”Time for lunch!” he exclaims. ”And after that I'll probably go horseback-riding with my wife.”

In other words, it's just a normal day for Clive.

”I don't feel like I've been to work in 35 years,” he confesses. ”I just work a couple of hours each day, and when you love doing something, it isn't work.”

It may sound like the tale of a modern-day Gatsby – but Clive’s story is very real, and he's very devoted to helping others find the same success.

”Trading is a great opportunity to create an income, whether that is secondary or primary,” Clive explains. ”It’s exciting, and armed with the correct tools it can be very lucrative.”

Clive’s job is to give newcomers those tools. With 25 years of experience brokering deals on behalf of some of the world's largest banks, he's shown time and time again that he knows what he's doing.

”Hundreds of millions of dollars would pass through my hands daily,” he says. ”I retired from trading in the professional arena in 2004, and I have been trading privately and training people all over the world ever since.”

Clive is key speaker at Learn to Trade, a foreign exchange trade coaching company which offers free workshops and professional training. With upcoming workshops in Berlin, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Gothenburg and other European cities, Clive notes that trading is a great option for expats looking to earn an additional income.

”Frankly, expat or not it doesn't really matter where you live,” he says. ”That's the beauty of this market – it's a global marketplace and you can trade 24 hours, 5 days a week, whenever it suits you.”

But what are the risks?

”Well if you don't know what you're doing, the risks are quite big,” Clive admits. ”But if you do know what you're doing, there's not much risk at all.”

Clive doesn't believe in ”go big or go home”. You can go however small you want, he says – and still create significant returns on your investment.

”You don't have to risk a lot,” says Clive.

“Let’s say you have one thousand dollars in your account. You can trade properly and risk as little as just ten dollars. The worst that can happen is that you lose ten dollars,” he explains.

”If you know how to manage your risk and compound your returns it's almost impossible to lose your investment.”

They key is to learn from someone who knows how. Sure, you could read all the Google search results about Forex trading – but that can't compare to having an actual mentor, Clive says.

”It's like learning to swim,” he explains.

”You could read a book about it, and know exactly how you're supposed to wave your arms and kick your feet – but would you then go jump on your own into 15 feet of water? You can't replace the value of hands-on guidance.”

Driving, he says, is another good example. You don't have to know all the details of how a car actually works in order to be a good driver. What you do need is to be taught by a comptetent instructor.

”It's 80 percent confidence.  It's the same with trading. An active trader knows exactly what a newbie will go through, so they can guide them. Confidence is a characteristic everyone struggles with at some point, but it can be best achieved with a mentor. And confidence is a key factor of your success.”

And as for Clive – well, he's a trader for life.

”Trading is fun, lucrative, lifestyle changing and liberating,” he says. ”I just cannot see the day when I won't want to do it.”

Interested in a free two-hour workshop? Book online

25th August – Stockholm
7th September – Gothenburg
8th September – Malmö
10th September – Stockholm

This article was produced by The Local and sponsored by Learn to Trade.