So the Journey Begins - We know firsthand that the easiest way to begin the journey into option trading is to approach it as you would a world of its own that gives up its secrets one at a time. Many people, even those who trade stocks regularly, consider the stock market itself a big mystery, an enigma, which is why we think it’s the best place to begin. What’s actually behind the symbols and numbers you see on the crawls at the bottom of the TV screen or in the columns of fine print you see in the newspaper?

To reduce the stock market to its simplest terms, the best image we can come up with is our family's gift store, a place where buyers and sellers come together to make exchanges. So, a shopping exchange—or transaction—where goods are offered at prices people are willing to pay, and the stock exchange as a whole, have much in common. The difference is that exchanges or transactions on the stock market are less tangible, and in addition, the perceived value of a stock often has little to do with actual worth. No matter, the concept of an exchange remains the same.

As you incorporate the aspects involved in the stock market one at a time, it starts to feel as familiar and comfortable as a retail gift store that you’ve owned for 20 years. But, you don’t have to leave the house to conduct your business. Your trading experiences take place conveniently on the internet.