Complete Trading Plan Template with Examples

A trading plan is not a vibe document. It is an operating manual for your account. This guide walks through every section a complete plan needs and shows how to fill it in.

Why a written plan matters

A plan that lives in your head is not a plan. Under stress, the brain rationalizes — "this time is different," "I'll average down just once." A written plan forces you to define your rules when calm, then execute them when not.

The complete template

1. Goals and constraints — capital (e.g., $25,000 funded account), goal (5-10% monthly with max 6% drawdown), time available (2 hours daily, NY session only), risk tolerance (moderate).

2. Markets and timeframes — markets (EUR/USD, GBP/USD, XAU/USD), decision timeframe (1H), entry timeframe (5M), session (London + NY overlap, 7-11am ET).

3. Setup criteria (the edge) — a trade triggers only when ALL conditions are met: trend (1H 50 EMA sloping in trade direction), structure (clear higher-high / lower-low sequence aligned), level (price at a pre-marked support/resistance zone), trigger (5M pin bar or engulfing candle rejection), macro filter (DXY and yields not opposing).

4. Entry rules — limit order at the level, or market on trigger close; position size 1% risk per trade; max concurrent trades 2.

5. Stop loss — 1.5 × ATR(14) on the 5-minute, beyond structure; never move stop away from price; only trail toward breakeven; time stop (exit if no movement in 1 hour).

6. Take profit — Target 1 at 1R, move stop to breakeven; Target 2 at 2R, exit 50% of remaining; runner trailed by 1 × ATR; minimum acceptable RR before entry 1.5.

7. Risk rules — max risk per trade 1%; max daily loss 3% (stop trading for the day); max weekly loss 6% (stop for the week); max open positions 2; no trading 15 min before/after high-impact news.

8. Journaling and review — record every trade with setup, entry, stop, target, result, screenshot, emotional state (1-10); weekly review Sunday evening 30 min; monthly review (win rate, expectancy, largest win/loss, rule violations).

Common mistakes

Too vague ("buy when trend is up" — not tradeable). Too complex (15 conditions means you'll never take a trade). No review step (a plan you never review is dead).

The bottom line

A complete trading plan covers goals, markets, setups, entry, stop, target, risk, and review. Write it down, follow it for 30 trades, then iterate based on the data. A mediocre plan executed consistently beats a brilliant plan executed randomly.