Trade management should reveal the original plan, not improvise a new one under stress. Honor invalidation, take planned reductions at profile levels, and tighten risk only when the written rule allows it.

Finish management before entry

Write the initial stop, targets, partial quantities, breakeven rule, trailing method, time stop, and emergency conditions before the order fills.

Define the exact price or evidence that invalidates the setup.
Assign quantities to target 1, target 2, and any runner before entry.
State what must happen before the stop can move to breakeven.
Choose one trailing method and the timeframe that controls it.
Name event, liquidity, platform, or volatility conditions that require an immediate review.

Four-part trade plan diagram connecting entry, stop, target, and invalidation before execution. — Visual Academy C01 · The Four-Part Trade PlanAccepted internal asset · Source preserved

Use the first target to reduce risk

In the documented STS process, the first target is the next meaningful Volume Profile level. After that target trades, the remaining position can move to the written breakeven rule.

01
Target trades
Execute the planned partial instead of waiting for a better feeling.
02
Risk changes
Move the stop only according to the written breakeven or structural rule.
03
Runner remains
Use the next profile level or the chosen trailing method for the remainder.

Break-even expectancy diagram showing the relationship between win rate and average reward-to-risk. — Visual Academy C03 · Break-Even MathAccepted internal asset · Source preserved

Never widen the stop to protect the story

A stop marks where the trade idea dies. Moving it farther away increases risk after the evidence has weakened.

Allowed

Tighten under a rule

Move to breakeven or behind new structure only after the planned condition occurs.

Not allowed

Widen to avoid the loss

Do not give the setup more room because price is close to invalidation.

Review

Record every discretionary change

If you override the plan, document the evidence and score it as an execution decision.

Capital-protection card stating that a trade without a stop and invalidation is not a complete plan. — Visual Academy E06 · No StopAccepted internal asset · Source preserved

Reject late entries and revenge re-entries

When price has left the planned location, the original stop and target no longer describe the same trade.

No-chase reminder showing how a late entry expands stop distance and reduces the remaining reward. — Visual Academy D06 · Do Not ChaseAccepted internal asset · Source preserved

Late-entry coaching card identifying the fourth candle after a trigger as a degraded STS entry. — Visual Academy E05 · Candle FourAccepted internal asset · Source preserved

Keep the STS scaling rule specific to STS

The documented intraday STS playbook starts with the intended position and scales out. It does not add to a winner after price has moved away from the original stop.

Next steps

Close the loop by measuring whether management matched the plan.

Review the tradeScore entry, stop, size, management, and outcome separately.Return to the setupCompare the trade with the original playbook gates.Audit the riskRecalculate planned and realized R, costs, and portfolio heat.

Manage the trade you planned