An Interview with ForeX Masters

ForeX Masters is a service offering courses and support for people learning to be traders. They provide trading knowledge and skills meant to translate into successful trading. After sharing their knowledge through courses, they monitor new traders' performance and how they are applying what they have learned. Learn more at http://www.fxmasters.co.uk/.

1. How did ForeX Masters get started?

ForeX Masters started as a complimentary service that we were offering to some of our alternative fund investors. Some of them had experience trading their own stock and commodities account and wanted to learn more about Forex market and how our fund strategy was delivering hedge alpha.

Before we knew it, we had more people being referred to us via our brokers and clients, and decide it would be a good and fun opportunity to deliver in-depth forex education. This also serves as a tool for our expansion plan while recruiting and growing talent.

2. What are the main differences between the three Forex courses that you offer?

We understood based on our own experience and the feedback of our clients that people have different needs. These needs can be based on their lifestyle, life stage, and financial goal. Some are doing trading for fun, while others do it as a mean to earn extra money. Still others simply do it as a means to build a long-term retail trader career. In some cases, I have seen people transiting from stock and indices for career purposes. Not many big institutions offer an in depth trading course but expect their traders to have acquired that knowledge. Therefore, we thought it necessary to design different courses with the aim of filling business needs in mind while always providing a solid base.

3. How have your courses helped people with their ability to trade either part-time or full-time; in other words, what are some of the key skills that you teach?

We have had a great success to date with every student that manages to complete their chosen program while respecting and following our methodology. Till today we have some our student testimony that can be seen below as successful examples, and for those that still struggle we do operate a open door policy, where the can get in touch with any of our coaches for a free refresher session.

I actually had a student contacting me in October last year almost 18 months after completing his program; he told me he needed help, and I spent two months coaching him after we met for a coffee. Sometimes people lose interest and drive, and as with mastering any skill in life, successful trading take requires time and having the right attitude is key.

Students usually come out with a deep understanding of technical and fundamental analysis but more importantly the importance and impact of countries' economies, and central bank policies on currencies exchange. And another important lesson is the correlation between currencies and commodities. Something I always assure my students is that by the end of one of our program, your view on the world will drastically change while at the same time your understanding of it will help you have a more fulfilling life.

4. Are there any misconceptions that you commonly see people having about trading?

Misconceptions associated with Forex trading are always the same with the financial trading industry and investing: people believing it's a scam or that huge amounts of money are required to invest or simply that the markets are rigged so that only the wealthy would profit.

Contrary to stock and indices, for example, there's no one entity that can control the outcome of a trading session. With the Forex market it's a fragmented and decentralised market where all parties need each other and the biggest players do need the smallest to a certain extent. Anyone can profit from this market if they put the time and effort into learning. Even the best traders and funds do lose money at times; the secret is to stick to risk management and build consistency.

Another misconception is that it's impossible to make an income from trading, which is totally untrue. People can indeed make a living from trading but once again this requires knowledge time and discipline

5. For people who have always wanted to get into trading, what makes Forex a good option compared to other ways of investing?

The Forex market offer a unique way for individuals to invest and trade 24 hours a day. The information needed to make informed trading decision is widely available on most brokers' platforms and specialist websites for free.

Thanks!

Meet Rashaad of Pro Trade Job Development

Rashaad's achievements have come with struggles and mistakes; they have made him very proud while establishing himself as a father, husband, and business owner. These struggles force him to constantly raise the bar for character and discipline in his personal and professional life. Pro Trade Job Development has grown and transformed tremendously over the years. Learn more by watching the video below.

1. What is your main goal with Pro Trade Job Development, and where are you located?

Pro Trade is a construction training program based out of Milwaukee, WI. Our main focus is returning citizens (ex-offenders), helping them get their lives on track.

2. In addition to helping people gain job skills, how does your program help people build self-esteem and other skills beyond job-related training?

Our focus is personal development, life assessing, association assessments, what inputs are going in you (news, bad music, media), and barrier assessment, as well as job coaching, asset building, and more importantly, community building. Our curriculum is industry recognized, and our students get tools when they train with us because we want them to be ready when they go out seeking job opportunities.

3. Have some of the participants in your training gone on to start their own businesses?

We have had a few individuals start their own painting business or construction business. We try to support them with all the resources and connections we may have or know of.

4. As a business owner yourself, how have you kept yourself motivated, especially when faced with setbacks?

That's a long question, but to sum it up, FAMILY... My wife and my kids are why I can't fail. It's because of them that I have to be the example that demonstrates how your life and future is in your own hands outside of God's purpose for your life. I think of the young black males that don't have many examples of success but many of failures, so I have to do it. I think of the elders that believe there is no hope for 30-year-olds, and I give them a breath of fresh air.

5. Based on your experience, what is your best advice to people who are looking to develop their job skills and/or start their own businesses?

You have to be willing to learn, be willing to take criticism, take all the classes, and read all the books. Become a good student of your craft. Work for a successful company that is doing what you desire to do. Get as many mentors as possible. You must have a balanced life in family, financials, spiritual, and business to deem yourself successful.

Thanks, Rashaad!

Moulage: Help Save Lives with Creative Art

Have you heard of medical moulage? It's one of those things you've probably seen but maybe haven't heard the name for--it's the art of creating realistic injury simulation effects to help people train for emergencies. In fact, first responders depend on this type of training to be able to gain experience with detailed, realistic scenarios such as injuries that could occur in natural disasters, violent situations like shootings, military contexts, and accidents.

Taylor Wilmering is the daughter of a former police officer and since 2008 has found her career as a moulage makeup artist, using makeup and other supplies to create realistic injuries on civilian role-players during trainings for such groups as civilians in basic first aid classes, CERT response teams (civilians trained in disaster preparedness and response, light search & rescue, and first aid), EMS personnel, police, and the US military. Taylor is currently running a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for supplies for her moulage kit.

Taylor helps a lot of people with her work, and the cost for supplies really adds up as it takes a lot of equipment to simulate realistic injuries. The cool thing is that most of these supplies are reusable, so for a small investment, you are helping many different people train and practice their skills in helping people who are injured.

Based in Missouri, most of Taylor's work has been with local responders in her home state, but she's also worked in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and New Jersey. And she's willing to travel wherever she's needed. You can learn more about Taylor by checking out her resume on her website, and you can also connect with her on Twitter.

Meet Mickey Mikeworth, Business Consultant

Mickey Mikeworth was presented with the honor of being voted the "Top Women in Finance" twice by her industry, hosted by Finance and Commerce Magazine. She works with communities and private clients on the topics of business and philanthropy. She also hosts a six week class called "The Everyday Philanthropist."

Learn more about Mickey's work through this video.

1. As a business consultant and financial educator, how do you help people achieve prosperity in difficult economic times?

Building prosperity for the average person's budget is the same in good times and rough times.

You have to create an action that leads to positive growth. Turn your attention to actions that create positive change, which is first looking at your current fiscal relationships to see if they are the best ones.

I find that 8/10 people are doing business with banks they hate, use credit cards that have awful rates, have investments that are inappropriate, or have no idea what they actually ARE insured for. These relationships run large portions of our lives, but most people just "accept" the relationships as being fine.

Everyone could use a prosperity tune-up.

2. What are some important connections between prosperity and philanthropy?

This is where the magic really is. If done well, they feed each other, especially in business.

Philanthropy is a private act that does a public good, and prosperity is an action that leads sustainable growth.

You can't just give blindly and expect sustainability: it needs to match emotionally, physically, and financially. When our actions of gifting to the world also gift back to us, it creates a thriving circle of life. The more you give in actions that also support you as an individual, the more you are able to give. It just takes a bit of thought...

An example as a business owner is that the ways you give back to the community can also build social capital, create sales, and change the lives of others in a meaningful way.

Philanthropy should be a natural expressions of self.

3. If business owners are feeling the financial pinch, what can they do to continue to participate in giving back to their communities?

Business has the most to offer the world and the least amount of great advice on HOW to give back in a meaningful way. So many owners are left with a sort of paralysis on the philanthropy subject.

Business can find so many ways to be a valued partner in the community. Here are 7 ideas most business owners may have missed:

1) Create internships which offer training with pay, create smaller jobs that are after school hours and provide jobs for teens, or add in extra staff for an event.

2) Consider matching gifts the employees make to other organizations in a specific dollar amount.

3) Give staff paid time off to volunteer in the community.

4) Take a consistent paid advertisement in publications from organizations that need the support to do other great work in the community: a high school concert playbill, small press paper, or community program newsletter.

5) See what can be gifted "in kind": this may be giving away extra stock, recycling items that are not in use, gifting the services the company provides, or offering use of space. Then define the organizations that would benefit from those gifts.

6) Put together an annual drive and invite the community in. Many businesses offer an in-store benefit for participation: coat drive, book drive, pantry drive...

7) BOGO: BUY one, GIVE one. This is great fit for a retailer and also offers a chance for client sales to drive gifting. Pick items that are needed in the community and have a simple "BUY one and the business will GIFT one" exactly like it to the community.

4. What are some strategies individuals can use to be more philanthropic even when they are short on resources?

OK, I am going to jump on top of my chair and start yelling into my bullhorn! The number one thing philanthropy needs is ORGANIZATION. If you can organize, you can totally save the world.

The virtual world has made it a BILLION times easier to share information and gather resources from others. Forwarding an email, inviting people on your mailing list to participate on a project, or physically gathering items are all ways that help projects move forward.

We had a homeless shelter that was empty of resources, so I asked eight people to host a truck in front of their house for a single Saturday. We sent a flyer around the neighborhood that asked neighbors to bring good stuff they did not use to the truck for families in need. We raised 18,000 pounds: that is nine TONS.

Philanthropy needs organization. Groups are always looking for someone to help in organizing a fundraiser, and the budgets for non-profits shrink every second of the day. Want to get started immediately? Pick something that is meaningful to you personally, and look for ways to add your special sauce. Be specific when you offer your skills to the organization because the organization may not know how to utilize your network. (I have 10 hours available to help do graphic design work; I would like to host an event; I have 300 handbags to donate for a fundraiser.)

5. How do you personally incorporate philanthropic giving in your own life as a financial professional and community member?

I make a plan with my heart and THEN with my expertise. Finding what feeds a person emotionally, intellectually, and physically is part of the job description of being a great philanthropist. Each of us needs to do the internal work needed to identify what we have to offer the world; if you start the equation the other way--"what does the world need"--the internal drivers may get lost.

First I look at the gifts I love to share with the world and identify if those gifts will also offer benefit to a specific organization. I am an excellent consultant and a speaker, so I set aside 100 hours a year to donate my services at no fee. I will teach, consult small start-up non-profits, or lead business groups and share my knowledge.

I gave philanthropy a budget in my business model that is attached to a percentage of sales, and 2% of all sales automatically flow into the philanthropy budget.

I also share resources in meaningful ways; I am part of the World Community Grid, so I share the office computers' spare memory on a secure grid that does lengthy calculations that match organ transplant donors. I offer my office to non-profits that need a meeting area, and I help others make connections in the community.

Thanks, Mickey!

Meet Andrew T. Austin, Therapist and Trainer

Andrew T. Austin is a therapist in the UK who has also developed several training programs for practitioners. His most recent project is an online training program regarding treatment for Post Traumatic Stress disorder.

1. What made you decide to put together an online training program about the treatment of PTSD?

Part of my motivation came from frustration at the repeated media stories that focused on PTSD. Invariably, when a new story is aired, an "expert" is wheeled out in front of the cameras who performs a lot of hand-wringing and talks about "raising awareness of the problem" and telling the viewers how serious the problem is, but they never tell anyone what to actually do about it. I suspect that the reason for this is that most mental health professionals don't really know what to do about it, but this view doesn't make me too popular with my psychology colleagues, but I fear it is true anyway. Therapy tends to consist of "getting the client to talk about their suffering" which from a clinical perspective doesn't seem to be a particularly efficient use of time. Having the client talking about their pain is what I call The Illusion of Treatment. It fills time, but nothing useful is actually occurring.

So whilst this online program will inevitably reach through the client group, what I am hoping is that it will reach though to clinicians who can learn some effective techniques for working with PTSD and lose their own helplessness when dealing with the problem.

2. What are the specific benefits of this training program being available online rather than happening in person?

The main benefit is accessibility. I live in a small seaside town on the south coast of England, and client inquiries for PTSD treatment and other problems tend to come in from all over the world. Because the techniques and methodology is easy to learn, it didn't seem necessary to have people traveling to see me when treatment could be explored remotely. Initially, I was doing sessions over Skype with clients, but then I thought: why not record the work and put it online? That way the work can be offered for a fraction of the price and available to more people.

3. Who have you helped with this online program (what types of practitioners, etc)?

I'm slowly beginning to change the way that change work clinicians practice. I should emphasize "change work" clinicians because a huge percentage of clinicians in the psychology field don't actually do anything to bring about change, but instead write reports (i.e. court reports, clinical assessments), work in research and so forth but don't actually do anything to bring about change in their patients' conditions.

Some do treatment of course, and this is mostly CBT. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a disparate collection of ideas and techniques that has formed over recent decades and tends to be trusted by psychologists and psychiatrists alike, even if this trust isn't necessarily shared by their patients. Slowly and steadily I'm hearing from more and more psychology and psychiatric professionals who are adopting my methods and find them more effective than CBT.

The area where I carry the most influence is that of private or alternative therapists--primarily NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) practitioners and hypnotherapists. Whilst I have written many critical articles and blog posts about this group of change work professionals, one thing they do tend to have in their favor is the willingness to trying out to techniques and ideas. It is just a bit unfortunate that this openness can lead to some alternative practitioners adopting weird and wacky ideas that don't seem to grounded in reality!

4. When and how did you transition from nursing work to your career as a therapist and trainer?

It was a gradual transition. I worked as a registered nurse from 1992 when I qualified, through to 2000 when I left nursing to work full time as an health advisor in industry, a career move that virtually doubled my income. In 1994-95 I did a year-long part-time course in hypnotherapy, and from that time continued doing different trainings, running my own experimental hypnosis group, and so on. I started seeing clients part time from the mid-1990s. It wasn't until around 2005 that I had enough of a reputation that I was able to quit paid work and work for myself full time.

I am often approached by people who have seen an advert and have decided that they want to give up their day job and become a hypnotherapist or whatever. Many people think this can be an overnight transition. Maybe it is, but certainly for me it was anything but that. As a wise man once said, "It takes ten years to become an overnight success."

My working life is so radically different these days compared to when I was nursing, with international travel to deliver training courses in the USA, India, Sweden, Poland, Turkey, and Hungary. The publication of my book, The Rainbow Machine, and the various DVDs that I have released and of course the development of the internet has facilitated the international reach of my work.

5. What helps keep you motivated in your career?

It helps that this is the thing that interests me the most. I've had many different jobs in my lifetime. As a nurse I worked in many different clinical areas ranging from A&E and neurosurgery, mental health housing, elderly care and so on. As a teenager, I experienced the soul-destroying experiences in unfulfilling employment, and more than once as a nurse I experienced that Monday-morning-feeling... every day of the week.

I really enjoy what I do today, even if the pay is much lower than my previous work. I have a simple philosophy: I'd rather be poor and happy than wealthy and stressed, and I think the enjoyment of what I do comes across in my work with people, and this helps tremendously when it comes to getting results. I have met many therapists and other clinicians who obsess about getting results--they quickly turn into dedicated martyrs, and they aren't that much fun to be around, less so if you have mental health problems. I firmly believe that enjoyment is the most important quality for any therapist.

Part of the enjoyment is meeting such a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures, and of course, there is the aspect of being able to make a difference to people's suffering, something that motivates me to continually develop better strategies and methods for creating change.

Thanks, Andrew!