Advice please!!!

I'm looking to start trading as somethig to fill my time and (hopefully) earn a little more money. I've gradually left my old work, (nothing in finance), but I have got an old degree in economics.

I've been on a couple of trading courses including Greg Seckers, but was simply overwhelmed by the amount of information (as well as staggered by the cost!!!). I need something simpler and more for beginners.

Searching the web I've come across http://www.trade4success.co.uk who are running some educational workshops for under a 100, but don't know if they're worth it.

Has anyone any experience of them, know any other courses, or got any advice for a virgin trader.

Thanks for reading and for your help.

Many thanks to everyone. Reading is unfortunately out of the option, but thanks for the advice and offers on books, etc. Looks like I'm going to have to keep looking for something out there.

On a slightly amusing note:
Did speak to trade4success today, quite funny that they seem to be taking totally the opposite view to all the other courses I've been on, saying that the course is for beginners (I understood some of what they where saying!) and that making money trading is hard work... bit different to the normal marketing spool. Worth phoning them up and having a chat if you want cheering up, wont say why, but it made me laugh!!!

I have to say janeys, if reading is not your thing then you're not going to be a successful trader. You really do have to be able to read and assimilate information quickly to do the job, whether that be posts on bulletin boards, market news, or trading techniques.

There's lots of things you can say about trading/investing, use a stop loss , cut your loseses, don't try and catch a falling knife, play the percentages, use spread bets, CFD's ect: get level 2, understand how the market makers work and the list goes on.

If you want to know how not to invest just read all the posts on the SEO thread those investers broke all the rules in the book.

Call me a cynic, but I rather thought this was a 'plug trade4success' thread.

Sorry janeys, you have an old degree in Economics, but you don't read?
I could say a lot more about enticing freshers in the belief that there's a simple art to making money in this game, but I'll shut up now.

Sorry, definitely not plugging anyone. As I said at the top, I've been on Greg Seckers courses as well, and I'm not plugging his course, and just to try and even things up a bit, I've been on an Acutrader course as well. So I'd like to stress I am not plugging any company or product and from experience I would say Greg Secker was very good, but expensive and far above my level of understanding. As for the aforementioned company, I have no idea how good they are!

I got my degree several years ago, before diabetes wrecked my sight. I can read large print, and like looking at graphs, but I have difficulty reading a lot in one go, that's why I don't want to get into reading books.

I was trying to get other people to tell me what courses if any they'd been on, and if they where any good. All I've done is call up this company, and had a conversation with them which I felt was potentially worthwhile. Therefore as well as other courses anyone could recommend, I was hoping someone could tell me if the aforementioned company was any good, or not.

Hope that clears things up.

Time to say 'sorry' again then.
I do apologise.

Janeys - I am not sure if they have any current plans but Money AM have had meetings in the past and for a tenner you can get a lot of information, practical advice and meet an awful lot of strange people (i.e. the people on these threads!!). They are a great bunch, it is a good laugh and you can get plenty of helpful advice and pointers for starting out in trading. We were all new to it once and benefited from sharing the experience.

Frankly, there are very few courses that I would spend my money on but it could be worth going to one of CMC's freebie sessions (with David Jones on TA) or City Index ..that type of thing. They do them countrywide.

Chocolat I apologise if I have misled anyone in thinking I am affiliated with any company and thank you for pointing out it sounded as though I was plugging a company.

jj50 The MoneyAM sessions sounds like a good idea, do you know when the next one is planned? I hadn't realised that there where any free sessions, have you (or anyone else) been to them? And are there any catches, like opening accounts.

janeys: The MoneyAM Traders' Days have been great events at a token cost to attendees of 10, largely for the catering (yes, you get a light lunch). The burden of the cost was met by MoneyAM and co-sponsors, like the Spreadbet companies who would tout for your business. The featured talks are pretty much vendor-neutral, with some entertaining and animated demos of trading techniques. Very enjoyable events with a social dimension, a chance to meet like-minded people. Even Chocolat and myself *blush*.

I'm not sure if further events are planned in the near future, but a Spring event in London has been traditional. Which part of the country are you in?

Janeys, there is no right or wrong way to invest!!
I have known very succesfull people who have spent their lives going against the rules and investing in plumetting basket cases and those who have lost the lot. Some stick rigidly to a learned formula or plan and make good money, but some do the same and end up almost bankrupt.
FWIW, I have been succesfull by simply starting so small I could afford to lose the lot, learning from my mistakes which were therefore inexpensive and probably cheaper than any course or shelf full of books.
I listen in the pub, at work, in the playground of my kids school. Which products or services are they all talking about. Which shops are full on a Saturday afternoon. Which are empty. Who are hiring more staff, who are shedding them? What nonsense are the EU forcing on us now? Who will benefit?
The answers to these give me lists to research and from there I invest.
It works for me, but WTFDIK.
Good luck however you try.
Alan

Janeys,

Apologies, I thought that as you could write and read on this thread you had relatively normal sight. I am developing similar problems, all be slowly.

As you mentioned happy with charts and obviously can magnify on the screen to read, perhaps you might try Pring's Book and CD. The CD is an Introduction on Charting and is well laid out and the commentary is very sensible and pacing seems good to me.

Another CD well worth getting is David Jones Introduction to TA. Sensible, commentary sensible and well laid out. Very basic, but my guess many successful traders use the simple methods frequently and the more complex indicators glancingly. The latter can be obtained from Sharescope. The former from "Abe Books" etc..

There are also some CDs on Fundamentals. I can't really comment as I find the details of Fundamentals a strain, and have to make myself pay attention when using them to estimate value of companies.