Set Up TradingView (Free)

TradingView is the charting platform I use every session. It runs in your browser, the free plan includes paper trading, and you'll use the same charts whether you're practicing or trading for real.

Open your free account

1. Go to TradingView (affiliate link). Signing up through my link gets you a $15 coupon toward a paid plan if you ever upgrade. You don't need to upgrade to take this course.
2. Click Get started and sign up with your email or Google account.
3. Choose the free Basic plan. Skip any trial for now.

What the free plan gives you

• Full charts in your browser
• Paper trading, with a simulated account
• One chart per tab and up to two indicators per chart. For a naked chart, that's plenty.

The honest limits for futures traders

• CME futures data is delayed on the free plan. Free users see futures like MNQ and NQ about 10 minutes late. You can still learn the platform, the order ticket and your process, but you're practicing on a delayed feed.
• Real-time CME data needs a paid plan plus TradingView's CME data add-on. Check the current price on TradingView's pricing page.
• Intraday Bar Replay needs a paid plan. On Basic, replay works on daily charts and up. More on that in lesson 11.

My advice: start free. If after a week or two you're showing up every session and want to practice on real-time futures data, that's when an upgrade earns its keep. Not on day one.

Plan details change. Check TradingView's own pricing page for what's current.

Your task

Open your free TradingView account and sign in. Then go to lesson 3.