How it is funded
The trading education programme costs nothing, so something else pays for it. This page explains exactly what that is, because you cannot judge advice without knowing who benefits from it.
Last updated: 1 October 2026
1. The short version: broker referral fees
Mark Barsky takes part in referral and affiliate programmes operated by third-party brokerage firms. If you decide to open an account with one of those firms and you do so through a referral link he gives you, the firm may pay him a one-off or ongoing fee.
That fee is paid by the broker out of its own revenue. It does not add anything to your costs, does not change the spread or commission you are charged, and does not give Mark Barsky any access to or control over your account.
2. This is a conflict of interest
Someone who is paid when you open a brokerage account has a financial reason to make trading sound attractive. That applies to Mark Barsky and it applies to every free trading course you will find. Read what he says about brokers, the real account and the bonus with that in mind.
3. The bonus up to $1,000 comes from the broker
The bonus of up to $1,000 on a real account after the training is the partner broker's offer, paid by the broker under its own terms. Mark Barsky does not pay it and does not set its conditions. Read the broker's bonus terms before you deposit, and remember that a bonus does not remove risk.
4. What the arrangement does not change
- The training is free whether or not you ever use a referral link or open a real account.
- Practice in the training runs on a demo account with virtual money.
- Saying "I am not interested in a broker account" ends the topic. The training continues unchanged.
- No training content is withheld, shortened or reordered based on this.
5. What a mention of a broker is not
- Not a recommendation or an endorsement of any broker.
- Not a statement that a firm is suitable, safe or right for you.
- Not a review, a ranking or a comparison. No broker is presented as the best.
- Not advice to open an account, to fund one, or to trade with real money.
6. Before you open anything, check these yourself
- Confirm the firm is authorised where you live. Look the company up on your national regulator's public register, not on a page the firm links to. If it is not authorised to serve residents of your country, stop there.
- Read the actual costs: spreads, commissions, overnight financing, inactivity fees, withdrawal fees and currency conversion. Add them up for the way you would realistically trade.
- Read the bonus terms in full, including any conditions for using or withdrawing the bonus.
- Read the loss statistic the firm is required to publish in several jurisdictions: the percentage of retail accounts that lose money with it. Take that number seriously.
- Compare at least three firms, including ones nobody has referred you to.
7. Other commercial relationships
- No payment is taken from students, in any form, at any stage.
- No sponsored content, paid reviews or advertising slots are sold on this page.
- No student data is sold, rented or passed to brokers or lead buyers. See the privacy policy.
- Mark Barsky does not receive any share of a student's trading profits or losses, and has no arrangement of that kind with anyone.
If this page stops matching reality, it is rewritten before the next training starts. Questions about it can go to [email protected]. The risk side of the picture is in the risk disclosure.