{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"articleState":{"article":{"headers":{"creationTime":"2017-12-01T03:24:57+00:00","modifiedTime":"2017-12-01T03:24:57+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:16:04+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"Investing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34288"},"slug":"investing","categoryId":34288},{"name":"Investment Vehicles","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34290"},"slug":"investment-vehicles","categoryId":34290},{"name":"Stocks","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34298"},"slug":"stocks","categoryId":34298}],"title":"How to Improve Your Stock Picking Results with Journaling","strippedTitle":"how to improve your stock picking results with journaling","slug":"improve-stock-picking-results-journaling","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Picking the right stocks is the goal of every stock chart user. You can improve your stock picking results by tracking these key items in a journal: Keep track ","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Picking the right stocks is the goal of every stock chart user. You can improve your stock picking results by tracking these key items in a journal:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Keep track of your winners and losers.</li>\r\n \t<li>Analyze each trade to track what you did wrong and what you did right. You can use the information to repeat your successes. You can also use the information to hopefully avoid making the same error in the future.</li>\r\n \t<li>Keep buying winners. After you discover a strategy for finding and buying winners, keep notes and continue to improve on your decision-making strategies.</li>\r\n \t<li>Stop holding losers. Analyze a losing trade and get out before it becomes an even bigger loser.</li>\r\n \t<li>Keep more of your winners. With charting and a good understanding of trends, you can feel more confident about when to hold and when to sell your winners.</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"Picking the right stocks is the goal of every stock chart user. You can improve your stock picking results by tracking these key items in a journal:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Keep track of your winners and losers.</li>\r\n \t<li>Analyze each trade to track what you did wrong and what you did right. You can use the information to repeat your successes. You can also use the information to hopefully avoid making the same error in the future.</li>\r\n \t<li>Keep buying winners. After you discover a strategy for finding and buying winners, keep notes and continue to improve on your decision-making strategies.</li>\r\n \t<li>Stop holding losers. Analyze a losing trade and get out before it becomes an even bigger loser.</li>\r\n \t<li>Keep more of your winners. With charting and a good understanding of trends, you can feel more confident about when to hold and when to sell your winners.</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":11261,"name":"Greg Schnell","slug":"greg-schnell","description":" <p><b>Greg Schnell, CMT, MFTA,</b> specializes in intermarket and commodities analysis for StockCharts.com. He contributes market analysis commentary to several blogs that garner between 5,000 and 10,000 readers weekly. <p><b>Lita Epstein, MBA,</b> has written more than 40 books, including <i>Trading For Dummies</i>, <i>Bookkeeping For Dummies</i>, and <i>Reading Financial Reports For Dummies</i>. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/11261"}},{"authorId":8974,"name":"Lita Epstein","slug":"lita-epstein","description":" <b>Lita Epstein,</b> who earned her MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, enjoys helping people develop good financial, investing and tax-planning skills.<br /> While getting her MBA, Lita worked as a teaching assistant for the financial accounting department and ran the accounting lab. After completing her MBA, she managed finances for a small nonprofit organization and for the facilities management section of a large medical clinic.<br /> She designs and teaches online courses on topics such as investing for retirement, getting ready for tax time and finance and investing for women. She’s written over 20 books including <i>Reading Financial Reports For Dummies</i> and <i>Trading For Dummies.<br /> </i>Lita was the content director for a financial services Web site, MostChoice.com, and managed the Web site, Investing for Women. As a Congressional press secretary, Lita gained firsthand knowledge about how to work within and around the Federal bureaucracy, which gives her great insight into how government programs work. In the past, Lita has been a daily newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and fundraiser for the international activities of former President Jimmy Carter through The Carter Center.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8974"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34298,"title":"Stocks","slug":"stocks","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34298"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":250895,"title":"Setting Up a Specialized Monthly Area Stock Chart","slug":"setting-specialized-monthly-area-stock-chart","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/250895"}},{"articleId":250888,"title":"Following Technical Clues to Help Manage Your Trades","slug":"following-technical-clues-help-manage-trades","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/250888"}},{"articleId":250882,"title":"Selling Stocks Before They Head South","slug":"selling-stocks-head-south","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/250882"}},{"articleId":250877,"title":"Using Targeted Scans to Monitor Stocks","slug":"using-targeted-scans-monitor-stocks","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/250877"}},{"articleId":250833,"title":"Separating the Strong from the Weak Using Stock Charts","slug":"separating-strong-weak-using-stock-charts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/250833"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":283116,"title":"10 Reasons Not to Invest in Marijuana Stocks","slug":"10-reasons-not-to-invest-in-marijuana-stocks","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283116"}},{"articleId":283111,"title":"11 Criteria for Choosing a Cannabis Investment","slug":"11-criteria-for-choosing-a-cannabis-investment","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283111"}},{"articleId":283105,"title":"Cannabis Investments: Risks Inherent in Momentum Investing","slug":"cannabis-investments-risks-inherent-in-momentum-investing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283105"}},{"articleId":283098,"title":"Investing in Cannabis: Spotting Opportunities to Buy or Sell","slug":"investing-in-cannabis-spotting-opportunities-to-buy-or-sell","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283098"}},{"articleId":283089,"title":"Investing in Cannabis: The Bid-Ask Spread","slug":"investing-in-cannabis-the-bid-ask-spread","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283089"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282607,"slug":"stock-charts-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119434399","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119434394/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119434394/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119434394-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119434394/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119434394/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/stock-charts-for-dummies-cover-9781119434399-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Stock Charts For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"11261\">Greg Schnell, CMT, MFTA,</b> specializes in intermarket and commodities analysis for StockCharts.com. He contributes market analysis commentary to several blogs that garner between 5,000 and 10,000 readers weekly. </p>\n<p><b data-author-id=\"8974\">Lita Epstein, MBA,</b> has written more than 40 books, including <i>Trading For Dummies</i>, <i>Bookkeeping For Dummies</i>, and <i>Reading Financial Reports For Dummies</i>. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":11261,"name":"Greg Schnell","slug":"greg-schnell","description":" <p><b>Greg Schnell, CMT, MFTA,</b> specializes in intermarket and commodities analysis for StockCharts.com. He contributes market analysis commentary to several blogs that garner between 5,000 and 10,000 readers weekly. <p><b>Lita Epstein, MBA,</b> has written more than 40 books, including <i>Trading For Dummies</i>, <i>Bookkeeping For Dummies</i>, and <i>Reading Financial Reports For Dummies</i>. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/11261"}},{"authorId":8974,"name":"Lita Epstein","slug":"lita-epstein","description":" <b>Lita Epstein,</b> who earned her MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, enjoys helping people develop good financial, investing and tax-planning skills.<br /> While getting her MBA, Lita worked as a teaching assistant for the financial accounting department and ran the accounting lab. After completing her MBA, she managed finances for a small nonprofit organization and for the facilities management section of a large medical clinic.<br /> She designs and teaches online courses on topics such as investing for retirement, getting ready for tax time and finance and investing for women. She’s written over 20 books including <i>Reading Financial Reports For Dummies</i> and <i>Trading For Dummies.<br /> </i>Lita was the content director for a financial services Web site, MostChoice.com, and managed the Web site, Investing for Women. As a Congressional press secretary, Lita gained firsthand knowledge about how to work within and around the Federal bureaucracy, which gives her great insight into how government programs work. In the past, Lita has been a daily newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and fundraiser for the international activities of former President Jimmy Carter through The Carter Center.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8974"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{"key":"cat","values":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"]},{"key":"isbn","values":["9781119434399"]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221a6460542\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{"key":"cat","values":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"]},{"key":"isbn","values":["9781119434399"]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221a6460e2d\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":null,"lifeExpectancySetFrom":null,"dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":247726},"articleLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{},"objectTitle":"","status":"initial","pageType":null,"objectId":null,"page":1,"sortField":"time","sortOrder":1,"categoriesIds":[],"articleTypes":[],"filterData":{},"filterDataLoadedStatus":"initial","pageSize":10},"adsState":{"pageScripts":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2024-03-04T05:50:01+00:00"},"adsId":0,"data":{"scripts":[{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n<script src=\"https://cdn.optimizely.com/js/10563184655.js\"></script>","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n<script>var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: \"2\", c2: \"15097263\" });(function() {var s = document.createElement(\"script\"), el = document.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == \"https:\" ? \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();</script><noscript><img src=\"https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=15097263&cv=2.0&cj=1\" /></noscript>\r\n","enabled":true},{"pages":["all"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n<script type='text/javascript'>\r\n(function(){var g=function(e,h,f,g){\r\nthis.get=function(a){for(var a=a+\"=\",c=document.cookie.split(\";\"),b=0,e=c.length;b<e;b++){for(var d=c[b];\" \"==d.charAt(0);)d=d.substring(1,d.length);if(0==d.indexOf(a))return d.substring(a.length,d.length)}return null};\r\nthis.set=function(a,c){var b=\"\",b=new Date;b.setTime(b.getTime()+6048E5);b=\"; expires=\"+b.toGMTString();document.cookie=a+\"=\"+c+b+\"; path=/; \"};\r\nthis.check=function(){var a=this.get(f);if(a)a=a.split(\":\");else if(100!=e)\"v\"==h&&(e=Math.random()>=e/100?0:100),a=[h,e,0],this.set(f,a.join(\":\"));else return!0;var c=a[1];if(100==c)return!0;switch(a[0]){case \"v\":return!1;case \"r\":return c=a[2]%Math.floor(100/c),a[2]++,this.set(f,a.join(\":\")),!c}return!0};\r\nthis.go=function(){if(this.check()){var a=document.createElement(\"script\");a.type=\"text/javascript\";a.src=g;document.body&&document.body.appendChild(a)}};\r\nthis.start=function(){var t=this;\"complete\"!==document.readyState?window.addEventListener?window.addEventListener(\"load\",function(){t.go()},!1):window.attachEvent&&window.attachEvent(\"onload\",function(){t.go()}):t.go()};};\r\ntry{(new g(100,\"r\",\"QSI_S_ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN\",\"https://zn5o5yqpvmvjgdoun-wiley.siteintercept.qualtrics.com/SIE/?Q_ZID=ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN\")).start()}catch(i){}})();\r\n</script><div id='ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN'></div>\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n<script>\r\n (function(h,o,t,j,a,r){\r\n h.hj=h.hj||function(){(h.hj.q=h.hj.q||[]).push(arguments)};\r\n h._hjSettings={hjid:257151,hjsv:6};\r\n a=o.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];\r\n r=o.createElement('script');r.async=1;\r\n r.src=t+h._hjSettings.hjid+j+h._hjSettings.hjsv;\r\n a.appendChild(r);\r\n })(window,document,'https://static.hotjar.com/c/hotjar-','.js?sv=');\r\n</script>","enabled":false},{"pages":["article"],"location":"header","script":" <script src=\"//get.s-onetag.com/bffe21a1-6bb8-4928-9449-7beadb468dae/tag.min.js\" async defer></script>","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage"],"location":"header","script":"<meta name=\"facebook-domain-verification\" content=\"irk8y0irxf718trg3uwwuexg6xpva0\" />","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage","article","category","search"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n<noscript>\r\n<img height=\"1\" width=\"1\" src=\"https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=256338321977984&ev=PageView&noscript=1\"/>\r\n</noscript>\r\n","enabled":true}]}},"pageScriptsLoadedStatus":"success"},"navigationState":{"navigationCollections":[{"collectionId":287568,"title":"BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-entry-level-entrepreneur-287568"},{"collectionId":293237,"title":"Be a Rad Dad","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/be-the-best-dad-293237"},{"collectionId":295890,"title":"Career Shifting","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/career-shifting-295890"},{"collectionId":294090,"title":"Contemplating the Cosmos","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/theres-something-about-space-294090"},{"collectionId":287563,"title":"For Those Seeking Peace of Mind","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-those-seeking-peace-of-mind-287563"},{"collectionId":287570,"title":"For the Aspiring Aficionado","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-bougielicious-287570"},{"collectionId":291903,"title":"For the Budding Cannabis Enthusiast","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-budding-cannabis-enthusiast-291903"},{"collectionId":299891,"title":"For the College Bound","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-college-bound-299891"},{"collectionId":291934,"title":"For the Exam-Season Crammer","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-exam-season-crammer-291934"},{"collectionId":301547,"title":"For the Game Day Prepper","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/big-game-day-prep-made-easy-301547"}],"navigationCollectionsLoadedStatus":"success","navigationCategories":{"books":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/books/level-0-category-0"}},"articles":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/articles/level-0-category-0"}}},"navigationCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"searchState":{"searchList":[],"searchStatus":"initial","relatedArticlesList":[],"relatedArticlesStatus":"initial"},"routeState":{"name":"Article5","path":"/article/business-careers-money/personal-finance/investing/investment-vehicles/stocks/improve-stock-picking-results-journaling-247726/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{"category1":"business-careers-money","category2":"personal-finance","category3":"investing","category4":"investment-vehicles","category5":"stocks","article":"improve-stock-picking-results-journaling-247726"},"fullPath":"/article/business-careers-money/personal-finance/investing/investment-vehicles/stocks/improve-stock-picking-results-journaling-247726/","meta":{"routeType":"article","breadcrumbInfo":{"suffix":"Articles","baseRoute":"/category/articles"},"prerenderWithAsyncData":true},"from":{"name":null,"path":"/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{},"fullPath":"/","meta":{}}},"dropsState":{"submitEmailResponse":false,"status":"initial"},"profileState":{"auth":{},"userOptions":{},"status":"success"}}

How to Improve Your Stock Picking Results with Journaling

By: Greg Schnell and Lita Epstein and

Updated: 12-01-2017

From The Book: Stock Charts For Dummies

Stock Charts For Dummies

Explore Book Buy On Amazon

Picking the right stocks is the goal of every stock chart user. You can improve your stock picking results by tracking these key items in a journal:

Keep track of your winners and losers.
Analyze each trade to track what you did wrong and what you did right. You can use the information to repeat your successes. You can also use the information to hopefully avoid making the same error in the future.
Keep buying winners. After you discover a strategy for finding and buying winners, keep notes and continue to improve on your decision-making strategies.
Stop holding losers. Analyze a losing trade and get out before it becomes an even bigger loser.
Keep more of your winners. With charting and a good understanding of trends, you can feel more confident about when to hold and when to sell your winners.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

Stock Charts For Dummies ,

About the book authors:

Greg Schnell, CMT, MFTA, specializes in intermarket and commodities analysis for StockCharts.com. He contributes market analysis commentary to several blogs that garner between 5,000 and 10,000 readers weekly.

Lita Epstein, MBA, has written more than 40 books, including Trading For Dummies, Bookkeeping For Dummies, and Reading Financial Reports For Dummies.

This article can be found in the category:

Stocks ,

Article Categories

Book Categories

Collections