Do I Need a Trading Plan?

A trading plan is an essential element to success in trading stocks because it provides you with a clear set of guidelines to follow, helping you avoid emotional decisions, manage risk and stay on track to achieve your goals.
by Yoaquim Boom
March 14, 2023

Do I need a Trading Plan?

Trading stocks can be a great way to earn money, but it's important to understand that it's not an easy task.

The stock market is highly volatile and unpredictable, and there's always a risk of losing money. To be successful in trading stocks, you need to have a good understanding of the market, the stocks you're trading, and the technical and fundamental analysis.

Additionally, you need to have emotional control and be able to make decisions without getting emotional.

Why do I Need a Trading Plan?

One of the key elements to success in trading stocks is having a trading plan.

A trading plan is a set of guidelines that outline your approach to trading, including your goals, risk management strategies, and the conditions under which you will enter and exit trades.

It's important to note that a trading plan is not a one-size-fits-all solution and it should be tailored to you personally.

A trading plan should include the following elements:

  • Trading goals: what you hope to achieve through trading, whether it's a certain level of income or a certain rate of return.
  • Risk management: how you will manage risk, including stop-loss orders and position sizing.
  • Entry and exit criteria: the conditions under which you will enter and exit trades, such as technical indicators or fundamental analysis.
  • Review and adjustment: a process for reviewing your trading performance and adjusting your trading plan as needed.


Here is an example of a basic trading plan:

  • Trading goals: To achieve a 10% return on investment over the next 12 months.
  • Risk management: To never risk more than 2% of my account on any single trade and to always use stop-loss orders.
  • Entry and exit criteria: I will only enter trades when the stock is trading above its 50-day moving average and the RSI is above 50. I will exit trades when the stock falls below its 50-day moving average or when the RSI falls below 50.
  • Review and adjustment: I will review my trading performance every quarter and make adjustments to my trading plan as needed.

It's important to note that this is a basic example of a trading plan and it is not a perfect plan, it is not meant for blindly following.

Every trader has different goals, risk tolerance and strategies. A trading plan should be tailored to your individual needs and goals.

A trading plan is the key to success in trading stocks because it helps you stay focused and disciplined.

It provides you with a clear set of guidelines to follow, which helps you avoid emotional decisions and stick to your strategy even when the market is volatile. Additionally, a trading plan helps you manage risk and stay on track to achieve your goals.

Guide to a Trading Plan (IG UK) Boomish Guide to Trading Plan can be found here.

Risk Management

Trading risk management is the process of determining the amount of capital you are willing to risk per trade, in order to prevent losing your entire account.

It is a crucial aspect of trading, as it helps you protect your capital and avoid making emotional decisions.

When it comes to trading risk management, it's important to distinguish between position size, account size, and risk.

Position size refers to the amount of capital you use to buy a certain number of shares, while account size is the total amount of capital in your brokerage account. Risk, on the other hand, is the amount of capital you may lose on a given trade.

A good rule of thumb for trading risk management is to allow yourself to lose no more than 1-2% of your account per trade.

For example, if you have a $1,000 account and your risk management strategy allows for 1% risk per trade, you could place the entire $1,000 on a single trade and set your stop loss 1% under your entry price.

This way, if the trade goes against you, you would stop out at a $10 loss, which is still within your risk management strategy.

Alternatively, you could place a trade for $100 and still follow the same risk management strategy.

In this case, you could have a stop loss 10% under your entry price and still be within the 1% risk per trade strategy.

It's important to note that this is just an example and it's not a trading plan to follow.

The examples are used to illustrate the importance of building a trading plan and the different components that go into creating one.

A trading plan should be tailored to your individual needs and goals, taking into consideration your risk tolerance, investment horizon, and financial situation.

Risk Management Components (Corporate Finance Institute)

So How do I Create a Trading Plan?

In conclusion, trading stocks can be a great way to earn money, but it's important to understand that it's not an easy task.

To be successful in trading stocks, you need to have a good understanding of the market, the stocks you're trading, and the technical and fundamental analysis.

Additionally, you need to have emotional control and be able to make decisions without getting emotional.

A trading plan is an essential element to success in trading stocks because it provides you with a clear set of guidelines to follow, helping you avoid emotional decisions, manage risk and stay on track to achieve your goals.

It's important to remember that a trading plan is not a one-size-fits-all solution and it should be tailored to your individual needs and goals.

Don’t rush a trading plan, it doesn’t have to be perfect right away. It takes time to find the best plan for you.

A trading plan may always change when you find certain rules you like better. But remember changing your plan should not be an immediate reaction to a few losing trades.

When you’ve finally created a plan that seems to work for you, stick to it for as long as possible. Only if it really does not work for you, you should change your plan.

Just remember having a plan at all and sticking to it puts you ahead of 90% of retail traders. So set up a trading plan as soon as possible, stick to it, and survive the markets until you’ve learned to be profitable.

Here is a TRADING PLAN GUIDE anyone can use.