Best Tips for Forex Newcomers on How to Trade Safely

The following post is a guest post contribution.

Forex is a desirable market to begin trading since it is open 24/5. That means you can fit it into the hours you have available and build it around your lifestyle. You don’t have to get a degree in finance to learn to trade and you don’t need to quit your day job to begin. But if you’re going to put in the time and effort required, you should be able to expect nice profits in return. Here are some of the tips that will keep you on the right path and minimize risk.

Begin with Learning

While you don’t need a degree, you do need a basic understanding of the currency markets, what affects them and how you can profit from them. That all happens way before you consider your first trade. There is a lot of material to learn and understand, so it’s important to go about it in an organized fashion. Put the time into it that is required, and you will reap the benefits when you begin to trade. Take good notes and keep them near at hand. Subscribe to free sites to learn whatever from whomever. Invest in the basic equipment needed, which is really only a laptop computer. Take online courses and find professional traders who you admire and respect. Follow them online and subscribe to their blogs or articles. When you’re good and ready, go on to the next step.

Finding a Broker

Once you understand the trading scheme and how it works, locate a broker who shares your trading psychology. There are a lot of brokers willing to sign you up, but take the time to find one who you feel comfortable with and can trust. Then ask to be set up with a dummy trading account. Fund your account with some funny money and test your skills! By this time you will have set up a trading journal and have a trading plan in mind. This is where you will use your plan to check if there are holes in it. Whatever trade you make, keep a detailed summary in your trading journal. Record why you entered the trade, when you got out, the amount of money you made (or lost) and learn from it. At the end of the day, look over your journal and see what you can take away. This is valuable information that will enable you to adjust your trading plan.

Don’t Risk Your Home

Once you begin trading you might feel swept up in the moment and just want to throw it all in and hope for the best. Don’t do that! The best traders know how to keep their emotions in check and protect their home and family. Use stop losses to make sure you limit what you lose and don’t ever, ever risk all your money in one place. Keep the amount you invest in each trade to a minimum, and then only if you can afford to lose it.

Trade safely and enjoy a long trading future!