Forex Courses For Beginners

Investors looking to enter the world of foreign exchange can find themselves frustrated and quickly spiraling downward, losing capital fast and optimism even faster. Investing in forex – whether in futures, options or spot – offers great opportunity, but it is a vastly different atmosphere than the equities market.

Even the most successful stock traders can fail miserably in forex by treating the markets similarly. Equity markets involve the transfer of ownership, while the currency market is run by pure speculation. (For a refresher, check out our Forex Walkthrough and Forex Trading Rules.) But there are solutions to help investors get over the learning curve: trading courses.

What's Out There

When it comes to forex trading courses, there are two main categories:

1. Online courses

2. Individual training

Online courses can be compared to distance learning in a college-level class. An instructor provides PowerPoint presentations, eBooks, trading simulations and so on. A student will move through the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels that most online courses offer. For a trader with limited foreign exchange knowledge, a course like this can be invaluable. These courses can range from $50 to well into the hundreds of dollars. (If you're a beginner, check out "Top 7 Questions About Currency Trading Answered" for an overview of basic concepts.)

[Note: Investopedia's Forex Trading for Beginners Course offers an in-depth introduction to forex trading developed by John Jagerson, a CFA and CMT charter holder and founder of Learning Markets. With over five hours of on-demand video, exercises, and interactive content, you'll learn how the forex market works, how to analyze currency pairs, how to build strategies, and much more. The self-paced online course includes life-time access and a money back guarantee.]

Individual training is much more specific, and it is advised that a trader have basic forex training before taking up this option. An assigned mentor, typically a successful trader, will go through strategies and risk management, but will spend the bulk of the time teaching through placing actual trades. Individual training runs between $1,000 and $10,000.

What to Look For

No matter which type of training a trader selects, there are several things they should examine prior to signing up.

REPUTATION OF THE COURSE A simple Google search shows roughly two million results for "forex trading courses." To narrow the search, focus on the courses that have solid reputations. There are many scams promising giant returns and instant money (more on this later). Don't believe the hype. A solid training program won't promise anything but useful information and proven strategies. (Read "Getting Started in Forex" for more on defining a strategy.)

The reputation of a course is best gauged by talking with other traders and participating in online forums. The more information you can gather from people who have taken these courses, the more confident you can be that you will make the right choice.

CERTIFICATION Good trading courses are certified through a regulatory body or financial institution. In the United States, the most popular regulatory boards that watch over forex brokers and certify courses are:

The Securities and Exchange Commission The Chicago Board of Trade The Chicago Mercantile Exchange The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority The National Futures Association The Futures Industry Association The Commodity Futures Trading Commission However, each country has its own regulatory boards, and international courses may be certified by different organizations.

TIME AND COST Trading courses can require a solid commitment (if individual mentoring is involved) or can be as flexible as online podcast classes (for internet-based learning). Before choosing a course, carefully examine the time and cost commitments, as they vary widely.

If you don't have several thousand dollars budgeted for one-on-one training, you are probably better off taking an online course. However, if you plan on quitting your job to trade full-time, it would be beneficial to seek professional advice – even at the higher cost.

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