For a finance newb like me, who knows nothing about money, it would be a good idea to start from the very basic and work to the more advanced levels. There's no point in learning how to run before one can even crawl.
As for a private forum, I'm not sure if Halx and the mods are up to creating a new one just for this purpose, but I suggest Member's Playground to be a pretty safe bet. People there are mostly TFP vets.
Man, I have a lot of questions already. Not sure if you're ready to take 'em at this moment. As you can see, I'm quite eager.