RuleactiveUpdated 2026-10-19
Plan before the fill
Every new buy has a setup, a one-line trigger, a stop, a size worked out from that stop, and a first target with a trim amount, all written down before the order fills.
Every new buy has, at the fill, a setup tag, a one-line trigger, a stop price, shares sized off that stop, and a first target with a trim fraction. Nothing left "TBD."
Why
A plan written after you're in is a story you tell yourself about a trade you already took. The plan only does its job when it comes first, before the position gets a say.
What breaking it looks like
- No plan at fill: bought with no setup, no stop, or the trim size still "to be decided."
- Plan after session: the stop or targets written that night instead of at the fill.
Trades opened without a logged plan are flagged on the site the moment they appear. They're listed below.
Times this rule was broken: 2
Logged in each trade's review. Counted, not hidden.
Related
- Adds only from the planNo adding to a position unless that price or trigger was already written in the plan.
- My own trigger, every timeAnother trader taking a position is information, not a reason. Every entry needs a trigger of my own beyond a stop.
- Position sizing: size comes from the stopYou don't pick how many shares to buy. You pick how much you're willing to lose and where your stop is; the share count falls out of the math.
- Risk firstDecide what you can lose, and where you're wrong, before thinking about what you can make.
- The stop: deciding where you're wrongA stop is the price that proves the trade idea wrong. It's chosen before entry, placed as a live order, and only ever moved in your favor.