Editor’s Verdict
Overview
Review
Headquarters | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
Regulators | CySEC |
Year Established | 1998 |
US Persons Accepted? |
Try Trading Academy's "The 7 Pillars of Trading"
Courses from Online Trading Academy are geared toward individual investors or traders, novice or experienced, who want to learn how to use the same tools and professional trading techniques as the professional traders on Wall Street. In 1997, the company built an electronic trading floor at its flagship location in California; after six months, more than 180 traders traded there, and the company felt the need to develop training programs to meet those traders’ needs. Those programs morphed into the ones you see today.
TradingAcademy may be unique in that it holds classes both in physical locations, and virtually online. Courses are held in 36 locations worldwide, or through CDs so students can learn at home. Costs range from $1,995 to $3,995, depending on course selected. Students can be reimbursed from certain broker/dealers in the form of commissions once they graduate. OTA offers a spectrum of trading styles and instruments, from Day Trading, Swing Trading, Position Trading, and Investment Theory for Stocks, Exchange Traded Funds, Options, Futures (Eminis & Commodities) and Currencies.
The company also offers a free, half-day class in one of its physical locations so students can determine their interest level and their feelings about the company. Sign-up is easy: students just fill out an electronic form and submit it via email. A quick follow-up email confirms class participation.
Need some background on the company? A two-minute video hosted by the director of training, Mike McMahon, gives comprehensive background information on the company and its courses. In addition, the site includes bios and photos of the numerous instructors, most of who are also professional traders.
The site also includes a number of stand-alone CD’s that you can buy for $49.95 on topics such as Mind, Method and Market with Mike McMahon. “Libraries,” which include several CDs on the same topic, can be purchased for $499.
Online Trading Academy has uniquely partnered with several FOREX brokers with similar trading philosophies, and full information on those brokers is also available on the site.
There is no refund policy listed, and while there is a site map, there appears to be no search feature, making it somewhat difficult to find information in a hurry. The company is planning online forums, but they are not yet up and running.