How to learn Forex trading - Do you need a lot of time and money?

23 October 2023

Trading Forex can be quite time-consuming, as well as demanding a serious financial commitment from traders. More often than not, successful traders invest a lot of time and resources in this financial exchange; that’s usually why they become successful in the first place.

Many financial analysts suggest that trading Forex, as well as any other asset type, is a high-risk, high-return business and they’re usually right. And while the most successful traders tend to heavily put their funds in it, there are some methods using which it’s possible to do Forex trading with minimum financial requirements. In this sub-group, there are two types of accounts: micro and demo.

Micro accounts are usually the most popular choice for beginners who are looking for easy ways to learn Forex trading, as well as the experienced ones who want to try out new platforms. When traders choose micro accounts, their main goal tends to be the minimization of expenses. And this is made possible by lower deposit requirements, which also lowers the risks associated with Forex trading.

Another affordable way in this sector is a demo account. Demo accounts enable people to trade Forex with a complete toolset that’s usually available for “real accounts” - i.e. those that require real deposits. Demo accounts, as the name suggests, have no financial requirements. This means that Forex trading is available for free - but with no payouts.

Small Investments, Big Opportunities. Learn how to start trading with $100

Learning Forex trading from scratch with minimal financial commitment

Forex trading, as mentioned in the introduction section, is quite a challenging financial exchange that requires a lot of time and energy from traders. While the most successful Forex traders get massive payouts from this exchange, they also put in massive funds, risking their financial stability and security.

This goes to show how Forex works: in order to succeed and make serious gains, traders usually make thousands of dollars of deposits on their accounts. That’s what makes Forex trading a high-risk, high-return exchange.

Minimum amount to start Forex trading

But this doesn’t mean that beginner traders cannot learn Forex trading step by step without risking too much money. And while there are many ways of accumulating knowledge in this field, some traders prefer to start small with minor financial commitments. This way, they don’t risk too much and are able to acquire real-life experience in Forex trading.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are traders who want to do Forex without depositing any money on their account. It’s yet another way of stepping into the complex world of Forex and not risk your finances. So, there are two popular account types that allow minimum/no deposits requirements:

Micro accounts
Demo accounts

and there are also:

Mini accounts
No deposit bonus accounts

And while many service providers also offer the mini and no deposit bonus accounts, the micro and demo accounts are more popular in the industry. So, let’s take a look at both of them.

Minimized deposit sizes with micro accounts

As noted above, trading Forex with smaller deposits is possible via micro accounts. Various financial institutions that deal with Forex trading, as well as other types of financial exchange, offer micro accounts to their customers that are specifically designed to make trading easier for beginners.

So, how to learn Forex trading with micro accounts? In many cases, micro accounts have no minimum deposit requirements, however, in rare cases when they do, it usually revolves around $50. And when it comes to making lots - buying actual currency pairs - micro accounts allow users to make lots as small as $10.

This is usually why many beginner and even experienced Forex traders choose micro accounts in the first place. They require very minimal financial commitments from the customers but still remain realistic because even when choosing a micro account, it’s still possible to lose funds.
How to get started with Forex trading

Another reason why traders opt for micro accounts is the availability of comprehensive trading tools and platforms. Even though Forex traders are buying the least amount of currency pairs, the account providers still allow them to use various tools such as spreads, leverages, analytics and charts, etc. This way, traders usually gain more experience and risk considerably fewer resources.

Demo account - learn Forex easy without investment

One of the biggest fears of many beginner Forex traders is the risk of losing funds. And while they’re not the only ones being afraid of a financial loss, they’re usually more susceptible to it because of their lack of knowledge and experience.

In the previous chapter, we talked about micro accounts and how they enable Forex traders to minimize risks by making deposits in incremental sizes. However, there are some traders who want to completely eliminate the risks and use the platform given to them for practice.

But can you learn to trade Forex for free? It turns out that yes, and one option that is popular among beginner traders is called a demo account. The biggest difference between the demo account and any other type of account is the lack of financial commitment from the Forex trader. This means that traders can use various trading tools and mechanisms while paying nothing in return.

Experienced traders also use demo accounts

Not only that, even some experienced Forex traders find demo accounts useful. You see, there are many strategies that can be used in Forex trading and more often than not, putting those plans in motion proves to be the best way to test their effectiveness. And here’s where demo accounts come in: traders execute their plans on a virtual Forex market where charts and prices are real, while there’s no financial commitment or gain associated with trading.

But again, the beginner Forex traders tend to use demo accounts more often because they gain knowledge and experience of the most crucial elements of this type of financial exchange while risking nothing in return.

But it’s not like demo accounts don’t have their drawbacks. Some traders stay away from this method because, in their opinion, it’s totally separated from real life and evokes no emotional response from traders.

They argue that the real losses and payouts are the main reason why people learn and get more experienced in Forex. And having no incentive of winning or no fear of losing breaks the emotional connection. This, in turn, makes the learning process less effective.

That’s why when searching for the best way to learn Forex, some traders tend to avoid the method of demo trading because they prefer the risks that force them to make more calculated decisions; while others tend to go easy and acquire knowledge step by step using demo accounts.

Can you make a living trading Forex?

The two account types mentioned above - micro and demo - have proven to be quite useful for many Forex traders who want to make initial steps in this business. And while even some of the most successful traders tend to use these accounts for various reasons, there’s one significant downside with them:

The accumulated payout from trading using micro accounts is quite incremental, not to mention the absence of it in demo accounts. And since many traders usually get into this business to make a living, these accounts are probably not very helpful in the long run.

But it doesn’t mean that Forex trading doesn’t lead to massive payouts at all. As mentioned earlier, it’s a very speculative and risky exchange that also leads to gains in some cases. And to make it possible, almost every financial exchange offers standard accounts with real-life payout possibilities.

The standard accounts are usually ranged in different experience levels, starting from beginner all the way to the VIP. But one has to keep in mind that almost all of them have larger deposit requirements that seldom go below $200. So, if you’re interested in getting a Forex trading training for free, there might not be many options on this front.

But again, as some traders tend to point out, getting a real-life exposure to real payouts and losses is more effective in accumulating knowledge in Forex trading. Truth be told, there’s no one well-tested method that works perfectly for everyone. It’s usually all about testing out different methods and seeing what works best for you.

How to learn FX trading for beginner and how much time does it take?

Becoming a successful Forex trader is very challenging. While there are many success stories that portray Forex traders that reached their fame in just a short period of time, this doesn’t reflect the reality.

Sure, there are chances that the prices of your purchased currencies increase drastically, leading you to instant success and fortune, but it’s all about chance. While some people get lucky, many don’t. And the consequences are more severe for them.

When it comes to putting time and energy into Forex trading, there are various methods used by traders. Some traders prefer to accumulate knowledge by reading books, guides, and tutorials about Forex and its elements. Some of them even enroll in college to study economics or finances which, as you might know, is a pretty time-consuming process.

On the other hand, there are some traders who go straight to the point and start trading. And while doing so, they usually choose options such as micro accounts that require smaller deposits which, for them, is the fastest way to learn FX. This allows them to have real-life experience, gain valuable knowledge, and not lose a lot of funds. This method can be less lengthy than the previous one, but it still takes some time to get to know the most crucial elements of Forex.

FAQ on how to learn Forex trading

How much money do you need to start trading Forex?

Starting Forex trading is a complex process that can be different for various people. There are people who pursue different methods and options that can be expensive, cheap, and even free.

For example, a Forex trading tutorial can be free when traders use demo accounts. Demo accounts allow traders to use various tools that are incremental to Forex trading, testing them in real life, and acquiring knowledge as a result. And all of that without spending a buck.

However, some traders believe that demo accounts cannot be effective because there’s no risk or reward associated with them. That’s why they opt for either micro, mini, or standard accounts. Micro accounts allow traders to make smaller deposits such as $50 and still trade Forex, while standard accounts ask for much higher sums like $200 and more. Mini accounts are somewhere between the two.

How to learn Forex trading?

Learning Forex trading, just like actually doing it, is a complex process and traders pursue it quite differently. For example, there are some traders who go as far as enrolling in universities and getting a degree in economics. This, in turn, is quite a resource-consuming process that not many people can afford.

More often than not, beginner traders tend to gain theoretical knowledge first by reading various source materials and then going straight to trading Forex. The internet is full of such materials, including online books, guides, tutorials, and guides.

There’s a third category of traders that pursue quite a different method. Instead of acquiring any theoretical knowledge, they go straight with trading and learning various skills along the way. It’s not clear which method is more effective than the other - it’s about testing and seeing, which one works best for you.

What are the best resources to learn Forex trading?

Whether it's an online trading community or your service provider, i.e. broker, you can find a big variety of educational resources about how to learn forex trading online. And each of those materials has its own perks and benefits, yet we can still name a few that are usually more informative and make Forex trade for beginners a bit easier to grasp.

First, let's take a look at online courses. Is Forex trading time consuming when you study it via online courses? Absolutely, yet with its thorough and informative nature, it can really get you to know all the major and minor details about this market, be it trading instruments, research tools, or platforms.

Article guides to how to do Forex trading are also very helpful for beginners. If you find a database that provides reputable information, the articles you read there will give you valuable materials to learn how to trade Forex more successfully. There are also tutorial videos, as well as live seminars and webinars with expert traders, not to mention e-books with an ocean of information about this market.

How long does it take to learn Forex trading?

Learning Forex trading is very subjective and varies from one trader to another. It also varies in terms of time spent on it. There are people who read up on various materials, be it online or hard printed, in a day and master all the crucial elements of Forex.

But sometimes, people tend to take their time and go easy on it. What is the easy way to learn Forex trading for them? Some of them enroll in the universities to get a degree in economics and that, depending on which degree one is aiming towards, can stretch out from two to four years.

There are also those people who spend no time on theoretical knowledge and go straight with the Forex trading. And for them, it’s all about how easy they can master all the characteristics of foreign exchange and currencies. So, learning Forex can take days, months, or even years, depending on which method one chooses and how they can process new information.

How to make a Forex trading plan?

When starting a career as a Forex trader, people usually make some sort of a plan that covers various aspects of this sector. Usually, what beginner traders tend to do, is get a basic trading FX tutorial first, understand what its main aspects are, and how it works.

Then, they decide which currency pair they want to buy. There’s one important aspect to mention here: some currency pairs like EUR/USD are more stable and secure than others. On the other hand, the latter have potentially bigger payouts because dramatic changes in exchange rates are more common for them.

After choosing a currency pair, traders tend to decide their overall budget and how much they’ll be using for individual lots. Here, they choose between demo (if they want to trade virtually), micro, mini, or standard accounts, depending on how much of their funds they are going to spend on Forex trading.

And then, after these basic steps are done, they go on with trading itself. Of course, there are other methods and plan structures to be used. Developing the best plan is usually possible by testing all of them.

How to learn Forex trading for free?

The internet is full of educational materials with great merit. And it's not just paid ones that can help you greatly improve your trading game; many free Forex training materials can have pretty much the same effects for you with the added benefit that you're not paying anything for them.
Among these materials, you can find a free Forex trading course online that can usually give you the largest amount of information about this market. Whether it's trading terms, assets, or strategies, an average basic Forex trading course can be just as beneficial as a paid one.
But it's not just how to Forex online courses you can come across on the internet; there are many educational articles, guides, Videos on Demand, or even e-books that you can read up on. In short, with decent online research, you can easily practice Forex trading without any expenses.

How to trade Forex for free?

In Forex, or in any other trading market, there are various methods of minimizing risks and through a Forex trade guide, gain knowledge and experience. And in this sense, probably the most popular method is going for a demo account.

Demo accounts are offered by many financial exchanges and more often than not, opening a demo account is a very simple process. And when it comes to actually operating it, there aren’t many difficulties associated with it.

Demo accounts work like the standard live accounts - they have pips, charts, prices, etc. And more importantly, traders can buy any currency pair that they prefer - virtually, of course. And that’s the difference: demo accounts have no deposit requirements at the beginning or real payouts in the end.

Is Forex trading profitable?

The biggest reason why people want to start reading an FX guide and begin trading is that it can have a profitable payout. There are many stories of Forex traders becoming rich in an instant and that captivates people; it makes them want to do the same and become successful.

But there’s a hidden threat here: while trading Forex is certainly profitable and has high payouts, it’s worth noting that without experience and knowledge, the chances of financial failure are more realistic than of success.

And even if one manages to gain knowledge, the risk doesn’t go away completely. This goes to show that yes, trading Forex can bring larger returns to your financial exchange but you need to be aware of risks and setbacks associated with it as well.