How Our Trading Journal Works

A structured approach to improve your trading 📈

TradeBench takes you through five steps for every trade – from idea to review. Each step builds on the previous one, and the system handles the calculations so you can focus on making better trading decisions.

Here’s what the process looks like.

Step 1: Plan Your Trade

Before you enter any trade, TradeBench helps you build a plan. Enter your planned entry price, stop loss, and target. The system automatically calculates:

• Position size (how many shares, contracts, or lots to trade)
• Dollar risk based on your personal risk parameters
• Reward/risk ratio
• Potential profit and loss

You set your own risk rules – maximum risk per trade, maximum risk as a percentage of account value, and maximum capital to commit per position. TradeBench applies the most conservative of these limits every time.

You can also run your setup through a customizable checklist. Some items are checked automatically – for example, minimum daily volume requirements.

Not sure which setup to take? Add several ideas to the comparison table and sort by reward/risk ratio or your personal rating. When you decide, transfer to a full trade plan with one click.

Learn how position sizing is calculated →

Step 2: Enter Your Trade

Once you’ve executed the trade in your broker account, log it in TradeBench. The system supports:

• Any broker worldwide

• Multiple entries (scaling in)

• Both long and short positions

• Stocks, futures, forex, crypto, and CFDs

Step 3: Manage Your Open Trades

Your open trades dashboard shows everything in one place:

• Live prices updated automatically
• Unrealized P&L for each position
• What-if scenario calculations (what happens if price reaches X?)
• Your original trade plan next to the current numbers
• Advanced charts powered by TradingView

Step 4: Exit and Close

When you close a trade – partially or fully – TradeBench records the exit. Multiple exits (scaling out) are supported. The system calculates your actual P&L including commissions.

Step 5: Review and Learn

This is where the real value of a trading journal shows up. We recommend reviewing trades at least a couple of weeks after closing, when the emotions have faded.

For each closed trade, you can:

• Paste chart screenshots directly from TradingView or any charting tool (copy-paste, no file upload needed)
• Write notes on what went right and what you’d do differently
• Tag the trade with custom labels (strategy, setup type, idea source, exit method)

Over time, these reviews become your most valuable resource. Run reports filtered by strategy, instrument, label, or time period to find out what actually makes you money – and do more of it.

See all features in detail →

More Than a Spreadsheet

A trading journal spreadsheet in i.e. Excel can contain recorded trades, but it can’t calculate your position size from live account data, pull in real-time prices for open trades, or generate performance reports with a few clicks. TradeBench handles the structure and calculations so that planning, journaling, and reviewing your trades takes minutes instead of hours.

All features are free. No paid plans, no credit card required. Learn how we keep it free →

What Others Say

Vimal at Wealthinzen has reviewed TradeBench (we are not affiliated with them): How to make a perfect Trading Journal (opens in a new tab/window).