Investing Education Advice if You’re New to Options Trading

July 3, 2009

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Investor Education By Travis W of PursuingWealth.com

Finding investing education advice for stock options trading can be a frustrating endeavor at times. New traders often share with me that it feels like the options trading community is a very tight-lipped community with a high price of admission. I’ve been through that process so I’d like to offer you some advice.

Learning to invest your own money is a journey, not a destination. It takes time, patience, and education. It’s a proactive journey for those who no longer desire to be a victim of the so called experts.

Over the years I’ve made enough mistakes and have had enough successes to know that the ability to master your money is not something that just happens. It takes a bit of work on your part.

Increasing your investment IQ is a key part, especially when you’re dealing with stock options. You have to find a qualified and trustworthy source for investing education. There’s quite a bit of hype out there so you have to filter out all the "noise".

You may have already searched online for information on stock options, or read a few books. Most people are drawn to options trading by the potential to create large sums of money in a short period of time. Here is my forewarning; having a great deal of head knowledge about stock options doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be a great trader. It’s going to take some real world practice.

Most of what I’ve learned about investing did not come from a classroom or a book; it came from real world experiences. I found people who were willing to give me unbiased investing education and I applied the knowledge through practice and a bit of trial and error.

Investing Education is your Financial Road Map

Investing education has a purpose in our lives like a map has a purpose to a traveler. A map can take you from point "A" to point "B" when you’re traveling. Investing education can take you from school loans, credit card debt, and no budget to debt-free with money to burn. It’s your financial map so to speak.

You could try to figure out options trading on your own, but if you’re smart and value your time you’ll find a map that can get you to your destination quicker. It’s extremely rare for me to meet someone who doesn’t want to provide additional income for their family, position themselves to retire early, or even pay off a mountain of debt. Don’t you feel those things are important? I do, and I believe stock options can help you accomplish just that, so let me share with you 3 bits of advice to help you succeed at options trading:

You must have realistic expectations: There are more "crash and burn" option trading stories then there are "rags to riches". The probability of you becoming an overnight millionaire is pretty low. It’s like going to school to be a doctor. It’s going to take 1-3 years for you to master your craft, not 1-3 months.
Continuously learn the art of trading: You won’t learn how to be an expert options trader from a two day seminar. Imagine a doctor that learned how to operate in a two day seminar. Would you let this doctor operate on you? Have patience, it’s going to take some time to learn the art of options trading.
Have a Plan or Plan to Fail: Yes you actually have to have a plan. You can’t just throw money into stock options, close your eyes, and then wake up an instant millionaire. You have to plan your entry, plan your exit, and decide before hand when you’re going to take profits and what you’ll do if and when things go wrong. Because believe me, things do go wrong.

Learning to invest in stock options has dramatically improved the quality of my life, as well as my family’s. The skills I have and the money I make give me walk away power from any corporate job.

When my 401K and mutual fund accounts lose value, my options trading account continues to grow. Why? Because stock options allow you to make money regardless of the direction of the stock market.

I happen to particularly enjoy stock options so I decided to make that my focus. But make your own decisions and decide what trading/investing style you’re comfortable with. What works for me might not work for you.

Be a smart investor. A smart investor is one who finds the best trading system that works with their own unique character traits. They then find a vehicle (stocks, options, mutual funds, etc. etc.) and use it to create wealth.

Do your own research, and gain a better understanding of investing. I can’t tell you how many people I encounter on daily basis that are victims of misinformation.