Guides
How to get your trades out of your broker, and how to read the numbers.
Win rate vs risk-reward: the break-even math
How win rate and risk-reward ratio work together. The break-even win rate formula, worked examples, and how to read your own numbers in a journal.
November 4, 2026What is a trading journal and why keep one?
A trading journal is a structured record of your trades and the reasons behind them. Learn what to put in it, why it works, and how to start in five minutes.
November 4, 2026Trading journal template: what to record
A simple trading journal template: the fields to record for each trade, a daily plan and review, and the setups, mistakes and tags that make stats useful.
November 4, 2026Trading journal: spreadsheet or software?
Should you keep your trading journal in Excel or Google Sheets, or use journal software? The honest trade-offs, and when each one makes sense.
November 4, 2026Track an 8 EMA and VWAP crossover strategy
Moving-average and VWAP crossovers are popular entries. Here is how to tag and measure the 8 EMA / VWAP and 8/21 EMA crossovers to see if they work for you.
November 4, 2026Risk per trade and position size: the basics
How to size a trade from the money you are willing to lose: the position size formula, worked examples for stocks and options, and how to track risk in a journal.
November 4, 2026Profit factor and expectancy, explained with examples
What profit factor, expectancy, win rate and drawdown actually tell you about a trading strategy, and why win rate alone is misleading.
November 4, 2026Opening range breakout (ORB) trade journal
What an opening range breakout is, and how to track ORB high and ORB low trades in a journal so you can tell whether the setup actually works for you.
November 4, 2026How to stop revenge trading, using your journal
Revenge trading is entering again straight after a loss to win it back. How to recognise it in your own data, and practical rules to interrupt it.
November 4, 2026How to journal options trades
A practical guide to journaling options trades: what to write down for each trade, which numbers matter, and how to find which strategies pay.
November 4, 2026FOMO in trading: how to spot and track it
FOMO trades are entries driven by fear of missing a move. How to recognise them, tag them in your journal and measure what they cost.
November 4, 2026How to export trades from your broker to CSV
Where to find the CSV export in thinkorswim, Interactive Brokers, Robinhood, Webull and Fidelity, and what each file contains, so you can import it into a journal.
November 4, 2026How to export your thinkorswim trades to CSV
Step by step: export your Account Statement from thinkorswim and import it into a trading journal to see your real P&L, win rate and drawdown.
November 4, 2026How to export Fidelity trades to CSV
Two ways to export Fidelity trades: Active Trader Pro orders with exact times, and the Fidelity.com history with dates only. Steps and what to watch for.
November 4, 2026Daily trading plan and review template
A short pre-market plan and post-market review you can copy: what to decide before the open, what to write after the close, and how to use it to improve tomorrow.
November 4, 2026Best free trading journal: what to look for
Free trading journals differ in trade caps, broker import, options support and what happens when the free tier ends. A checklist to compare them honestly.
November 4, 2026