This is what the holidays are all about.

I just got an email today from OU Forex Trader that is pretty amazing.  12 traders/educators got together and are going to give you $7,000 worth of trading tools and educational material if you donate $7 to their holiday charity donation fund.

How’s that for ROI!

<—The charities that they support are listed here.

There are a few forex traders/educators on the list along with stock, ETF and futures traders.

I don’t know how good these courses are and I don’t make a dime by recommending this, but I thought it was a great idea and it goes to a great cause.

From what I was reading on the landing page, there are a few FULL courses and some trading tools like calculators and ebooks.  They say that one of the full courses being offered has been sold for $1,997.

Some of the educational materials are just parts of courses, just teasers so you possibly buy the whole course later.

But whatever, even if the entire package is absolute crap, it won’t break the bank and the donation helps out those organizations.   I’m sure that there is something to be learned from the educational material.

After you donate, they send you a confirmation email and access to the information will be emailed on December 27th.  But if you want to donate, I would do it now because they will probably shut it down before Christmas.

Click here to donate.

Happy Holidays!

For you, that may mean preserving Renaissance Faires, saving a donkey or supporting naked clowns.

Whatever the case may be, the charity should be doing work that you feel is important.  Growing up in Hawaii, I have always had a deep appreciation for the ocean and I would like to see it protected so we can all enjoy it for generations to come.

There are many non-profit groups that focus on saving individual animals or certain coastlines across the country.

Oceana takes a broader approach.  Here is a summary of what they are trying to achieve:

Founded in 2001, Oceana is the largest international group focused solely on ocean conservation. Our offices in North America, South America and Europe, work together on a limited number of strategic, directed campaigns to achieve measurable outcomes that will help return our oceans to former levels of abundance. We believe in the importance of science in identifying problems and solutions. Our scientists lead our team of economists, lawyers, and advocates focused on achieving tangible results for the oceans. Saving the oceans may take decades, but in each of our campaigns we aim to accomplish an important milestone in that effort within two to five years.

So why do I support them?

Here are the 5 reasons, in no particular order:

1. Their projects seek to change areas of the world where they feel they can make the most impact.  We are all in it together, so why only focus on one area of the world?
2. They have a high Charity Navigator Rating.  This may not mean much to some people, but I think it’s important to keep track of how they are spending their money.
3. There are a lot of other charities out there that focus on raising public awareness.  That is great and all, but how many people in the general public have the means or time to do something about it?  In my opinion, a conservation group needs to have professionals on staff who know what to do and can lobby for their causes.
4. What is their track record?  Oceana has a history of results.
5. I like their programs.  It is impossible to solve every problem, but I think they have chosen a good group of core areas to focus on.

Even if you don’t believe in preserving the oceans, I would encourage you to get out there and find a charity that you do believe in and give them whatever you can afford.

If you are not a rockstar trader yet, that’s OK.  Just imagine if everyone in this country gave just $1 per month…that would still be a lot of money!

Remember, charitable donations can be tax deductible (check with your tax professional) and it always makes me feel good knowing that I am supporting something I believe in.

Click here if you are interested in donating to Oceana.

Is this cheesy?  Yes.

Is this shameless self promotion?  Yes.

I used to mess around with t-shirt designs when I was in college and it was never for profit, but I enjoyed it as a creative outlet.  It is fun and that is all that matters.

Here is a design that I created in about 10 minutes.  I wanted to see how Zazzle.com works, so this was my test.  It is a great site for creating custom gifts and promotional items.

The process was soooo easy.  I just put together a simple design and uploaded it.  Seriously, the whole upload process took 5 minutes.

My favorite designable item is the custom postage stamp.  Plaster your face all over it and give them out to your friends!

Anyway, this shirt can be purchased by clicking here.   100% of proceeds will be donated to Oceana, one of the non-profit organizations that I support.  It is a fun shirt for your favorite forex trader.  If I want to keep myself out of bad trades, I might create others.   Or not.  Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Hope your trading is going well!

Hugh

P.S. – What is a Cambist?  Click here for the answer.