Trading Plan Template: Build Your Rules and Download
Define what must happen before a trade, when to stay out and how to review your decisions. Start with a blank plan or customize the illustrative example.
Author · Editor
- Author
- Mykola Zavarov
- Editor
- Andriy Bondarenko
Reviewed
The essentials
Download a blank plan or an illustrative example, then adapt the rules to a specific product and trading process.
Give every risk limit a unit, measurement definition and period. A percentage also needs a named base and snapshot.
Keep the plan version alongside your journal. A completed document does not establish that a strategy works or that you are ready to trade.
Download or customize your trading plan
Start with the blank template if you already have rules to document. Open the worked example if you want to see the level of detail a plan needs. Both are available below; the blank document also works without JavaScript. To write your own version, use the plan builder.
The printable download is HTML: open it in a browser, choose Print and select Save as PDF if your browser provides that option. TXT is an editable text copy; JSON is a structured backup for restoring the plan in this builder. The example is original, invented practice material. Its rules and amounts are not recommendations or evidence of a profitable strategy.
Start with a template
Download a blank plan or an original illustrative example. The HTML file opens in your browser for printing; TXT is editable; JSON can be restored in the builder.
Blank plan
All rules are unspecified. Fill in only the fields that describe your own process.
Illustrative example
A fictional demo-account plan shows how to define limits and procedures. Its numbers are not recommended settings and it supplies no trading entry strategy.
Customize your planJump to the builder below.
What belongs in a trading plan?
A useful plan answers the decisions you should not have to improvise after placing an order. It names the product, conditions for participation, entry and exit process, limits and response to a problem. CME’s trade-plan worksheet also separates product details, trading schedules and risk questions.
Document | Main question | What to record |
|---|---|---|
Trading plan | Under what rules will I operate? | Permitted instruments, decision rules, limits, schedule, incidents and review procedure. |
Strategy or setup | What specific conditions define this trade idea? | Observable entry conditions, invalidation and exit logic. A plan can refer to a separately tested strategy. |
Trading journal | What actually happened? | Orders, fills, costs, outcomes and whether the applicable plan was followed. |
Scroll sideways to compare all columns ↔
Specify the actual product type as well as the symbol: an OTC currency position and a currency future need different operational checks. Add the analysis timeframe, order process, trading window and named time zone. Include rules for scheduled events, overnight positions and technical failures, then finish with a session checklist and a review date.
Keep private account identifiers and access credentials out of the document. A descriptive account label is enough to connect a plan to the right practice environment or journal.
Turn an intention into a rule you can check
A rule needs an observation, a decision and a record. If two people could read the same chart and disagree about whether your condition occurred, specify the reference level, data source and observation time. The examples below demonstrate wording; they do not validate the underlying trading ideas.
Vague intention | An observable practice rule | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|
Enter on a strong breakout. | Before the session, record the reference high. The selected timeframe’s candle must close above that level; an unfinished candle does not qualify. | Reference price, timeframe, closing price and timestamp. |
Keep the position small. | Before sending an order, record the chosen cash budget and size calculation. If the estimated loss at the minimum tradable size exceeds that budget under the stated assumptions, skip the order. | Budget, contract specification, assumed exit and calculated quantity. |
Avoid trading at the wrong time. | Only submit new entries inside the documented window. Outside it, follow the separate rules for positions already open. | Window, named time zone and order timestamp. |
Be careful if the platform freezes. | Stop submitting new orders. Check open orders, positions and history through the approved recovery channel before deciding whether any request needs to be repeated. | Incident time, observed order status and action taken. |
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The exit rule deserves the same detail as entry. State what invalidates the idea, which order or manual procedure implements the exit, and what happens if execution is unavailable. Do not leave “manage actively” as the only instruction.
What do your risk limits actually measure?
“Risk 0.5%” is incomplete until you name the base. In an invented example, equity of 10,000 USD at the beginning of the selected period gives 10,000 × 0.5% = 50 USD. That is arithmetic, not a suggested risk level. A percentage of current equity can produce a different amount from the same percentage of a fixed opening snapshot.
Definition | What the plan must make explicit |
|---|---|
Unit and currency | Money or percent; the currency for cash amounts and any conversion method needed. |
Base and snapshot | For a percentage, the exact balance or equity measure and when its value is captured. |
Measured quantity | Planned loss to an assumed exit, realized loss, change in trading equity, or another clearly defined measure. |
Scope and period | One trade, all relevant positions or a stated session/day/week, including which accounts or instruments count. |
Reset and action | When the measurement period restarts, in which time zone, and what to do when the rule is triggered. |
Scroll sideways to compare all columns ↔
If you measure the period’s trading result, one possible definition is realized P&L booked during the period plus the change in unrealized P&L since the opening snapshot, with costs counted once. State how positions carried into the period are valued and how deposits or withdrawals are excluded. A realized-only rule is different: it can omit a loss still sitting in an open position.
Name the treatment of commissions, financing and other applicable charges. If a result already uses actual entry and exit fills, it already reflects the spread within those prices; subtracting that same spread again double-counts it. A result based on chart or midpoint prices may need different assumptions.
CME’s risk-planning guide considers both individual trades and total exposure. A per-trade maximum and an aggregate limit do not automatically contradict each other. A proposed position must fit every applicable restriction at the time, including any remaining budget. This builder records your definitions; it does not calculate current exposure, remaining capacity or compliance with an account provider’s rules. Resetting a period does not erase prior losses or close positions.
Planned loss is not a guaranteed maximum loss. The SEC’s bulletin on US stock orders explains that a stop price does not guarantee the execution price. Check the actual product’s order rules: gaps, available liquidity and execution problems can make the realized loss larger than planned.
Use the position size calculator after choosing the relevant assumptions. The risk/reward calculator can describe a proposed setup’s price distances; a favorable ratio alone does not establish its probability of success.
When will you skip a trade or stop a session?
Write separate instructions for refusing a new entry and managing an existing position. “Stop trading” does not tell you whether to cancel pending orders, close exposure or keep managing it under an existing exit rule. Specify the intended action and its order.
- Missing condition: identify which absent setup input makes the trade ineligible.
- Market conditions: define how you check spreads, liquidity and scheduled announcements, and any chosen exclusion window.
- Holding: state whether overnight or weekend exposure is permitted and which product-specific checks must precede it.
- Limit reached: describe the response for new orders, pending orders and existing positions separately.
- Technical incident: record the recovery channel and how to verify order status before retrying a request.
Write a zone such as America/New_York or Europe/London beside the trading window and reset rule. Those names identify regional time-zone rules; their UTC offset can change with daylight saving time. Check the date, venue schedule and broker’s clock rather than assuming that “EST” describes every season. The market-hours tool can help you compare session times.
Build and preview your own plan
Fill in the sections in the builder and read the document preview as a single set of instructions. Keep an unknown value blank until you can define it. Blank means unspecified, not zero; if something does not apply, explain that explicitly in the relevant text field.
The builder highlights missing definitions, including units and percentage bases. Its completion count describes filled fields only. It does not verify the quality of a setup, calculate a safe position or certify readiness for live trading. Check that the entry, exit and incident procedures make sense together.
Preview the full text before exporting. Keep the JSON backup if you want to restore the fields later; TXT is easier to edit outside the builder, while HTML is the printable document. The plan is generated locally in your browser without an account or an automatic upload of your entries.
Your rules, in one document
Trading plan builder
Write the rules you have chosen before a trade. The preview updates as you type; blank fields stay explicitly unspecified. No risk level or trading strategy is selected for you.
The builder works in this browser tab. Your entries are not uploaded or stored by the builder. Download a JSON backup to restore them later; reloading or leaving can lose this draft.
Import JSON
Fields with an entry: 0. Unspecified: 37.
This counts text only, including optional fields. It is not a completeness requirement, readiness score or check of whether a rule makes sense.
For PDF: download the HTML file, open it in a browser, choose Print → Save as PDF, and select A4 or Letter. Review the print preview; browser headers and footers can be turned off. Long rules can continue across pages.
HTML and TXT include every field and retain the text you entered, including entries needing clarification. JSON preserves the editable draft, field IDs and example label. Downloads do not mean your rules have been checked.
This is a document builder, not a risk calculator. It does not compare your limits, validate a strategy, check broker rules or certify readiness to trade. A planned limit or stop does not guarantee the eventual loss.
Review the plan without rewriting its history
Give each version an identifier, effective date and reason for change. Put that identifier in the trading journal records made under the plan. Preserve the earlier document so a later review can distinguish a rule that performed poorly from a rule that was never followed.
- Check compliance: were the entry, skip, exit and incident rules followed?
- Check clarity: which field required interpretation or could not be verified?
- Check the assumptions: have product specifications, costs, schedules or operating conditions changed?
- Document the revision: name the evidence, the changed rule and when the new version takes effect.
Keep outcomes and rule compliance separate. A winning trade can break a rule, and a losing trade can follow one. If your journal uses R, define its initial-risk denominator consistently; the R-multiple guide explains that measurement. Do not change an old trade’s plan version or denominator simply to improve its reported result.
Trading plan template FAQ
Can I use this as a forex trading plan template?
Yes. Identify the actual product, currency pair and account currency, then document position units, sessions, financing and order rules. Adapt the plan to the provider’s specification. A forex label alone does not tell you whether you are trading OTC FX, a CFD or an exchange-listed currency future.
Can I download a blank plan without an account?
Yes. The blank download and illustrative example are available without registration. The static printable blank can be opened without running the interactive builder. Keep a separate copy before replacing it with your own rules.
Is there a trading plan template for Excel or Word?
The builder exports printable HTML, editable TXT and a JSON backup, not XLSX or DOCX. You can copy the text into your own spreadsheet or document, but it will not acquire formulas or spreadsheet validation automatically. To make a PDF, print the HTML through a browser that supports saving to PDF.
What risk percentage should I enter?
The template does not choose a percentage for you. The example only shows how a stated percentage relates to a stated base. Document your own constraints, currency and measurement method; neither an example value nor a filled field proves that a risk level is appropriate.
Can I change the rules after starting to use the plan?
Yes. Record why the change is needed and give it a new version and effective date. For an immediate operational problem, use the incident procedure already documented. Preserve the rules that applied to earlier trades so a new decision does not rewrite the evidence you will review.
Does a completed plan mean I am ready to trade?
No. Completion shows that fields contain text. It does not establish an edge, suitable capital, reliable execution or the ability to follow the rules. The document supports preparation and review; it is not an approval to trade or a forecast of returns.
Sources & further reading
- CME — Keep a Trade LogChecked