a funded trader for the first time?
A At first, I didn't really know what to think - it all felt unreal. I was eagerly waiting to see if I would actually receive the payout and if everything was truly legitimate. The moment I received my first payout, something changed in my mindset. That was the moment I realized this was truly my path, and I promised myself that I would not give up until I reached an even higher level in trading.
Q How many times did you fail before getting funded? What kept you going?
A I can say that before becoming funded, I failed more than 10 challenges. There were lost accounts, lost money, doubts, frustration, and even moments where I felt emotionally overwhelmed. What kept me going was probably my ambition. When I truly want to achieve something, I don't give up until I succeed, no matter how difficult the journey becomes. Trading tested me mentally in many ways, but every setback only made me more determined to improve and keep pushing forward.
Q What was your lowest point in trading? Did you ever consider quitting?
A Probably the lowest point for me was when I had quit my job - way too early, by the way, I would never recommend that - and then MFF shut down overnight, leaving me without the funds I was counting on. I couldn't even cover rent. It was an incredibly difficult situation, and in those moments your mind goes to a thousand places at once. You question everything. You ask yourself over and over whether it's worth continuing or whether it's time to just walk away.
"Trading, to me, means freedom. It is freedom."- Cristian Dumitru
Q Did trading ever affect you mentally or emotionally?
A Yes, absolutely - and honestly, I think that's completely normal in this field. I don't see how anyone who is truly invested in this journey, who genuinely wants to succeed, could go through it without being affected emotionally at some point. The stress, the self-doubt, the temptation to overtrade - it's all part of it. I've come to believe that those struggles aren't obstacles to success. They're actually what shapes you into the trader - and the person - you eventually become.
Track Cristian's Funded Track Record
Verified payout proofs and Funding Pips certificates documenting Cristian's funded trading journey.
Q What does your trading style look like today?
A Today I trade exclusively US30 - the Dow Jones - on the 5-minute timeframe. Over the years I've managed to develop my own strategy entirely from scratch. I've tested it thoroughly and ran backtesting on it covering 4 to 5 years of data. What I'm most proud of is that it's a clean, straightforward strategy with zero subjectivity - just clear, defined rules. No guessing, no interpretation. That's exactly what I always wanted. A system I could trust completely.
Q What's a typical trading day for you?
A So, I wake up around 7 or 8 in the morning, pretty early. The first thing I do is check whether there are any major news events scheduled for that day. If there are high-impact releases - things like CPI or NFP - I simply don't trade. No exceptions. If the calendar is clear, I don't do anything until 4:00 PM my time. At that point I open my PC, pull up the charts, and wait for the first conditions of my strategy to be met. There's no calculation involved, no second-guessing lot sizes or risk parameters - because every single day I do the exact same thing. Same lot size, same risk, same risk-to-reward ratio. And once the trade is done - win or lose - I close the platform and I'm finished for the day. One and done.
Q Do people around you understand what you do?
A At the beginning, the most skeptical person was my mom. She didn't believe in any of it - she kept telling me to go to university, get a degree, do something with a guaranteed outcome. That's what she thought I needed. Over time though, her mindset shifted as she started seeing the results, and now she's one of my biggest supporters. I can't say the same about my girlfriend - but in a good way. She believed in me from day one, even through the hardest moments, the periods where nothing was working. I think that's incredibly important. Having someone in your corner who trusts you unconditionally, regardless of the circumstances - that makes a bigger difference than most people realize.
Q How has trading impacted your lifestyle?
A Trading genuinely opened my eyes. It showed me what life can actually look like. Life doesn't have to be a 9-to-5 job where you do the same thing every single day until you retire. Trading, to me, means freedom. It is freedom. I still have a lot of work ahead of me to reach the level I've set for myself, but I'm getting there - step by step, day by day. And I know that with consistency and patience, the lifestyle I've been working towards will come.
Q What keeps you motivated to continue trading?
A As I mentioned, I'm chasing that dream life - but not in the way most people might imagine. I'm not after flashy supercars or mansions in the most exclusive places in the world. What I truly want is simple: freedom. The freedom to always do what I want, when I want. To travel wherever I feel like, whenever I feel like it. To never have to worry about tomorrow. That's it. And that vision - that feeling - is what keeps me motivated every single day, without exception.
"Risk management, discipline, and mental stability. Master those three things and success is not a matter of if. It's a matter of when."- Cristian Dumitru
Q What would you tell your younger self when you first started trading?
A I would tell him to stick to one strategy. Stop changing it every time you take a stop loss. That's one of the biggest traps in trading - you get hit once and suddenly you think the strategy is broken, so you move on to the next one, and then the next one. It never ends. Instead, test your strategy, trust it, and give it time to prove itself. And above everything else - focus on risk management. That is the most important thing in trading, full stop. Risk management, discipline, and mental stability. Master those three things and success is not a matter of if. It's a matter of when.
Q If I gave you a $1,000,000 funded account today, what would you do in the first 7 days?
A I have to say - this question hit differently, because this is literally my goal. Reaching a $1,000,000 funded account is exactly what I'm working towards. And my plan with it is simple: make 1% per month. That's it. To some people that might sound unambitious, but to me that number on that account is perfect. No overtrading, no pressure, no unnecessary risks. So if you handed me that account today, I would do exactly what I do every other day - follow my strategy, hit my target, and stop. No more, no less. That, to me, is what real trading looks like.
Connect with Cristian
Follow his journey and connect with him on LinkedIn.
