My Complete Trading Guide: Which Books/Courses I Chose and Why

Hi, this is NorthRay.🤝

Last time, I clicked the “buy” button on a demo account – and I didn’t die.

I realized one important thing: trading without a foundation is like playing poker without knowing the hand rankings. You can click the button 100 times. But the result will be random.

So I sat down and asked myself: “What do I actually know about the market, besides how to place an order?”

The answer was sad. Almost nothing.

So I went looking for knowledge. Welcome to my complete trading guide – honest, no fluff, and with an explanation of “why this and not that.”

Why I Didn’t Take a $1000 Course

While choosing a broker, I was also researching where to learn trading.

You know what I saw?🧐
– A “Become a Millionaire in 2 Weeks” course – $999.

– Awebinar”The Secret Strategy Banks Are Hiding”–$499.
– An “FX Without Risk” intensive – only $299 (a promo ending in 2 hours).

I almost fell for it. When you look at beautiful charts and read reviews about “10x my deposit,” your brain starts to believe.

Thankfully, I have a rule: before buying anything expensive – wait three days.

I waited. I read forums. I talked to people who actually bought those courses.

The result: 80% of the strategies from such courses are just a retelling of basics from free sources. And the promised “secret indicator settings” don’t work in the live market.

I decided: start with free and cheap sources. Later, if I realize I need to go deeper – I’ll find proper courses (spoiler: they exist, but they’re not about “becoming a millionaire in a month”).

Books: What I Chose and Why

I asked the same forum guys who’ve been trading for 3–5 years: “Which books would you read again?”

Here’s the top list that came up most often. I’ve already bought or downloaded these three:📖

“Way of the Turtle” – Curtis Faith

People told me: “Don’t read smart books, read about systems.” This book is about how ordinary people without financial backgrounds became legendary traders in a year.
Why I chose it: It doesn’t teach “magic candlestick patterns.” It teaches rules, discipline, and risk management. And for a beginner, that’s more important than any indicator.

“Reminiscences of a Stock Operator” – Edwin Lefèvre

This is an old book, almost 100 years old. But EVERYONE recommends it. About a guy who went broke several times and got back up each time.
Why I chose it: Because market psychology doesn’t change. Greed, fear, hope – they were the same in the 1920s as they are today. You read this book and see yourself in every mistake. It’s sobering.

“Stock Market Secrets” – Larry Williams

A man who turned $10,000 into a million in real trading competitions. He gives specific patterns and approaches.
Why I chose it: It has concrete stuff, not just general words. I want to finish a book and have something I can test on a demo. And Larry delivers that.

What is NOT on my list:

– Books on “success psychology” without numbers.
– Thick 800-page technical analysis textbooks (I’m not ready yet).
– “Buy-sell-get-rich” courses.👀

Courses: I Only Bought One (And Didn’t Regret It)

Yes, I did end up buying a course. But it didn’t cost $999–it was $50.

What course:
“Forex Trading Basics” from a guy who doesn’t promise mountains of gold but simply explains:
– What spread, swap, leverage, and margin are;
– How to read Japanese candlesticks (I used to only see red and green);
– How stop-loss and take-profit work (turns out I was setting them wrong);
– 2–3 simple strategies for beginners.

Why I chose this one:
– It’s structured. No need to gather information piecemeal from YouTube.
– No fluff. Every module is practice.
– You can finish it in a couple of evenings and start testing on a demo immediately.

I’m halfway through the course now. And you know what? For the first time, I’m starting to understand why the chart goes up instead of down. Before, it was magic to me.
After just the 3rd lesson, I understood why my first trade went negative – I wasn’t checking the news.🏆

Free Resources: What I Watch During Breaks

I’m not a fan of paying for everything. Some things are free and high-quality.

YouTube:
– A channel by a real trader who analyzes his own mistakes. No pompous “make a million” hype. He just shows: “Here, I lost my stop today because I didn’t check the calendar.”
– Old webinars in Russian from decent brokers (InstaForex has many publicly available).

Forums and Telegram:
I subscribed to 2 public groups where traders share their trades without “paid signals.” Just people showing what they bought and why.

Economic calendar website:
Free. Shows when news comes out. I used to wonder – “why did the chart suddenly take off?” And it turned out the Fed said something. Now I know where to look.⌛

The Learning System I Ended Up With

I don’t like chaos. So I made myself a simple structure (in case it helps someone):

Monday–Wednesday: Go through the course (1–2 lessons).
Thursday: Read a couple of chapters from a book (currently “Way of the Turtle”).
Friday–Sunday: Test what I learned on a demo. With zero fear. Lose virtual money – laugh and look for the mistake.

Occasionally, I’ll watch a short video or read forum discussions on the side.

Key rule: Don’t overload myself. I tried cramming 3 books + a course + 10 hours of YouTube in one week. I burned out by day three.
Now – slow but steady. The information actually has time to settle in my head.

What I’ve Learned About Learning Trading (The Most Important Conclusion)

You can buy 50 books and 10 courses. But you can’t learn to ride a bike by reading about it.

Sooner or later, you have to get on and pedal.

Learning gives you a map. But you have to walk the road yourself – on a demo account, with trembling hands and your first losing trade.

And that’s okay. It’s not “I’m not cut out for trading.” It’s “I’m just learning, and every student makes mistakes.”🔥

What’s Next

In a couple of weeks, when I finish the book and complete the course, I’ll start a trading journal. I’ll write down: what I bought/sold, why, what worked, what didn’t.

And maybe then I’ll take the leap to a live account. Starting with one dollar. With one tiny trade that’s backed not by luck, but by at least some kind of system.

If you’re also trying to figure out where to start learning – start small. Don’t chase super-profits. Pick one book. One cheap course. And just begin.

Make mistakes on demo. Laugh at yourself. And keep going.

I’m not walking this path alone. We’re all somewhere near the beginning. And that’s normal.🤫

Yours,
NorthRay