Led by RJ Hixson View Instructor Bio
See what other students are sayingWhat will I learn?
- The difference between trading and investing
- The various types of markets (bull, bear, etc) and how to characterize and identify them
- Position sizing strategy and goals
- To establish rules for trading decisions, including a system that constructs concrete entry and exit points, and maintains a safe volume of risk
- Build a trading plan based on both proven methods and individualized goals and strategies
- How to improve your trading system and personal performance
This course includes:
- Over 50 lessons with on-demand video, exercises, and interactive content
- Extensive visuals detailing different trade types and markets
- Lifetime access to course so you can watch and rewatch whenever you want
This course is designed for: first-time traders and those interested in starting - this course will introduce you to the fundamental concepts and practices.
Certificate of Enrollment
Receive an Investopedia Academy Certificate of Enrollment with this course
The clarity of information provided by Investopedia Academy's Trading for Beginners course was a breath of fresh air for someone coming into trading with no financial education background.
Course Curriculum
- Introduction
- Misconceptions and Challenges
- What a Trader Does
- How To Survive
- Tools of the Trade
- Candelsticks
- Moving Averages
- Donchian Channel
- Volume and Volatility
- The Long and Short of Things
- Order Types
- MACD
- Stochastic Oscillator
- Introduction
- Trading Rules
- Setup and Entry
- Exits
- Targets to Ratio: Explained
- Trailing Stop: Explained
- Sizing Strategy
- Sizing Strategy: Review
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- Turtle System
- Turtle System: Examples
- Turtle System: Review
- Introduction
- Directional Visualization
- Directional 200 Day Moving Average
- Directional Percentage: Gain and Loss
- Volatility VIX
- Volatility ATR
- Volatility Analysis
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- Define and Measure Risk
- Identifying Good Trades
- Sizing Strategies: Examples
- Conclusion
- Measuring and Improving System Performance
- Improving Personal Performance
- Introduction
- Psychological Factors
- Hobby vs. Business
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- Trading Education
About the Instructor

RJ Hixson earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina and has decades of trading experience. In 2008, he was hired as an instructor at the prestigious Van Tharp Institute, where he has educated thousands of students about what it takes to be a successful trader. Currently the VP of Research and Development at the Van Tharp Institute, RJ has helped countless professionals and new traders improve their results through the models that Dr. Van Tharp developed based on 30 years of research. In this Investopedia Academy course, RJ will show you what it really takes to be a successful trader.
Students are Saying...
Investopedia Academy is an excellent resource from which I have learned a great deal of financial knowledge. I have recommended it to many people and will continue to recommend it to anyone wishing to better understand finance. The academy has such high quality educational courses and great customer service.
The “Excel for Finance” course delivered easy to follow lessons that provided me with a practical skill-set, advancing me quickly in my current internship, and preparing me for an upcoming career.
David's ability to convey the basics and fundamentals surrounding them is second to none. I have been trading for seven years and it was a great reminder of getting back to the basics and keeping things simple to make money. He did an excellent job with the course.