By Volodymyr Kravchenko Updated
Plan · Example · Free
A written trading plan
One example, section by section. Write yours, then test it.
A trading plan is a short list of rules you can check after every trade: what you trade, when, how much you risk, and when you stop. This page shows one written plan as an example. It is not a recommendation: write your own and test it before you risk money.
The example plan
Principles Few rules, written, and the same every day.
- Trading is not a one-day contest: move towards the liquidity pools after the previous ones were taken.
- Every trade has a stop at the broker, and after a stop I write why it was hit.
- Risk per trade 0.7 to 1%. Target 1 to 3 times the risk.
- A limit of 2 stops a day: after the second, the day is over.
- If I miss an entry I do not chase it, and I do not enter the reverse.
- I enter only after liquidity has been taken on the 15m and the 1h: price swept the high or low and came back. No sweep, no entry.
- My stop goes behind the swing that was swept, never at a random distance.
- I wait for the context to be confirmed, not for the price to look cheap.
Timeframes and process Three perspectives that should agree.
- Higher timeframe (12h, 1D, 1W): gives the narrative, the direction price is moving.
- Middle timeframe (1h, 4h): in the direction of the higher one, I look for liquidity taken from the sessions and a test of zones of interest.
- Entry on the lower timeframe (1m): inside the two windows of the plan, and after a market shift.
- The back test behind this was done on one pair, EUR/USD, so the rules are not proven on other instruments.
Risk limits Fixed numbers that do not change in the middle of a day.
- Risk per trade 1% of the account. Most in a day 2%. Most in a week 4%. Most in a trading month 10%.
- Reward fixed at 1:3. The stop is never moved further away.
- A spread buffer of 5 ticks (0.5 pip on EUR/USD) is added to every stop, so spread alone does not stop me out.
- No trade with a reduced risk just to be in the market: I wait for my own setup.
Days and hours Fewer hours, on the days that fit.
- Main days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Monday and Friday only with a good setup. The start and end of a month only with a good setup.
- Two windows a day, written in the author's local time (convert them to yours): 10:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 17:00 for entries.
- No entry just before a window opens (for example at 9:59), even when a setup is already showing.
News rule Not in the trade when the big release lands.
- No trading around CPI, NFP and FOMC. A position is closed 15 minutes before them.
- For the exact windows your firm describes, use the news window checker: they differ from firm to firm.
Your turn
Write your own plan
Fill in what you know, leave the rest. It is saved on this device, and you can copy it or download it as text.
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Use it
Turn the plan into habits
Trade Gate
No stop, no trade. Your 1%, day and week limits in front of every order.
Trading Journal
Log entry, stop, target and R, and whether you followed the plan.
Strategy checklist
Five stages to test the plan before it meets real money.
My Trading System
A private place to write your own rules, risk and routine.
Frequently asked questions
Is this plan a recommendation?
No. It is one written plan, shown so you can see what a plan contains and write your own. It carries no results, no prices and no promise. Rules that suit one trader can be wrong for another.
Why write the plan down at all?
A written rule can be tested and broken in a way you can see. In the heat of a trade a rule that lives only in your head moves. The plan is also what the journal checks each trade against.
Do I copy these numbers?
No. Start from your firm's limits and your own tested results. The numbers here (1% a trade, 2% a day, 4% a week) are an example of limits set well inside a typical funded-account loss limit; check your firm's rules on its own page.
Where is my plan stored?
Only in this browser, on this device (local storage). Nothing is sent to Marlin. Clearing site data removes it, so use Copy as text or Download from time to time.
Where do I test the plan?
Run the five stages of the strategy checklist on demo or a small account, record every trade in the journal with its stop, and pass each order through Trade Gate before you click.
This content is provided for educational purposes only and is not investment advice. Trading involves risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Affiliate relationships may exist. Always conduct your own independent research before making financial decisions.