What's your per-trade planning checklist?

Between "setup on the chart" and "order placed" sits a checklist: calendar clear, level valid, size calculated, stop placed, target set, reason written. The checklist is the strategy's last line of defence.

What's your per-trade planning checklist? — risk-reward diagram
A risk-reward ratio of 1 to 2

Share yours, item by item:

  • the exact checks in order
  • which check catches the most mistakes
  • how the checklist evolved over time
What's your per-trade planning checklist? — support and resistance diagram
Price bouncing between support and resistance

The position sizing guide and order types guide fill in two of the items.

Background: Position sizing: how to risk a fixed percentage per trade

How much you trade matters more than where you enter. A step-by-step method for sizing positions from your stop-loss and the amount you are willing to lose.

How do I calculate lot size from risk?

Divide the amount you are willing to lose by the stop distance in pips multiplied by the pip value per lot. For $50 risk, a 25-pip stop and $10 per pip per lot, that is 0.20 lots.

What is the 1% rule in trading?

A guideline to risk no more than 1% of the account on any single trade, so a losing streak doesn't cause a drawdown you can't recover from. It is a starting point, not a guarantee.

Read the full guide

Comments

Log in to join the discussion. Comments follow the community guidelines.

Log in to comment

Loading comments…