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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Becoming a CTA Takes Time and a Savings Nest Egg

By Bill Johnson

Money is the bloodstream of the world, and commodities trading advisors play an important role in keeping the money flowing. According to the National Futures Association, a CTA is any individual or firm that directly or indirectly advises clients on the trading of futures or options contracts. CTAs must be registered with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission in order to be professional money managers.

To become a CTA, there's no formal education process. Although its advisable to first work at a trading firm prior to starting a CTA career, it doesn't guarantee your success, nor is previous work with a firm required in becoming a CTA. Plenty of CTAs have no formal trading education and still have proven themselves successfully capable in this business However, first trying your hand with a trading firm can help determine whether you have a natural talent for the work.

Although there is no formal training process required, you still need the credentials. Even before applying to the NFA, you must pass the Series 3 exam. This 120-question, two-and-a-half hour test measures your understanding of the futures market, including its makeup and regulations.

There are numerous professional study guides available to help you prepare for the test. You can benefit from tips and test-taking suggestions, as well as try practice tests to keep you from being blindsided on test day.

First, you must determine if you are ready to become a CTA. How much success have you had playing the stock market over a long period time? A certain amount of success may be fleeting and simply a luck of the market. Real talent can sustain such success over an extended period of time through a variety of market conditions.

You should also take finances and personal circumstances into consideration. Beginning any business can be tricky, especially commodities trading. Unless your firm has a substantial amount of work already under management, you should count on never seeing a paycheck for the first year or two. Consider that a $1,000,000 account with a 2 percent management fee only earns $20,000 a year, just barely $1,600 a month.

Not only that, but you'll have to pay trading costs, technology costs as well as fees for traditional support and rent. Building a successful career as a CTA takes not only time, but also a substantial savings in the bank to sustain you those first years starting the business.

If you have a natural eye for investment, however, you should do pretty well in the long run. CTAs are a vital to the marketplace. Learning to spot the changes in the industry before they happen is the key to a sustainable and lasting career. - 23204

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