Best Stock Trading Schools

Stock trading can be exciting — but it might not be something you just want to dive into. It takes energy and practice to be a successful stock trader and stock trading schools can help you improve.

Why not turn to stock trading schools to jumpstart your trading career and help you learn the basics? Let’s say you’re already an experienced investor — you can take a stock trading course to hone your skills and techniques. Here’s what you need to know to get started. 

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The Best Stock Trading Schools

• Best for Learning Stocks: How to Trade Stocks by Benzinga
• Best for Short Courses: The Complete Foundation Stock Trading Course by Udeny
• Best for Beginners: Financial Trading and Investment for Beginners
• Best for Low-Cost Learning: Mindful Trader
• Best for Novice Traders: Silvia Bellrock: The Bellrock Accelerator
• Best for Quick Courses: Algorithmic Trading and Finance Models with Python R. and Stata Essential Trade by LinkedIn Learning
• Best for New Day Traders: Warrior Pro by Warrior Trading
• Best for Experienced Traders: Eagle Investors
• Best for Trading Forum: Investors Underground

Here are Benzinga’s favorite choices for stock trading schools. They are split up between novice and advanced classes so you can decide what level of instruction works best for you.

Depending on your needs, you can opt for a class that has more hands-on interaction between you and the professor, or a class that teaches you the fundamental knowledge through video modules. You may just want to build your foundation and learn about stock trading and might be able to find cheap or free courses. 

We’ve divided the stock trading schools into 3 categories: best stock trading schools for beginning/novice investors, the best stock trading school for intermediates and best-advanced stock trading schools. You’ll find each category is split by price point as well. 

1. How to Trade Stocks by Benzinga

• Who's it for: Beginner investors
• Price: $47.00

Benzinga's signature course, How to Read Charts and Make Trades, will teach you the basics so you understand how to read charts and make winning trades in the market through simple, actionable strategies.

You'll also learn about why you should trade, how to pick a broker, trading strategies, price studies, technicals and indicators, how to develop a strategy and trading plan and learn about trading psychology. The class can help you be successful in a step-by-step format.

2. The Complete Foundation Stock Trading Course by Udemy

• Who’s it for? Beginner investors
• Price: $12.34

For just $12.34, you can take The Complete Foundation Stock Trading Course on Udemy. This course helps you understand the basics so you understand the stock market completely. You’ll also learn how to manage your money more effectively and get tips on how many shares to buy, where to take a loss and how to manage the risk on each position. The class is taught by Mohsen Hassan, who owns the Montreal Trading Group. His relevant experience can help you become consistently profitable. 

Udemy’s Day Trading and Swing Trading Strategies for Stocks course comes with lifetime access to all materials. There are shareable documents you can send to other traders, several videos and the option to receive a certificate when you complete the course.

You learn how to screen stocks, track historic stock performance and build your trading strategy.

At a regular rate of $139.99 for the course, discounts are available now and then. You can register for the course here.

3. Financial Trading and Investment for Beginners

When you want to understand the building blocks of financial trading and investment and learn to react to changes in the market at the most opportune times, tap into Shaw Academy’s Financial Trading and Investment for Beginners. It’s free for 28 days, and the course is divided into these parts:

• The opening bell
• Leverage, margin and all the jargon
• Candlesticks 
• Technical charting
• Becoming a counter retail trader
• Psychology of real world trading
• Protecting your capital

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4. Mindful Trader

Mindful Trader provides stock picks and options picks, but it can also teach you the trading strategy behind them. This approach is based on data and statistics. Sign on for support from the platform for just a flat $47 per month.

Eric is the "Mindful Trader" who owns and operates the platform. He did several years of quantitative stock market research, and the result is a trading system that may have generated a 181% annual return according to a 20-year back test. In addition to that, Eric is a Stanford grad who spent $200k and several years of his life doing quantitative research about which trading strategies could actually work.

The Mindful Trader posts his watch list each day and teaches the exact trading strategies he uses to trade stocks and options. The whole package helps you learn how to make swing trades that have a back-tested statistical edge. No prior trading experience is required.

5. Silvia Bellrock: The Bellrock Accelerator

Silvia Bellrock offers what she calls the Accelerator Course. This course costs $900, but it gives you lifetime access to all materials and resources. After teaching yourself about the markets using the Accelerator Course, you might also invest in the Bellrock Pro service at $119 per month.

With this service, you get extra videos, analysis reports and personalized advice for each member. Additionally, you will receive stock alerts and tips via text or email. Silvia works in the industry every day, ensuring that you get the freshest and most relevant information.

You may even meet with Silvia via phone or video conference. You can also join the Inner Circle on a lifetime plan for $2500.

One of the most important parts of the Bellrock Accelerator is that it keeps pace with the market. The course is updated regularly, and you gain access to those updates even if you purchased the class many years ago. Simply adding on other services allows you to centralize your trading education and experience a level of consistency many new traders do not get.

6. Algorithmic Trading and Finance Models with Python, R, and Stata Essentntial Trade by LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com)

• Who’s it for? Intermediate traders
• Price: 29.95

For $29.95, you can become a premium member of LinkedIn Learning and take the Algorithmic Trading and Finance Models with Python, R, and Stata Essential Trading. This is the second course in the series, and you can also take part one if you want a refresher. This course gears toward intermediate stock traders and teaches you about algorithms and how they work in the stock market. You’ll have created your own stock trading strategies and you’ll be able to program a trading algorithm by the end of the course. 

7. Warrior Pro by Warrior Trading

• Who’s it for? Intermediate traders
• Price: $5,997 yearly 

Warrior Trading offers a course called Warrior Pro, which gives students access to its trading system and more than 1,000 video lessons. You also get to participate in a chat room, real-time trading simulator and access all of its classes. One of the most useful aspects of the class is the 6 small group mentoring sessions you get access to during your training. Warrior Trading is the most expensive option in this category and costs $4,297 for 90 days, or $5,997 for 1 year.  

8. Eagle Investors

• Who’s it for? Beginner to Advanced Traders
• Price: Free; Silver, $27 per month; Diamond, $87 per month

Eagle Investors can work for anyone from a newer investor who needs a trading education up to advanced traders who want to add to their list of resources. Most importantly, it works well for intermediate traders who want to soak up as much information as they can.

When you register, you gain access to alert channels and chat rooms that help you learn more about your trading strategy. Plus, you can follow different types of traders depending on the strategy or philosophy you prefer. Start with a free account, move up to a paid account and allow Eagle to help you advance your trading into the realm of the profitable and comfortable.

You can register for Eagle Investors here.

9. Investors Underground

• Who’s it for? Advanced traders
• Price: $1,497

Investors Underground offers a 12-hour advanced course that gives you access to level 2 analysis, high probability chart patterns and live trading action. Investors Underground’s video classes also have a tick-by-tick commentary on real trades so you can see what works for traders that have more than 10 years of market experience. At $1,497, you also get access to monthly Q&A webinars, 1-on-1 mentorship and daily stock watchlists. 

What Makes a Stock Trading School Great?

Not all online courses are the same. You’ll need to do some research before you take an online course. The best stock trading schools are taught by experts who have experience. They can give you the most recent knowledge and tips to help you be successful. 

Here are a few things you might want to look for:

• Recent experience: Before you land on a class you want to take, look at the expert or teacher. The person leading your chosen class should still be an active trader. Some courses will teach you strategies that would have worked 5 or 10 years ago but are no longer viable now. 

• Reasonable claims: Unfortunately, there is no magic formula that you can follow to be successful 100% of the time. However, a great stock trading school makes reasonable claims and promises to teach you different strategies and methods to become successful. A school that guarantees you’ll rake in millions may not be truthful. 
• Support outside the classroom: As your skills continue to grow, you might need more than a static course. The best courses will allow you to interact with the teacher and your peers to help you understand tricky material. Look for a forum, email contact or mentorship program to help you get the most of your stock trading school.
• Specialty courses: When you are searching for a trading school, you may want to take specialty courses as you learn. Some traders have basic knowledge that they wish to supplement with a specialty training module, or you may want to learn more about financial planning, financial management, risk management or even the business side of stock trading.  
• Courses addressing other types of investing: You may want to learn about the forex market, study market analysis or take a stock market course focusing on international assets. In this case, you aren’t looking for specialty knowledge so much as you want to branch out just a few degrees from stocks.

Choose the Best Stock Trading School

Investing and trading can be a lifelong journey. Learn the fundamentals and decide what strategy works best for you before you put your money in the market. Mentorship and skilled expertise can go a long way to help you create a strategy that works for you.

Remember, a higher-priced class doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. Read reviews of people who have completed the course before signing up. You can also reach out to the stock trading schools and speak with someone who teaches the class or works for the company to get a better grasp of what you’ll get out of the class. 

You don’t need a ton of money to get started with stock trading. Take the time to learn the fundamentals, discover which strategies work for you and continue to evolve your strategy and you can be successful at stock trading.

Want to read more about investing? Read our full review on Warrior Trading Pro, Best Online Stock Brokers for Beginners, Best Brokers for Penny Stocks.

Frequently Asked Questions