How to Use Funded Accounts With NinjaTrader

Scale your trading with less capital at risk

 

Push Button Trading’s Matt DeLong shared how funded accounts from proprietary (prop) trading firms can support trader development without tying up their own trading capital. These accounts can be paired with NinjaTrader to provide structure, scalability, and opportunity for growth.

With funded accounts, traders pay a monthly fee to access capital. The goal? Hit a defined profit target while staying within drawdown limits. Once those objectives are met, the account becomes a performance account (PA), and traders can typically keep up to 90% of their profits.

Matt emphasized that you don’t need a large bankroll to get started. His preferred route, for illustrative purposes only: starting small with a $50,000 funded account, balancing a manageable $3,000 profit target with a $2,500 drawdown cap. Traders should always begin with one bot and one account, define risk per trade (e.g., $100–$200), and focus on consistency.

 

Connect your funded account to NinjaTrader

 

Getting started is straightforward. Once you’ve selected a prop firm and passed the evaluation stage, the firm then provides credentials to connect you directly to the NinjaTrader Desktop platform. Many firms use third-party data feeds to power their accounts.

Within NinjaTrader, you can view your funded account under the Accounts dropdown and start trading. NinjaTrader’s platform is free to download and offers tools for advanced charting, multiple account management, and built-in strategies for both manual and automated trading.

 

Automate your trading with bots and portfolio tools

 

Matt’s team at Push Button Trading has developed a suite of automation tools built for the NinjaTrader platform. These tools include eight different trading bots and over 300 preconfigured settings, each backtested using four years of historical data. Traders can combine multiple bots into a single portfolio and analyze simulated performance using their custom Portfolio Analyzer.

This technology can help limit emotional pitfalls and support risk-defined, consistent execution. It also flags potential conflicts, like violating a firm’s hedging rules, before trades are placed.

 

Stay consistent and grow with intention

 

Funded accounts can be a useful pathway to scale, but Matt stressed the importance of mindset. Emotional trading and overleveraging are among the most common reasons traders fail evaluations. Instead, treat funded accounts with the same care and discipline as real capital.

Push Button Trading’s bots are designed to reduce the stress of hands-on management. Some traders report turning to automated strategies to help follow predefined rules consistently, while reducing the monotony of constant manual trade execution.

 

Exploring an alternative to funded trading and platform tools

 

Matt’s closing advice was simple: Start small, stay consistent, and lean on technology to support you. Whether you’re testing the waters or scaling up, NinjaTrader’s platform and integrations provide the infrastructure to make funded trading user-friendly and efficient.

For those who want to explore further, Push Button Trading offers independent training, educational resources, and dedicated tools that support funded accounts and automation.

How to Add 3rd Party App to NinjaTrader

To import your 3rd party app or add-on to NinjaTrader, simply follow these 3 steps: