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Lessons Include:

Attend a class
Read articles
Apply your knowledge



Scottrade® Smart Courses are a series of investment and trading courses that provide an easy-to-follow education path for you. These courses are filled with steps you can take to help understand and apply your investment and trading knowledge. Soon, you’ll be on your way to becoming a more confident self-directed investor by reading articles, attending Branch Seminars, watching Live Webinars and interacting with other like-minded traders and investors. Why wait? Get started today!


  • Gain a better understanding of stocks, exchange-traded funds, mutual funds and fixed income.
  • Learn more about basic and advanced order types.
  • Build the foundation necessary to take control of your own brokerage account.

  • Learn more about research techniques such as technical analysis and the indicators.
  • Familiarize yourself with margin and tax strategies.
  • Explore strategies to determine which one best fits your investment goals.

  • Brush up on margin, technical analysis and charting.
  • Walk through an introduction of option trading with three lessons dedicated to learning and understanding how options work, the exercise styles and the steps of executing an option trade.

  • Learn about the different online trading tools offered at Scottrade® , beginning with the Scottrade client website and progressing into Scottrader® Streaming Quotes.
  • Gain a basic understanding of how to use charts, screeners, watchlists, the linker feature and more.




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Scottrade, Inc. and Scottrade Bank are separate but affiliated companies and are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Scottrade Financial Services, Inc. Brokerage products and services offered by Scottrade, Inc. - Member FINRA and SIPC. Deposit products and services offered by Scottrade Bank, Member FDIC.

Brokerage Products Not FDIC-Insured - Not Bank Guaranteed - May Lose Value.

Online market and limit stock trades are just $7 for stocks priced $1 and above.

Scottrade does not charge setup, inactivity or annual maintenance fees. Applicable transaction fees still apply.

Scottrade does not provide tax advice. The material provided is for informational purposes only. Please consult your tax, or legal, advisor for questions concerning your personal tax or financial situation.

Select investments are commission free to those using Scottrade's online platforms. Other fees and charges may apply.

Any specific securities, or types of securities, used as examples are for demonstration purposes only. None of the information provided should be considered a recommendation or solicitation to invest in, or liquidate, a particular security or type of security.

The information presented or discussed in the Scottrade® Community is not, and should not be considered, a recommendation, offer or solicitation of an offer to buy, sell or hold any security or other financial product or an endorsement or affirmation of any specific investment strategy.  You are fully responsible for your investment decisions.  Your choice to engage in a particular investment or investment strategy should be based solely on your own research and evaluation of the risks involved, your financial circumstances and your investment objectives.  Scottrade, Inc. and its affiliates are not offering or providing, and will not offer or provide, any advice, opinion or recommendation of the suitability, value or profitability of any particular investment or investment strategy.  Content posted on the Scottrade® Community may include blog entries, posts or links to information and content created by third parties not employed by or affiliated with Scottrade, where such third parties receive compensation for the creation of such entries, posts, information or other content.  Such third-party content has not been adopted, endorsed or approved by Scottrade or its affiliates.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, charges, expense, and unique risk profile of an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) carefully before investing. Leveraged and Inverse ETFs may not be suitable for all investors and may increase exposure to volatility through the use of leverage, short sales of securities, derivatives and other complex investment strategies. These funds’ performance will likely be significantly different than their benchmark over periods of more than one day, and their performance over time may in fact trend opposite of their benchmark. Investors should monitor these holdings, consistent with their strategies, as frequently as daily. A prospectus contains this and other information about the ETF and should be obtained from the issuer. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a mutual fund carefully before investing. A mutual fund's prospectus contains this and other information about the mutual fund. Prospectuses may be ordered through Scottrade.com or through a Scottrade branch office. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing. No transaction fee (NTF) funds are subject to the terms and conditions of the NTF funds program. Scottrade is compensated by the funds participating in the NTF program through recordkeeping, shareholder, or SEC 12b-1 fees.

Margin trading involves interest charges and risks, including the potential to lose more than deposited or the need to deposit additional collateral in a falling market. The Margin Disclosure Statement and Agreement (PDF) is available for download, or it is available at one of our branch offices. It contains information on our lending policies, interest charges, and the risks associated with margin accounts.

Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Detailed information on our policies and the risks associated with options can be found in the Scottrade Options Application and Agreement, Brokerage Account Agreement, and by downloading the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options and Supplements (PDF) from The Options Clearing Corporation, or by requesting a copy from a Scottrade branch office. Supporting documentation for any claims will be supplied upon request.

Market volatility, volume, and system availability may impact account access and trade execution.

Testimonials may not be representative of the experience of other clients and are no guarantee of future performance or success.

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