IM Academy: Digital forex education online

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IM Academy teaches the skills needed to be successful in forex trading

Interested in learning how to make money in foreign exchange (Forex) trading? IM Academy is an online provider of digital educational products and services that teach essential Forex trading skills online. The company leverages live interactive content supported by a comprehensive library of pre-recorded and app-based data and information to teach its students.

About IM Academy

IM Academy was founded in 2013 as a small start-up by independent entrepreneurs and Forex experts Christopher Terry and Isis De La Torre. Their vision was to provide an easily accessible online platform for Forex education using a subscription model. The goal of the platform was to provide accessible and interactive training for Forex enthusiasts that would enable them to develop skills they could apply to their own trading. Over the last eight years, IM has grown into a large organization with approximately 225,000 active subscribers who benefit from its educational products and services.

IM Academy’s corporate structure now incorporates various subsidiary entities in several of its international markets, registering legal entities only in areas where a regulatory requirement to do so exists, or where registering entities provides a risk management or tax advantage. IM Academy’s global headquarters remain in New York, where IM Academy is a legally registered corporation.

IM Academy prides itself on always having been ahead of the curve and has always maintained a remote working model for its personnel. By saving money on office space and corporate real estate expenses, the company is able to focus on hiring top-quality talent without any geographical restrictions and to focus its energies totally on its educational mission. Having this corporate model allowed IM Academy to position itself in a way that operates efficiently and without interruption regardless of the emergency measures necessitated by the Covid 19 pandemic.

IM Academy Products

IM Academy’s core products are learning modules known as academies. These academies consist of four distinct training programs on the IM.Academy website that new customers can easily access via a referral by a customer or an IBO.

Each video module consists of a series of informational videos along with unlimited interactive goLive sessions in which students can apply the concepts that they’ve learned in the videos to real-life circumstances.

The videos provide student subscribers with a basic understanding of how Forex trading works, as well as how to use IM video lessons and goLive interactive sessions to further their knowledge while working at their own pace. While the videos provide a basic understanding of concepts and trading methodology, most of the actual learning takes place during the goLive interactive teaching sessions in which students work hands-on with the concepts covered in each video.

These interactive goLive sessions allow students to work directly with IM Educators, and each goLive session is offered in 13 languages on multiple days and at varied times to accommodate students in different time zones.

Each goLive session typically lasts one hour and includes opportunities for students to ask questions and enter into a discussion with the IM Educator on the module’s specific subject matter. Students are able to access a library of pre-recorded video modules for each academy. Students can also access all of IM’s prerecorded content on mobile devices using the IM academy app.

Each learning module includes a quiz at the end to test the student’s understanding of the material covered within the program. In order to move on to the next video module, students must successfully complete this quiz.

Students enjoy unlimited online access to IM Educators while their subscription is current. They are also free to download pre-recorded and digital content from each of the four academies to keep as reference material for later use even after cancelling their subscription.

The four IM learning academies are as follows:

FRX Academy

The FRX academy teaches new students the basics of foreign currency exchange by means of videos and interactive goLive sessions. The academy contains 76 video modules covering essential subjects including such basics as:

What is forex?
The history of forex
What is traded in forex
Understanding buying and selling in the markets
Bid versus ask
Understanding stop loss
Analysis of trends
An introduction to Harmonics
Risk management planning

HFX Academy

The HFX academy provides education for students about the high frequency exchange. The course content covers the basics of what high frequency exchange is, as well as methods and types of analysis, such as strategies, margins, leverage, spread, and order types. The structure of the HFX Academy is the same as the FRX Academy and includes 95 pre-recorded video modules, each concluding with a quiz to test understanding, as well as unlimited access to goLive interactive sessions with experienced IM Educators.

DCX Academy

The DCX academy teaches students about the digital currency exchange and teaches the basics of trading in DCX. The course content includes an introduction to digital currency, the different types of digital currencies, the types of trading that take place with digital currencies (arbitrage, retail etc.), as well as valuation, block chain, market volatility, and news about digital currency. The DCX academy follows the same structure as the FRX Academy and includes 25 pre-recorded video modules, each concluding with a quiz to test student understanding. Like all others, the DCX Academy provides unlimited access to interactive goLive sessions with IM Educators who are experts on DCX.

ECX Academy

The ECX academy focuses on e-commerce and teaches students how to build and manage an online business. The course content includes a basic introduction to e-commerce and the ins and outs of selling online, the essentials regarding the different types of marketplace options, and the basics of setting up an online business, payment processing, online marketing and advertising, trending online products, and providing efficient and satisfying customer service for online customers. The ECX Academy follows the same structure as the FRX Academy and other courses and includes 450 pre-recorded video modules. As in the case of each academy, each video module concludes with a quiz to test the student’s understanding of the content provided, as well as unlimited access to IM Educators during interactive goLive sessions.

Discount Bundle Package: Elite Academy

In addition to the option of purchasing Academies individually, IM offers a discounted package called the Elite Academy, which provides a bundle discount for the four basic academies. The Elite Academy includes the FRX, HFX DCX, and ECX Academies at a discount of 54% on the initial subscription, and 48% on each monthly subscription, which provides substantial savings for students when compared to purchasing each academy as an individual program.

Optional Add-Ons

IM Academy also offers the option to add on specialized, higher-level classes at any time during your subscription. These add-on educational modules provide a deeper dive into specific and more specialized areas of interest once a student has mastered the basics of each academy and has developed a particular interest in one or more specialized areas.

Some of the add-ons are included in the four basic academies, but students can also choose to purchase them on a stand-alone basis as an add-on to any single academy.

The current available add-ons are:

FRX Harmonics Swipetrades
Vibrata Goldcup Bounceback
Pivots Steady
Delorean HFX Liberty Hourglass
Swipecoin
DCX Harmonics
Swipecoin Scalper Levels

These add-ons are categorized as strategies and apps. Each strategy provides the student with a basic understanding of different types of market analysis, as well as access to software, interactive tools, and platforms where the student learns how to use and apply the methodologies covered in each strategy.

The add-on strategies are intended for students who have completed the core academy to which they have subscribed and have acquired a basic understanding of the markets. Students can learn how to use the interactive tools provided with each strategy during interactive goLive sessions with live IM Educators, as well as in supplemental training videos and materials provided in every Strategy and App.

Optional Add-On Strategies:

FRX Harmonics (included in FRX Academy)

This add-on strategy teaches students how to search for and identify high probability market ideas in the foreign currency exchange market through the use of math and patterns.

Vibrata

This add-on Strategy provides an interactive tool that allows students to review and understand the impact of different trading methods as well as practical approaches to trading. The Vibrata Strategy Add-On also provides opportunities to purchase four additional 2nd tier add-ons strategies as follows:

London Payout (optional 2nd tier add on) – This add-on provides general financial market education and information about the London Forex market session, which opens at 3:00 a.m. ET and closes at 12:00 p.m. ET. and overlap between the U.S. and London markets (8:00 a.m. to Noon ET).
Index Infusion (optional 2nd tier add on) – This add-on strategy provides essential tools to help students identify market reversals.
Hyperscalper (optional 2nd tier add on) – This strategy serves as a tool to identify price action.
Moneyflow (optional 2nd tier add on) – This strategy enables students to learn how to spot and identify turning points in the markets.

Bounceback

The Bounceback Add-On Strategy is a tool that provides increased quality and precision for students to help them identify turning points within markets.

Levels

This add-on strategy provides tools that help students to effectively identify key level zones in the markets.

Pivots

The Pivots Add-on Strategy teaches students how to spot and identify pivot levels in the markets. This strategy also includes two optional 2nd tier add-on strategies as follows:

Pivots Infinity (optional 2nd tier add on) – A strategic tool for identifying reversal zones in the markets.
Steady and Steady Swift (optional 2nd tier add on) – A strategic approach to help students generate and identify institutional market ideas.

Delorean

The Delorean Add-on Strategy provides an interactive tool that teaches students a methodology for identifying reversal zones.

HFX Liberty – (included in HFX Academy)

The HFX Liberty Strategy teaches students to search for and identify turning points in the markets.

Hourglass

The Hourglass Strategy teaches students to find and identify key entry zones in the market.

DCX Harmonics – (included in DCX Academy)

The DCX Harmonics Strategy teaches students to combine math and patterns to find and identify high-probability market ideas in the foreign currency exchange market.

Swipecoin Scalper – (included in DCX academy)

A strategic approach to finding turning points in the markets.

Optional Add-On Apps

Swipetrades

This mobile phone app is used to illustrate market trade ideas with recommended risk parameters.

Goldcup

This mobile phone app provides access to the gold cup platform on which IM Educators teach market ideas with identified risk parameters

Swipecoin

This mobile phone app provides general financial market education and information, focusing particularly on digital currency.

IM Academy does not offer investment advice, nor does it provide trading signals or trading facilities. IM Academy does not recommend broker-dealer firms to its students, nor does it refer any business to broker-dealers.

IM Academy Website

IM Academy operates through its website at IM.Academy. The IM Academy website is the company’s primary online presence, and is also the place where customers and Independent Business Owners (IBO’s) can access their back office via a secure log-in.

Note: Although the IM Academy website currently includes an “IBO Academy” option on the Products section/page, IM Academy wishes to clarify that this listing has been incorrectly included on the site product page and that IBO Academy is not a training program or service of IM Academy. For anyone interested in becoming an IBO, IM Academy currently provides a separate enrollment option that is unrelated to the IM Academy customer products and services. IM Academy understands that this may cause some confusion, so the company is currently in the process of revising and updating its website to clarify that IBO Academy is not a customer product or service of IM Academy.

Pricing for IM Academy’s Educational Services

Each of the four basic Academies costs US$234 for the initial subscription and US$174 monthly thereafter.

The Elite Academy bundle package costs US$324 for the initial subscription and US$274 monthly thereafter.

IM Academy product prices do not include VAT/GST/sales tax.

All products are sold in US Dollars.

IM Academy Sales Strategy and Business Opportunity

IM Academy operates by means of network or multi-level marketing. This means that the IM Academy sales strategy is to sell its products and services through a network of independent sales representatives who work as IBOs. These IBOs are not employees of IM Academy. They are compensated on a commission-only basis through a multi-level marketing remuneration plan that pays commissions on their sales of IM Academy products to customers.

IBOs can also take advantage of the opportunity to build a sales team or “downline” by recruiting other IBOs who are interested in selling IM Academy products and services. As with any multi-level marketing network, IBOs may be compensated on a commission basis for sales made by IBOs in their team or downline; however, they receive no direct compensation for recruiting new IBOs into their team.

Currently, IM Academy has about 43,000 registered IBOs that are considered “active.”

An IBO enters the business by paying an initial registration fee of $16.71, followed by a monthly fee of $16.71. These fees cover the cost for access to IBO support through access IM Academy’s back office, which provides a set of business tools as well as a marketing website that assists IBOs in managing their IM Academy business and promotes IM Academy products and services.

IM Academy relies on its IBOs to sell their products as well as to recruit, sponsor, and mentor new IBOs. While IM Academy provides such essential tools as internet support, magazines, sales and marketing materials, as well as events and training opportunities, IBOs are primarily responsible for recruiting and educating new IBOs in their team on individual products and the IM Academy compensation plan, as well as to provide advice and mentoring to help new IBOs build a successful IM Academy business.

The company’s network marketing structure includes levels created by the ongoing recruitment, sponsoring, and training of new IBOs. As an IBO builds a team, or downline, they may benefit indirectly through commission earnings based on the sales of products achieved by members of their downline at different levels.

IBOs have the option to work simply as sales agents and not sponsor any new IBOs. Sponsoring is not required, and IBOs receive no direct compensation for sponsoring new IBOs. However, many IBOs choose to build a team or downline in order to take advantage of indirect commission earnings on sales generated by IBOs in their downline because IM Academy offers a global compensation plan in which IBOs receive a consolidated commission in their home country for their own sales as well as for sales made by members of their downline team across all geographic markets.

All IBOs must enter into a standard IBO agreement that obliges them to abide by IM Academy’s policies and procedures.

IM Academy provides fundamental support to help its IBOs grow their businesses by means of the following resources:

Sales Support

IM Academy provides a customer service team of remote online agents that serves IM Academy IBOs as well as their customers 24/7. Online support is primarily provided via email and chat.

Training

IM Academy offers a variety of training and personal development events throughout the year both domestically and internationally to help its IBOs become better educated and improve their business outcomes.

Social Media

IM Academy is active on eight primary networks, including: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and Foursquare. This social media marketing help IBOs to better promote and educate their customers on IM Academy products and services.

Regulatory Compliance

IM Academy ensures that the company is not a registered or licensed broker in any country or market, and that all IBOs and subscribers are made fully aware that IM Academy does not offer investment advice or financial services.

Because IM Academy does not sell any regulated financial products or services, it does not require any licensing to carry out its business of providing online educational products and services.

IM Academy has an in-house team dedicated to monitoring IBO activities to ensure that no IBO makes any misleading claims about the IM Academy’s products or services, or about the IM Academy business opportunity. The team also monitors the performance of IM Academy Educators during their initial trial period and on a random audit basis thereafter.