If you are completely new to trading or you haven't yet become proficient at the necessary skills to trade, then you definitely should seek out help.

The learning curve can be very costly in trading, and if you don't have the time or a plan to become proficient, how do you ever expect to make regular profits from it?

If you don't have the proficiency, the strengths, needed to be a good trader, nor do you have the time and resources to become one, you may want to consider other choices available to you.

If you have neither the skills nor the time to develop them, but want to take advantage of the nice money to be made in trading, you may want to consider a managed account. Why settle for an amateur trading with your money (YOU), when you can have a pro do it for you?

Do your Due Diligence first though!!! Ask for the track record and the plan going forward.

Your next option if you're "starting from scratch" is to trade with the assistance of a seasoned broker.

That's what they are there for. Of course you can find very low commission brokers to deal with, but you may get just what you pay for. A good broker can be found for $50-$100 round turn commission, and they'll give you the best advice they can.

In the long run, you're likely to be way better off - if you'll follow their advice!

Again, ask for their track record, and check with the NFA to see if they have any complaints.

It wouldn't hurt to see if the broker you're considering is recognized within the trading community as being good.

Many very good brokers publish regular articles or advisory columns on respected websites and in established periodicals.

Generally, if you see that the person has been published for a period of years, then that is a good sign.

The wackos and charlatans bounce around too much and aren't allowed to stay in one place for long before their reputation catches up with them.

Until you have the strengths yourself, borrow them from someone who has them while you're developing.

When you have the proficiency, the skills, and the resources, only then should you venture out on your own. And that is only if you are so inclined to actually becoming a trader and doing it all yourself.

If your true objective is to make money, then play it smart. Make use of other people's knowledge and skills until you have developed your own.

Of course, if you really don't want to devote the time to being a full-time or highly active trader, but still want trading to be part of your income portfolio, consider your other choices.

Whatever you do, don't simply chase another "opportunity" to make money if it doesn't play to your strengths.

For Trading, those strengths need to be discipline, emotional control, coach-ability, ability to focus, follow-through, decisiveness, understanding of probabilities, dealing with uncertainty, and a slew of others.

There are activities for entertainment and others for making money.

Trading can be both, but if it is not taken seriously, with a sincere review of your own characteristics and desires, then it can wind up being neither. In any endeavor where money is the end result, get help from a trusted friend. Rememer, a good mentor is there to show you the right steps to take and those to avoid.

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