Fintokei trading checklist for 2026

1) Start with the essential questions

A trading plan isn’t a formality. It’s your way of turning chaos into structure, stress into routine, and impulses into decisions. It keeps you disciplined, reduces mistakes, and helps you focus on what you can control – your process.

What your plan should clarify:

• Why you trade and what you expect from it
• How much time you’re willing to dedicate
• What level of risk feels comfortable
• What trading style fits your personality
• How you’ll measure and evaluate your progress

2) Set your goals, motivations, and expectations

There’s no universal goal for all traders. But there are goals that make sense – the ones that support your long-term growth instead of quick bursts of excitement and early burnout.

Set goals that genuinely move you forward:

• instead of “I want 5% daily” → “I want to follow all my rules.”
• instead of “I want to trade every day” → “I’ll take only quality setups.”
• instead of chasing numbers → “I’ll evaluate the process, not the result of the day.”

Why do you trade?
Financial independence? Competition? Personal growth? Any reason is valid – as long as it’s yours and it’s honest.

Prop trading reality:
Prop challenges have limits (profit targets, daily and max loss). Your trading style must respect these rules, not try to bend them.

Kick off your Fintokei challenge on TradingView! 💪

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3) Choose the right market and trading style

Starting with “a little bit of this and a little bit of that” might work when binge-watching Netflix, but not in trading. Focus = advantage. The better you know a few instruments, the fewer surprises you’ll face.

For beginners, stick to this approach:

• Choose 2–3 instruments suitable for beginner traders and study them deeply
• Observe volatility, rhythm, and reaction to news
• Always check the economic calendar before your session
• Mark supports, resistance, and market context – here’s how if you don’t know

Choose your trading style based on yourself, not on what’s trending among finfluencers:

• scalping → fast decisions, adrenaline ride
• intraday → structured sessions
• swing → less stress, more patience

Pick the style that fits your pace, your mindset, and your time.

4) When it comes to strategy, keep it simple

A strategy is only as good as your ability to describe it clearly. If you can’t explain it simply, it’s too complicated.

Your strategy should tell you:

• How do you identify a trading opportunity
• Precise entry conditions (pattern, level, context)
• Exit rules (TP, SL, trailing)
• The minimum risk-reward you respect (this article will help you set it)
• A pre-trade checklist (yes/no before entering)

And most importantly:
Choose max 2–3 patterns you truly master. Consistency > creativity.

5) Buckle up – your risk management ruleset

Risk management isn’t a brake. It’s your insurance that you’ll still be here long enough to win. Without it, no strategy survives. So, be sure to learn at least the absolute basics.

These practical limits make sense:

• Risk per trade: 0.5–1% of the account (see why it matters)
• max daily loss: 1%
• pause after two consecutive losses
• never increase your size just because you’re “doing well”

A stop-loss is NOT optional – it’s mandatory.
If you’re not using it consistently, start now.

And remember:
Within Fintokei, we also monitor your maximum allowed risk on open trades.

6) Embrace your daily routine – this is where success hides

Our Fintokei Star Sebastián put it perfectly: “If you stick to the plan, trading is quite boring actually.” But you can control it, and that matters. A proper trader moves like John Wick – methodical, precise, and committed.

Professional trading thrives on routine, not randomness.

Before the session:

• Choose instruments that make sense today
• Check all relevant news
• Prepare your charts and scenarios
• Set the day’s expectations

During the session:

• Trade only planned setups
• Respect your time block (e.g., max 3 hours)
• No chasing, no emotional revenge

After the session:

• Write a short summary
• Evaluate quality, not P/L
• Close the platform and rest

7) Keep a trading journal – your most powerful tool

A journal is not a nerdy formality. It’s the only place that shows you why something worked – or didn’t. And yes, reading your old entries can feel cringe… and that’s great. It means you’ve grown!

If you cringe at your past trades, congrats – that’s improvement in action.

Keep it simple:

• What you traded
• Why you entered
• How you exited
• Emotions during the trade
• Mistakes & insights

Once per week:

• Review the best and worst trades
• Evaluate rule-following
• Adjust your plan where mistakes repeat

A journal is your honest mirror. Nothing else gives you feedback this real.

8) Never underestimate psychology

Many traders lose not because of bad strategies, but because of emotions. Fear, euphoria, boredom… all totally normal. What matters is how you work with them. – check out the article about the 4 emotional killers in prop trading.

Useful habits:

• Short calming routine before the session (sipping coffee while browsing charts, for example)
• Hard rule: taking a break after two losses
• Shut down the platform when you’re tired or euphoric
• Track your emotional triggers in your journal

The goal isn’t to eliminate emotions – it’s to manage them.

9) Adapt your plan to prop trading challenges

Prop trading has its own limits. Ignore them, and you won’t last long.

Know the differences between Fintokei challenges:

StartTrader (beginner multi-phase challenge)

Perfect for first experience – but caution and calm always win here.

• Start slowly. A handful of small, clean trades beats one oversized risk.
• Stick to simple situations you understand. Chaos is a beginner’s biggest enemy.
• The profit target is low, but note: you can complete only 40% of it per day. After that, the account locks for the day.
• Treat it as a training mode: build routine, discipline, confidence. And don’t forget the time limit!

SwiftTrader (fast & direct single-phase challenge)

It may sound like a sprint, but it rewards a steady pace.

• Keep your approach simple – no complex scenarios, no experiments.
• Watch your size early on. There’s less room for mistakes.
• As you grow the balance, the static loss limit gives you a nice “cushion” – but trade smart.
• And don’t rush. You have unlimited time. Slow, stable, controlled progress wins.

ProTrader (for advanced traders, more flexibility & bigger volume)

This is for traders who want more space and calmer conditions.

• Profit target is higher, but daily/max loss limits are the most generous — giving you breathing room.
• You can take a slightly higher risk, but keep it within reason.
• Big accounts tempt big trades. Don’t fall for it – stay within your personal framework (0.5–1% per position).
• Time pressure in ProTrader? None. Grow steadily and use your “cushion” wisely.
  The biggest advantage? Stability. Here you focus on strategy, not survival.

ProTrader Swing (for longer-holding traders)

• Designed for swing trading – losses on open trades don’t count toward daily loss.
• You’ll take fewer trades, so choose only the truly high-quality ones.
• Have a clear plan for holding, reducing, or exiting.
• You also have a static total loss limit here – use it for calmer decision-making.

Track Your Progress in MyFintokei 💪

Ready to see where you stand? You can track your current XP, view your Tier status, and check which missions are available directly in your MyFintokei zone. Watch your progress bar fill up as you trade and see exactly how close you are to unlocking your next massive upgrade!

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10) Build sustainability: learn to last a month, a year, a whole career

Trading isn’t a sprint. It’s a long, technical course – and rhythm is everything.

What helps you last:

• A structured 30-day plan
• The rule “win and stop” – trading while euphoric rarely ends well
• Planned days off – remember, you trade to live, not live to trade
• Community & constructive feedback – talk to other traders, don’t do it alone
• Less is more – take only A+ setups
  

Ask a professional trader about their “top trade,” and most won’t know. Why? Because all their trades look the same – routine, rule-based, repeatable. That’s exactly how your trading should look, too.

A trading plan is a roadmap to your success

A trading plan is more than a document. It’s your personal checklist for growth, learning, and staying on track even when the market pushes your limits.

Stick to your plan, watch your progress, and trade in a way that builds long-term results – not short-term emotions.

Keep this in mind, and you will accelerate your trading success before you know it!