Is Better Trades a scam?

You've probably seen the infomercial for BetterTrades® while watching late-night television or while flipping through the channels on the weekend. You've probably watched with interest and wondered if the claims made by the company hold water or if it's just another one of those companies that sell a dream and then fail to deliver. That's a legitimate question that deserves a thorough and thoughtful response.

Let's start by looking at the company itself. BetterTrades was founded in 2002 and has helped thousands of students in the United States, as well as foreign countries, learn how to trade stocks and stock options in the market. BetterTrades has experienced steady, gradual growth since its inception and now presents its material in more than 100 markets throughout North America. The company and its affiliates own a 50,000 square foot headquarters outside Atlanta and an 18,000 square foot printing and distribution facility in West Virginia. BetterTrades is an A-plus member of the Better Business Bureau. That doesn't exactly sound like a fly-by-night organization, does it?

BetterTrades is a financial education company whose aim is to help its students learn to trade the market and use the information to make better stock market decisions. BetterTrades wants to provide the knowledge and training that's needed to understand the world of trading and how trading presents an opportunity to profit from market whether it moves up, down or sideways. BetterTrades helps educate people so that they make smarter trading decisions by limiting their downside risk and learn to feel confident about taking care of their own money and taking matters into their own hands.

The problem is perception. Many people see the BetterTrades infomercial and walk away with misconceptions. They mistakenly believe BetterTrades is a get-rich-quick plan. They mistakenly believe BetterTrades will choose stocks for them. They mistakenly believe learning the stock market takes little effort. But that's not true. Here are the facts:

• BetterTrades is NOT a get-rich-quick plan. It is possible to generate significant returns in the stock market over time, it isn't likely to happen overnight. BetterTrades has never made that statement and never will. Learning about the stock market and how to take advantage of trading opportunities is a process. Just like it took time to learn to drive a car or hit a baseball or knit a sweater, it takes time to learn the market and become proficient at trading.
• BetterTrades is NOT a brokerage house and its coaches and teachers are NOT brokers or registered investment advisors. They will not tell you which stocks to buy and sell or at what price to enter or exit a trade. BetterTrades has an array of coaches and specialty coaches with trading experience, but their primary goal is to teach others how trading the market works so students can independently identify trading opportunities and make smart decisions.
• BetterTrades never says that learning to trade the stock market is easy. BetterTrades, through its instruction and classes, has tried to develop materials that break down a complex topic as simply as possible. But learning how to consistently profit from trading takes hard work, discipline and the ability to keep your emotions in check. Anyone who enrolls in the program and doesn't put forth the effort to learn and implement the material will most likely be disappointed in the results.

People who bring these misconceptions into the program will probably be disappointed and perhaps may even complain. (But isn't that like buying a Ford and complaining that it doesn't run like a BMW?) Most students understand that BetterTrades is an education company that wants to empower them to make their own choices. After all, no one cares more about your money than you do! BetterTrades wants to help put you in a position to make the smartest choices.

You can find websites out there where people post and accuse BetterTrades of every sort of wrongdoing. You aren't going to make 100 percent of the people happy in any business. You think Microsoft or Wal-Mart or McDonald's has a 100-percent approval rate? And when people want to complain they are bound to find someone who is willing to listen to their gripes. That's where these so-called review sites can come into play and paint a one-sided picture. Rather than focus on such websites, why not weigh the opinion of actual customers who have used the BetterTrades products the way they were intended?

To get started with BetterTrades, you'll want to attend one of the two-hour Financial Freedom Expos that introduce the company and the system. These programs come through most areas of the country at least four times each year. BetterTrades reaches into more than 100 markets in North America, so the presentation is never too far away. When you see the infomercial on television, you'll be directed to an upcoming Financial Freedom Expo.

The introductory program is absolutely free, with no obligation to buy anything. The speaker will introduce a few stock market basics and explain the potential that exists from learning to trade the market. He will talk about how the stock and options markets work and even explain a simple trading technique. At the end of the presentation you'll be given a chance to sign up with BetterTrades by purchasing a two-day workshop called Market Essentials. That's it. There's no arm twisting. There's nobody blocking your path to the back door. If you don't like what you hear, you're free to leave. Oh, there is one thing you should know: BetterTrades will give you a valuable gift just for attending, even if you don't enroll in the program.

When you sign up, you'll be registered for an upcoming Market Essentials workshop. Two days is a lot of time, but that's what's needed to provide enough education to learn to trade the market. Students get some material to review in advance that's designed to provide more basics and show you how the stock market education works right out of the gate.

The two-day class is an eye-opener for most newcomers. The instructors are all experienced educators who have years of experience introducing trading the market to newcomers and reviewing the material for veterans. The instruction is concise and thorough and most students leave with confidence, even though their head may be spinning because of the amount of information they receive. BetterTrades wants students to take the two-day class more than once to increase their confidence and offers students the ability to retake the class for only $99 for the rest of their life.

Because BetterTrades is interested in the well-being of its students, the company doesn't simply shake your hand, give you a diploma and scoot you out the door when you graduate from Market Essentials. Remember, it's all about education, and BetterTrades provides a wide variety of extended education classes that are designed to solidify and expand your base of knowledge. The Market Essentials program purchased at the Financial Freedom Expo comes with 12 "mentorship" sessions, which gives you the ability to attend additional classes conducted by the company's staff of coaches. These classes can help clear up any questions that linger from the Market Essentials workshop and can be used to sample the classes offered by the company's "specialty" coaches. You'll may want to attach yourself to one of the advanced coaches and determine for yourself whose methods and teaching style you enjoy the most. You may eventually want to join them for twice-weekly online classes, attend their premium online classes, attend their live events, and purchase their distance-learning DVDs after mastering the basics.

The instructors are there to help you. Most of them encourage newcomers to place non-funded trades until they feel confident enough to put money on the line. (Many of them recommend that you make ten consecutive successful non-funded trades before venturing into funded trades and placing your money at risk.)

If you have other questions about the credibility of BetterTrades, check it out online. The company's website recounts the organization's history. Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, has a thorough listing for the company. BetterTrades has a relationship with Forbes, one of the most trusted names in the financial world.

The truth is this: If you take the class, but don't put in the time, you probably won't be successful. However, if you take the time to learn and master the methods and techniques taught by BetterTrades and learn how to manage your trades, you have a significant chance of succeeding and learning how it's possible to make money in the markets. BetterTrades has established the company infrastructure to make it happen. The education is there. The choice to use it is up to you.