[ 01 ] The toolbox

Every tool, broker, and prop firm behind the trading.

Every piece of the operation, in one place. What I use, what it costs, why I picked it. Affiliate links where I have them, same recommendation either way.

[ 02 ] Server + infrastructure

Where the trading lives.

Two boring choices that keep every MT5 terminal online without me babysitting them.

Using daily · critical
VPS · Hosting
Hetzner CX22 (Falkenstein)

Dedicated VPS in Falkenstein. 24/7 uptime, EU data center, isolated from my home network.

Where every MT5 terminal runs. Hourly sync pushes data from here to the dashboard.

~€5/mo · paid
Using daily · critical
OS · Server image
Windows Server 2022

Hardened Windows Server image. RDP-only access, no GUI exposed beyond MT5 terminals.

MT5 requires Windows. Server 2022 because it's the boring choice.

Included with Hetzner image · paid
[ 03 ] Trading platform + data

What runs the bots and feeds the tests.

MetaTrader 5 for the live side. QuantDataManager when broker tick history isn't good enough for the backtests.

Using daily · critical
Trading platform
MetaTrader 5

The platform I run every EA on. Real account API I read from for the dashboard.

Free
Using weekly
Tick data
QuantDataManager

Tick data feeds for backtesting. Higher quality than the broker's default.

Paid · one-time
[ 04 ] EA testing + analysis

The StrategyQuant suite.

The build half (StrategyQuant X) and the judgment half (QuantAnalyzer). Together this is how every EA earns or loses a slot on a funded account.

Using weekly
EA generation · Backtest engine
StrategyQuant X

EA generation and backtest engine. The build half of the suite.

Paid · annual
Using weekly
Strategy · Portfolio analysis
QuantAnalyzer

Strategy and portfolio analysis. Where I decide if an EA earns a slot.

Paid · one-time
[ 05 ] Brokers

Where my own capital lives.

One broker for real-money trading today. More are under review.

Using daily
Broker · ASIC regulated
TMGM

Australian broker (ASIC regulated) where I trade my own real-money capital.

Tight spreads on majors and XAUUSD, segregated client funds, same-day withdrawals. The broker review is here.

Free to open
Coming soon
More brokers under review.

Two more brokers are on the bench for real-money deposits. They go up here once the first month of real-money trading clears.

[ 06 ] Prop firms

The roster.

Six firms hold funded capital across the roster. Full rules and tricky-rules per firm at the link.

BlueberryFundedFundedNextFTMOE8 MarketsBrightFundedAquaFunded
See the full roster
[ 07 ] Built in-house

The pieces I built myself.

Two things I run instead of buy. The dashboard for accountability, the Playbook because nobody else wrote it.

Built + running
In-house · Built by Tom
Performance dashboard (this site)

Hourly snapshot of every funded account I run. Built for accountability, so I can't quietly change positions after a bad week.

Free · this site
Writing now
In-house · Operating manual
The Playbook

Long-form operating manual for running EAs on funded accounts. Chapter 1 free, full edition $97.

$97 · launch price
Built + running
In-house · Server tool
Windows Performance Monitor

Watches CPU, RAM, disk, network, and every MT5 terminal on a Windows VPS. When something spikes for more than a minute, it logs the processes that were running.

$49 · one-time
Affiliate disclosure

Some links above are affiliate. If you click through and sign up, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. The recommendation is the same whether the affiliate link exists or not. If a tool I’m affiliated with does something I’d warn a friend about, I write that here.

Tom

Newsletter

One email a week. The ledger and what changed.

What changed on the dashboard, which EA earned a place on a funded account, which one came off. A paragraph or two from the desk, never a sales pitch.

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Not financial advice. Trading involves significant risk.