My Journey into Trading TVM

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 My Story – My Journey

By Tom Steenkamp, Founder of Forex College (est. 2007)



My Story — The Power of Moving Money Through Time

My journey began in the early 2000s, during a visit to the USA where a few friends first introduced me to the exciting world of online trading. Back then, information was scarce — no YouTube, no online mentors, just scattered books and curiosity. When I returned to South Africa, I spent countless hours in local libraries studying investment principles, determined to understand how money truly worked.

I started by blending traditional investing concepts with the faster rhythm of intraday trading — a style driven by precision, timing, and focus. Like most traders, I went through my fair share of triumphs and setbacks. Over time, I realized that while I had learned to trade consistently, consistency alone didn’t build wealth. I was spending my trading profits instead of letting them grow through time.

That realization ignited a deeper pursuit — to master how money grows when it’s allowed to move through time.

Around 2011, while studying as a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) candidate, I found what I had been searching for buried within the pages of the CFA curriculum: the Time Value of Money (TVM). I worked my way through all the study material up to CFA Level 3, and even though I never completed the final exams, I discovered something more valuable than the Charter itself — clarity.

I realized that if I tweaked the traditional Time Value of Money formulas — replacing interest with trading growth, and incorporating leverage — I could model how small trading accounts could grow exponentially through compounding. It was the spark that connected my two worlds: trading and investment science.

From that point on, I began applying this hybrid model — reinvesting a portion of profits while withdrawing partial gains to fund passive income investments. It became a living system: one that rewarded the present while multiplying the future. That was the birth of what I now call The Time Value of Money for Traders — a formula for freedom built on growth, leverage, and time.

Then came life’s hardest lesson — a devastating divorce that reshaped everything I believed about money, success, and security. That chapter taught me the true meaning of asset protection. Wealth without protection is fragile, no matter how well it compounds. In today’s world, where change is the only constant, protecting what you’ve built is just as important as creating it.

Technology soon amplified everything. Brokers evolved, platforms became more powerful, and leverage became a tool for disciplined growth rather than reckless risk. The financial world had changed — ordinary individuals now had access to the same tools once reserved for the elite.

Forex College was actually founded in 2007, and evolved through the years as I gained more experience, wisdom, and knowledge in this particular field, and as more technology and systems became available. I treasure those students back in the day who are still good friends. But it was during this evolution that the purpose became clear: to teach people not just how to trade, but how to move money through time — how to let it grow, diversify, and protect itself. From CDs to USBs to full digital learning on Moodle, the mission expanded globally.

Today, that mission has transformed into the Collective Trading Initiative — where the goal is to get thousands of individuals trading together, compounding together, and growing together under one philosophy: that time and discipline, when harnessed correctly, can turn even the smallest account into a powerful wealth engine.

I may not have completed the CFA Charter, but I found what I was looking for within its pages — and more importantly, I found my purpose. And as I’ve learned, we don’t dwell on what’s behind us. We carry its lessons forward, moving money — and life itself — through time, where it continues to grow.

Because when you understand how to move money through time, you stop chasing wealth — and start compounding it.

I am now retired, but I continue to teach this valuable, life-changing skill to young professionals and anyone willing to learn how to move money through time — using leverage, compounding, and plain old math.


Wishing you all a wonderful day.


Warm regards,

Tom Steenkamp

Founder – Forex College


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