At first glance, the work to learn options trading may be daunting to the individual investor. But you needn't worry. Everyone is inexperienced at the start of a new venture. But there is a way where traders can learn options trading without the risk of loss.

In fact, you can learn options trading, developing and testing your own trading strategies in a real world environment, without risking a penny of your own money. How? With a demo, or paper-trading account at your online options broker.

Options trading is complicated—much more so than trading stocks or futures. There are more moving parts. Thus, it's important to learn options trading in a safe, stress-free environment, getting acquainted with the online trading procedures first, before zeroing in on an options trading strategy to use.

Most options-friendly online brokers offer demo accounts (paper-trading accounts). Think or Swim, Options House and Tradeking, just to name a few, have demo accounts traders can set up and trade real markets with fake money. It’s an ideal learning environment that prepares option traders for the real world. When you learn options trading with a demo account, your losses and profits are virtual. No financial risk is involved; you don't invest real money.

Learn options trading by using a demo account on your online options trading platform, then open a real account. Experiment, test, dabble, try out, practice, explore and play.

Learn options trading by placing virtual orders, tracking your account's hypothetical performance, and using the full suite of idea-generation and risk management tools that your chosen online option broker has to offer. It’s the best way to learn the platform without potentially costly mistakes.

Master the fundamentals of trading on paper, without risking any capital, until you learn how to make consistent paper profits. The next step is to start out small. Trade one lots. Then two lots. Build your way up slowly to a trading size that is suitable for your capitalization and risk tolerance. That's the safest way to learn options trading.