Charting a Course

The new, in-person classes that help Columbus residents take control of their financial futures

Ohio native Christian Tharp has dipped his toe into a variety of business ventures, from home improvement to real estate. Eventually though, he realized his favorite money-making venture was trading stocks and options.

“I learned to figure it out, and like any entrepreneur, I wanted to take it to the next level,” Tharp said.

Tharp went all in. Soon after educating himself, he realized what he really enjoyed was educating others. Now, Tharp is looking to share his trading and investment expertise to empower other central Ohio residents. On April 1, he celebrated the grand opening of The Chartist Academy, a one-of-a-kind space at 1325 Grandview Ave. with classes covering stocks, options, and—coming this summer—crypto currency.

“Tackling the market is something you can do,” he said. “I keep things extremely simple.”

In-person classes led by Tharp are offered during the day, night, and weekends to accommodate a variety of schedules. The goal is to give attendees the knowledge to handle their own financial investments. Classes are limited in size to provide hands-on experience and immediate feedback.

Classes include Stocks 101 and 102 and Options 101 and 102. Each class includes four in-class sessions, four pre-class video tutorials, and two months of access to weekly Live Market Rundown Zoom meetings and trade support via email. The building block for everything else, Stocks 101 includes the fundamentals of the stock market, as well as trend analysis, charting, and basic strategies to reduce risk and maximize profitability.

Tharp said relating to his students is easy because he was once in their position.

“I had to learn to figure it out,” he said.

After discovering a passion for trading and investing, Tharp earned the designation of Chartered Market Technician from the CMT Association by demonstrating a mastery of investment risk in portfolio management, quantitative approaches to market research, and rules-based trading system design and testing.

He had a few years of trading under his belt by the time he reached out to a New York-based stock and options trading company. Tharp became a stock and options coach for the company, working with students for months to teach them how to manage risk and develop discipline. Working with 80 to 100 students a week, Tharp taught over 4,000 individuals from over 30 countries around the world. He worked with stay-at-home moms, senior citizens managing their retirement, and those trying to create a second income.

“It was really empowering,” he said.

After the company changed its business model and opted for advisory services instead of coaching, Tharp decided he needed to continue teaching others what he learned. He knew he loved helping people manage their own investments.

“Those things were very fulfilling to me,” he said.

Tharp came up with the idea for The Chartist Academy about two years ago, and spent the last year working on the company’s buildout. Because of his previous coaching work, he knew how much people craved in-person education. There was a general distrust of online courses.

“I’m not hiding behind a website in California,” he said.

Through the classes offered at The Chartist Academy, students can learn trend analysis, price pattern recognition, risk management, loss protection, and more. In addition to group classes, The Chartist Academy offers private events, a free weekly newsletter and free events. Tharp offers private coaching and is also available for public speaking engagements for local businesses.

Class offerings and schedule information can be found via the academy website, and individuals can also attend free events to learn more.

“No one cares as much about your money as you do,” Tharp said.

To learn more, visit thechartistacademy.com