This is a very difficult question for me to answer, and I receive quite a bit of email asking which programs are the best to learn the emini.  I suppose my answer is a simple one, and that is you should pay to fill in the gaps you don’t know.

I learned to trade in the institutional setting, so I didn’t have to pay a thing except for long hours and low pay, especially during my early years.  Of course, as I improved the pay got better and I made a great living.  On the other hand, most novice internet traders don’t have the option of learning in an institutional setting, so they must learn from a number of sources.  Yes, it is going to cost some money, but it doesn’t have to be a whole lot of cash.

First and foremost, through out the notion that common sense is an accurate predictor of what the market may or may not do…the market has nothing to do with common sense.  On this blog I have given you some rudimentary oscillator training and discussed the importance of fractals in your trading scheme.  In a sense, that should get you started, but it won’t complete your trading education.   I have also, in a past post, recommended some great books to read.  They are good, but they are only a stepping stone on your way to trading success.  No, you need specific knowledge and experience, and those are tough commodities to come by.

1.  Chart courtesy of AMP Trading, get a free demo account and paper trade.  Ask for Chad at 800-560-1640.  Large futures brokerage houses have a wealth of information they can share with you to get you started.  Plus, it’s free.

2.  Get a good charting program, like Ninja Trader, then add Decision Bar to the mix, this program will keep you out of a plethora of bone headed trades and it’s worth its weight in gold.  Ninja Trader will cost you about $50 a month and Decision Bar is $99 a month.

3.  Try mastering a single trade set-up like The Stock Index Trade, this trade will present itself every day or so and is a great winner.  The cost for the program is $67 and you will easily make your money back in the first week.

Once you get on your feet trading, you might consider joining a trading room.  There are several great ones out there, and they can be very helpful.

Some to consider are:

1.  John Carter and Hubert Centers Trading Room, these guys are funny and very, very talented.

2. The Emini Addict has a great trading room, and I highly recommend it.

3.  The Emini Trading School has one of the best trading rooms available, and offers a free trial during certain times of the year.

All of these trading rooms are going to cost $300-500 a month, and you are wanted to be consistently winning trades before you join.  They will definitely help your bottom line, but make sure you can afford the investment before you jump in.

Finally, there are actual trading courses available for you to participate in.   These courses can run anywhere from m$2000-10000 bucks.

1.  The only course that I can wholly recommend is Trading Concepts.  It is a sound course and is around $2000.  Bottom line, it’s a great program and you will become a competent trader.

2.  I give my highest rating to INO, which offers the most comprehensive trading education in the business.  There are hundreds of videos from the likes of John Murphy, Linda Rashcke and a host of others.  It is, quite simply, the best in the business.

Please note:  I do not recieve any financial incentive to recommend these products and am in no way affiliated with them, with the exception of INO, with who I am an affiliate.

The point here is a simple one, you are going to have to rely on some outside expertise to become a great trader.  Invest your education dollars wisely, the higher priced programs are not necessarily the best ones.   Check out the programs I have outlined and see if you don’t find something of interest.  All the best trading.