What is a Trading Plan ? and Why You Need One?

How do you make money without picking tops and bottoms?

I am glad you asked...

Successful trading is similar to a successful business. You see, every successful business has a business plan so do successful traders. The astute reader knows that, successful traders have a systematic way they approach the market.

The definition of a trading system is a trader's business plan; it defines your approach to trading...

1. A properly constructed trading system will leave no room for human judgment
2. It will define your actions given any circumstances that may arise.
3. It is a distinct set of rules
4. Which instructs the trader what to do and when to do it.

The importance of this trading plan cannot be understated. Without a consistent set of guiding principles to govern your trading decisions, most traders will hop from one trade to the next, guided by emotion or hysteria.

I firmly believe that not having a plan, you are doomed to fail.

Trading systems themselves will come in many varieties, although they all take the guesswork out of trading. A trading system will determine for you when to buy or sell. System trading has proven itself consistently to be the most effective long-term trading technique.

In fact, you may have even heard the story about one of the most famous system traders of all time, Richard Dennis. It just so happened, in mid 1983, Dennis was having an ongoing dispute with his long time friend Bill Eckhardt about whether great traders were born or made. Dennis believed that trading could be broken down into a set of rules that others could learn. On the other hand, Eckhardt believed trading had more to do with innate instincts, and this skill comes naturally.

In order to settle the matter, Richard suggested that they recruit and train some traders and give them actual accounts to trade to see which one of them was correct. He named his prot?g?s after visiting turtle farms in Singapore; he decided to grow traders similar to the way farmers cultivated turtles, hence the name: Turtles.

To cut a long story short, Dennis taught his trading methodology to these groups of students who later became some of the most successful traders of all time; proving finally, that anyone can become skilled at system trading.

Just like the turtles, I too have studied under a mentor who tutored me in the science of trading. Now, I pass these secrets on to you.

A trading system is simply a set of rules that address every aspect of a trade such as entry and exit conditions and money management. Regardless of how complex it may be, a good test for your trading plan is to hand it to someone else to read thoroughly. See if your selected candidate asks questions. If they can easily understand all the rules and the requirements of your strategy with little to no questions, then you have compiled a sound investment plan.

All successful traders that I meet do this and they have their exact trading methodology written down.

Since most traders lose money and do not have their trading methodology written down, does not it make sense to do what the masses are not doing? If you are trading now and have not taken the time to write out methodology, then stop trading and get it done!

Why is it so important? When you take time to sit down and spell out how you perceive the markets, you are accepting the fact that you might be wrong. You are beginning to accept responsibility. Once you write down how you perceive the market, the only conclusion you can arrive at, if the market does not behave according to what you wrote, is that your perception is wrong. When you write down how you are going to enter a trade, only if certain events transpire, you eliminate any possibility of blaming the market. You are forcing yourself to have discipline.

In other words, if you determined that certain bullish signs show up in your market then you enter into a long position. If these prior events occur, and you did not enter the trade, that failure is your fault.

The Components of Your Trading Plan:

A business plan has set components; so does a trading plan. In fact, there are three major components within any trading plan and they are entry, exits and money management rules; here is a quick summary:

1. Tested Entry Rules

-- Entry rules are a precise set of rules that an instrument must pass before you enter a trade. Entry rules should be simple, direct, and leave no room for human judgment.

2. Confidential Money Management Rules

-- Perhaps the most important and least addressed aspect of trading is the ability to manage risk. A profitable trader is one who has the ability to manage the risks associated with trading. A trading system should define exactly how much money you are willing to lose on any given trade.

3. Tested Exits Rules

-- Entering a share is all to no avail if you do not know when to exit a position. Having rules that defines your exit is equally important as one that defines your entry.

When you take time to write down your trading rules, you transform your mental reality to a physical reality. You cannot fudge the numbers, or avoid taking responsibility.

By writing down your methodology, you are forcing yourself to create a series of decisions based on how you see the markets and this my friend is just the beginning.

-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
David Jenyns is recognized as the leading expert when it
comes to designing profitable trading systems.

His most recent course Ultimate Trading Systems is a step-
by-step trading roadmap to designing profitable trading
systems. Learn how *you* can become one of his students.
Click Here ==> http://www.ultimate-trading-systems.com

Receive David's free trading tips by sending a blank email to:
==> http://www.ultimate-trading-systems.com
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

The FBI has issued a warning that scammers are impersonating doctors, police and banks using spoofed numbers as "smishing" texts surge nationwide.
Communities with unreliable internet service stand to gain after Amazon's Project Kuiper launched its first full batch of satellites into orbit April 28.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says unsubscribing from spam might actually backfire. Learn when to avoid it and stop junk effectively.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how the first nonstop beating heart transplant, called zero ischemic time, at Taiwan hospital changes surgery.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson: FBI warns of "time-traveling" hackers.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about a soft, vine-like robot called SPROUT that aids safe survivor rescues in collapsed buildings.
Health insurance giant Blue Shield of California confirmed it had been sharing private health data of 4.7 million users with Google for three years without even realizing it.
Delta and JetZero’s blended wing body aircraft marks a meaningful step toward a cleaner, quieter and more efficient future for air travel.
Recent reports show many common passwords can be cracked in literally seconds. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how to strengthen your passwords.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Iron, a robot that stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 154 pounds, combines advanced artificial intelligence with human-like movement and exceptional vision.
Hertz, the rental car giant, recently confirmed that customer information was exposed through a cyberattack on one of its software vendors.
There are a number of features with AirPods you may or may not know about to take your listening experience to the next level. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.
These 35 Chrome extensions have privacy and security concerns. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says to delete them now.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says 329,000 mph fusion rocket promises to be fast, disruptive and enable deep-space missions.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a new autonomous AI is a game changer that also raises privacy risks. Is your data safe?
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says robots and drones are revolutionizing fruit farming with faster picking and smarter handling.
Landmark Admin revises May 2024 cyberattack scope to show twice as many people were affected. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to help stay safe from an insurance data breach.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Yamaha’s hydrogen outboard motor could revolutionize boating with zero emissions.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to memorialize or remove a deceased loved one’s Facebook account and protect their digital legacy from misuse or scams.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says an Apple Watch saved psychiatrist Amanda Faulkner by detecting deadly leukemia early.
Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly targeting the most vulnerable, especially nursing homes and the personal data of their residents. Kurt the CyberGuy has safety tips.
Infected USB flash drives can spread malware among multiple organizations in ways that can easily bypass traditional security systems.
With a fully automated warehouse system and AI-powered robots, Ocado's Hive picks, packs and delivers grocery store orders in just a few minutes.

The Exclusive Club of Large Caps

Picture one of those clubs where only the real heavyweights... Read More

Patterns

The Law of Chaos is the theory of random unpredictable... Read More

Investment Discipline

One of the great "secrets" of successful people is discipline... Read More

Why Change Funds?

On November 17 I bought 7 different mutual funds and... Read More

Is The Bear In The Cage?

For the last few weeks we have seen the stock... Read More

A Good Fund Manager

Every Wall Street analyst, financial planner and broker will tell... Read More

Series 7 Exam

What is the Series 7 Exam? If you... Read More

A Stock Market Investment Strategy

I feel that an investment strategy in the stock market... Read More

A Common Misconception about Stock Prices

I cringe every time I hear a novice investor tell... Read More

Option Trading Basics

Options trading can increase the profits you make when trading... Read More

Buying Mutual Funds

It looks like the market is ready to start up... Read More

Stock Trading Diversification

This is the continuing story of our two imaginary traders,... Read More

A Penny for Your Stocks

According to Investopedia Inc. the penny stock market has seen... Read More

Shadow Bull

As one of my regular readers you know I have... Read More

Its Better

Question: How does it get better when it gets worse?Last... Read More

My Neighbor Got A New Car

I don't know what kind it is, but I saw... Read More

Hill of Hope

Just about now everyone is confused as to which way... Read More

On Line Stock Trading: Small Cap & Micro Stocks Go Up and Down - How Can You Profit?

Success in small cap & micro cap stock trading like... Read More

Market Timing?

The recent criminal fiasco in the mutual fund industry is... Read More

Stock Market Investing: Knowing When (and when not) to Sell

One of the greatest challenges of investing in stocks is... Read More

Stock Investment Advice

Stock investment advice is easy to find. Do you get... Read More

Selling

The stock market has been going up for more than... Read More

Investment Attorneys and Garbage Stocks

How is it possible that trash Companies are posting less... Read More

Advisory News Letters

Several times each month I am solicited by various market... Read More

Cash

How many people went to a cash position this week?... Read More

Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..