5-Day True Cost Challenge · Day 1 of 5

Day 1: The sticker price lie

The evaluation fee is not what a funded account costs you.

The price on the checkout page is only the entry ticket. The true cost of getting paid is roughly:

True cost = eval fee + activation fee + (expected resets × reset fee) + data/platform fees + monthly renewals until you pass.

Example with round numbers: a $75 eval, a $0–$150 activation fee, two resets at $75 and one extra month of subscription can turn a "$75 account" into $300+ before your first payout request. A beginner who needs several attempts can easily pay 3–4× the sticker price.

Today's task (5 min)

1. Pick the account you're considering.
2. Write down: eval fee, activation fee, reset fee, monthly vs one-time, data fees.
3. Plug them into the true cost calculator.

Next: Day 2 →

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