How to Write a Trade Plan
A trade plan turns a chart idea into an executable decision: why, where, how much, and when you're wrong. VaultCharts stores plans as Planned → Open → Closed so you can track the full lifecycle on your device.
What belongs in every plan
- Thesis — Bias and setup type (e.g. demand retest on daily, 4H confirmation).
- Entry — Level or trigger (close, break, reclaim). Avoid vague “somewhere around here.”
- Stop / invalidation — Structure-based where possible (beyond the zone or swing), not a random %.
- Targets — At least one TP and optional runners; note planned R.
- Size — Risk % of account so a full stop is emotionally and financially acceptable.
- Management rules — Move to BE? Scale out? Time stop?
Quick template
Symbol / TF: ___________
Setup: ___________
HTF bias: ___________
Entry: ___________
Stop: ___________ (___ R risk)
TP1 / TP2: ___________
Position size: ___________
Invalidation: ___________
Notes: ___________
Common mistakes
- Writing the plan after you are already in the trade
- Stops that ignore structure (tight noise stops or arbitrary 1% lines)
- No invalidation — only a hopeful target
- Oversizing “because the setup looks good”