Understand it before you fund it
The guides we wish existed when we started: honest, specific and free of the get-rich-quick nonsense. Grouped so you can find what you need fast.
Free fake-money trading simulator
Practise forex, stocks and crypto with virtual money. Replay a session, review your trades and explore costs. No signup or deposit.
Getting started
How to choose a broker (without the hype)
The checklist we use on every review: regulation, all-in cost, execution, withdrawals and fit.
Trading glossary
Pip, spread, leverage, swap, CFD and more — every term explained in plain English.
Market, limit and stop orders explained
The four orders every platform offers, what each one does, and which one protects you from a bad fill.
Why brokers reject clients from some countries
The legal reasons brokers exclude the US, Canada and dozens of other countries — and why a VPN workaround can freeze your withdrawal.
Can US residents trade CFDs?
Why CFDs are largely off the table for US residents, what NFA/CFTC-regulated alternatives exist instead, and why a VPN doesn't fix it.
Using a VPN to open a broker account: why it fails
A VPN bypasses a country block at signup, but not the identity checks and entity mismatch that surface at withdrawal — why the workaround fails.
Risk basics
What is a CFD? A plain-English explainer
Contracts for difference let you trade price moves without owning the asset — and let you lose more than you put in. Here's how they work.
How leverage actually works — and ruins accounts
Why 30:1 is a warning, not a feature. Worked examples of how leverage magnifies losses.
Margin and margin calls, without the jargon
What margin really is, how a margin call and a stop-out happen, and why positions get closed at the worst moment.
Risk management basics: sizing and stop-losses
The boring habits that keep accounts alive — risking a fixed small percentage, sizing positions and using stops properly.
Copy trading: the risk the leaderboard hides
Copying another trader relocates risk rather than reducing it. What a track record hides, how fees stack on both sides, and the entity checks to run first.
Why did my stop-loss fill worse than expected?
A stop triggers an order, not a guaranteed price. Why fills slip in fast or thin markets, why it isn't a malfunction, and what you can control.
Weekend gaps: why a stop-loss does not always work
Markets can reopen far from Friday's close. Why a standard stop-loss can't fully protect against a weekend gap, and what actually caps the risk.
Why live trading feels different from demo
Execution, slippage, spreads and real psychology all change once money is actually at stake. What a demo account can and can't tell you.
Costs and fees
The real cost of every trade
Spread, commission, swap, conversion and the fees that only appear after you fund — added up the way they actually hit you.
Overnight trading fees: check XM swaps in MT4/MT5
Find XM swap rates in MT4/MT5, convert points into a cash example, count triple rollover correctly and check the charge in your account history.
Spread-only vs raw-spread: which is cheaper?
Raw-spread plus commission isn't automatically cheaper than a wider spread with no commission. How to work out which fits how you trade.
The all-in cost of a trade, worked out in full
Spread, commission and swap added up for one real trade — a worked example showing why holding period changes which cost dominates.
Broker inactivity fees: triggers and typical costs
The three variables behind every broker's dormant-account fee, where the real terms are published, and how to avoid it without trading.
Broker safety
How to verify a broker's licence yourself
A five-minute check on the regulator's official register that catches clone firms, fake licences and offshore bait-and-switch.
8 broker red flags that should stop you depositing
Withdrawal stalls, pushy 'account managers', guaranteed returns and other warning signs of a platform you should avoid.
Deposit bonuses and the catch in the small print
Why a '100% deposit bonus' usually comes with volume conditions that can trap your own money. Read this before you opt in.
How broker withdrawals work and why they stall
Verification, the same-method rule, weekends and processing times — what's normal, what's a stall, and the escalation ladder when it drags.
Withdrawal verification delays: why, and what to do
Withdrawal pending after KYC? Separate document review, broker processing and payment-provider delays, with the next questions to ask.
How to complain about a broker
A complaint starts legal clocks a review never does: the firm deadlines, the right ombudsman for your entity, and what conduct failures actually pay out.
Broker KYC: documents, timelines, delays
Why brokers demand ID and proof of address, how long checks should take, what restarts them — and when a verification delay becomes a stall.
Broker brand vs legal entity: who holds your money
One brand can mean four legal entities with different compensation cover and leverage caps. How to find which one is on your account.
Tier-1 vs offshore broker licences compared
Compare licence regimes, account rules and compensation eligibility. Check the company and service on your agreement, not just the broker brand.
What is a clone firm? How scammers copy brokers
Clone firms reuse a genuine broker's name and licence number to take deposits they never return. How the scam works and how to spot one.
FSCS, ICF and broker compensation schemes explained
What FSCS and ICF cover, what they don't, and why the compensation behind your account depends on the legal entity, not the brand.
What segregated client funds actually means
Segregation is an accounting rule, not a guarantee — what it protects against, what it doesn't, and why the same phrase means different things by entity.
Negative balance protection: where it is optional
Why leverage can push an account below zero, how negative balance protection stops it, and where the rule is mandatory vs voluntary.
Withdrawal rejected: what to check and what to do
What normal withdrawal friction looks like versus a real rejection, and the concrete steps to take when a broker won't pay out on request.
How to read a regulator register entry
Status wording, permission categories and passporting explained — what a register entry actually tells you once you've found the licence number.
Why brokers ask for documents when you withdraw
Why a verified broker account may need more documents at withdrawal, how UK timing rules differ from later checks, and what to ask when a review stalls.
Deposit methods compared: card, bank or e-wallet
A broker with no deposit fee still cannot cover what your card issuer or bank charges, and the funding method you pick shapes your first withdrawal.
Crypto
Fee & regulation guides
Direct answers to specific broker questions — XM fees, UK licence checks, brand verification and more.