Trading Plan Template Name: Date:: Why Do I Want To Trade?

IG Markets Inc.
311 S. Wacker Dr, Suite 2650,

Chicago , IL 60606
P (312) 981-8040
F (312) 981-5050
www.igmarkets.com
Thank you for requesting a copy of the IG Markets Trading Plan Template. Developing a
comprehensive, written trading plan is one of the most important steps any trader can
take. While filling in your responses below please take your time and strive to thoroughly
consider your answers. While there are several elements covered in this template, it is by
no means an exhaustive list. Depending on the type of trader you are, or the markets you
are trading, there may be other elements you wish to add that you consider important to
you. If this is the case, please, by all means expand on this plan at your discretion.
Trading in any market involves risks and particularly in leveraged markets where it is
possible to lose more than your initial investment, these risks can be substantial. This
template is simply a guideline and will not guarantee your success as a trader.
Trading Plan Template
Name:
Date:
Motivation and Goals
Why do I want to trade?
My starting capital is?
Monetary Goal in 5 years:
Monetary Goal in 1 year:
Monetary Goal in 6 months:
Monetary Goal per month:
Monetary Goal per week:

Approximately how many Pips/Points does this represent?
What rate of return does this represent?
Are these goals realistic?
Are these goals in line with my trading style?
Additional thoughts?
Risk and Money Management
It is crucial in money management to understand the pip/point value, the bid/ask

spread, any trade related commission and the volatility of each instrument traded.
You should know each of these before attempting to trade any instrument.
What is the maximum % of my equity I will risk on any one trade?
How many trades in a row can I lose before I am out of equity?
I will not have more than % of my total account equity at risk at any one time
(over multiple trades)
Post Trade (also see section on Trade Documentation):
What is my winning percentage? (Initially, when there is a small sample size, this
percentage may vary greatly, as you place more trades you will get a better idea)
What is my true (post trade) Risk/Reward Ratio?
What are my additional investments? (Data, Internet, Supplies, etc.)
Timing – When
What time(s) of day do I plan to trade?
What markets / banking centers are open at that time?

What currency pairs are most active then?
How do I typically feel at that time of the day?
Is that feasible with my current schedule?
Timing – How Long**
** Do not worry if at first you do not know. Everyone has a different psychological
make-up and the type of trader you are should become self evident very quickly.
Never ever, ever let anyone else determine your style for you! Also, please keep in
mind that it is entirely possible, depending on your strategy and instruments traded,
to have a combination of trade durations.
What type of trader am I?
Scalper: Hold trades from a few seconds to several minutes
Intraday: Hold trades from 15 minutes to 6 hours
Swing: Hold trades for 12 hours to a few days or even over one week
Position: Hold trades for weeks, months or years
Tools – Fundamental and Technical
I am going to use the following for fundamental news analysis and information (and
why):
I am going to use the following technical analysis tools (and why)?

Trade Documentation
Below is a list of suggested items that you will want to track for each trade. This is
by no means exhaustive; please feel free to add to this list, based on the needs of
your methodology.
Date and time of trade

Instrument traded
Pip or point value of instrument
Spread
Account balance at time of trade
Result and method of analysis (technical / fundamental or both)
Entry Price
Price level of stop order(s)
Price level(s) of limit order(s)
Pre-trade Risk to Reward Ratio
Trade progress (if limits are moved, closed out partial positions early, etc)
Result of trade
What went well with the trade and what did not go well? The key is to always keep
learning!
2 Second Trade Log:

When looking at a chart, mark the levels of your entry order(s), stop order(s) and
limit order(s) or targets using horizontal lines at the appropriate levels. I color code
mine, but feel free to do what works best for you. Many trading platforms will also
display your orders on the charts which makes this process much easier. The reason
we do this is to capture all of the information listed above in the screen shot and not
have to retype it later on.
Step 1: Once the chart is set-up (should be part of your trading routine) or your
orders are entered simply hold down the CTRL and ALT keys and hit the Print
Scrn/SysRq button (some laptops may just have a PRT SCRN or some variant).
This will take a snap shot of your active window; however, you will not see anything
happen.
Step 2: Open a word processing document such as Word, place your cursor at the
desired point, right click the mouse and choose paste (shortcut for paste is CTRL +
V). This will apply the screen shot to the document.
Depending on the trade, I may have just a screen shot of the trade opening and one
more after the trade is completed; however, if it has been an actively managed
trade, I may have multiple shots. Also, I will often type a few notes if there is
anything that I notice or have done with the trade.
Continuing Education – What areas need work?
General market knowledge and terminology

Trading platform
Order entry and exit strategies – order types
Analysis tools – Technical or Fundamental
Trading strategies
Money management
Trading psychology
All of the above
IG Markets Inc. provides an execution-only service. The material above does not contain
(and should not be construed as containing) investment advice or an investment
recommendation, or a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a
transaction in any financial instrument. IG Markets Inc. accepts no responsibility for any
use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. Past
performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. IG Markets Inc. is a registered Futures
Commission Merchant (FCM), and a member of the National Futures Association (NFA
ID# 0342337), and is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

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IG Markets Inc.

311 S. Wacker Dr, Suite 2650,

Trading Plan Template

Motivation and Goals

Why do I want to trade?

My starting capital is?

Monetary Goal in 5 years:

Monetary Goal in 1 year:

Monetary Goal in 6 months:

Monetary Goal per month:

Monetary Goal per week:

What rate of return does this represent?

Are these goals realistic?

Are these goals in line with my trading style?

Risk and Money Management

It is crucial in money management to understand the pip/point value, the bid/ask

What is the maximum % of my equity I will risk on any one trade?

How many trades in a row can I lose before I am out of equity?

Post Trade (also see section on Trade Documentation):

What is my true (post trade) Risk/Reward Ratio?

What are my additional investments? (Data, Internet, Supplies, etc.)

What time(s) of day do I plan to trade?

What markets / banking centers are open at that time?

How do I typically feel at that time of the day?

Is that feasible with my current schedule?

Timing – How Long**

What type of trader am I?

Scalper: Hold trades from a few seconds to several minutes

Intraday: Hold trades from 15 minutes to 6 hours

Position: Hold trades for weeks, months or years

Tools – Fundamental and Technical

I am going to use the following technical analysis tools (and why)?

Date and time of trade

2 Second Trade Log:

Continuing Education – What areas need work?

General market knowledge and terminology

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