The Gold Trader's Journey checklist
Twelve stages, three boxes each. Tick a stage before you move on. Start wherever you are; the full map is at /start-here/.
Key points
- You don’t have to start at stage 1. Find the questions that sound like you on the map.
- Boxes are about behaviour you can check, not profits. Nobody can promise profits.
1 Pulled in
- I know most retail traders lose
- I can spot a fake lifestyle post
- No paid signals or mentor yet
2 First learning
- I can explain lot, pip, leverage
- Buy and sell both make sense
- I can read one candle
3 Demo
- Demo with a realistic balance
- 20 demo trades, no click errors
- Real MT5 app, from the official store
4 Where to trade
- Licence checked on the register
- Costs known: spread, swap
- In India? Read the RBI box first
5 Prop firms
- I know every rule before paying
- Readiness checklist passed
- The fee is money I can lose
6 Planning
- Written plan, 1 page
- Size from the stop, every time
- Daily loss limit written down
7 Taking the trade
- Right order type chosen
- No clicks in news seconds
- Stop placed with the order
8 After the trade
- Journal line after each trade
- Monthly statement saved
- I know where to complain
9 Feelings
- 15-minute break after a loss
- No size-up to win it back
- Hard stop time at night
10 After profit
- Same size after a big win
- Weekly review done
- Pay myself by a rule
11 Growing up
- 100+ trades by the same rules
- Expectancy after costs known
- Costs and records like a business
12 Hard times
- Money I need is out of the account
- Self-test done honestly
- Return at a quarter size
Watch out
- Skipping the demo stage.
- Jumping to prop challenges before stage 6.
Key line: Tick the boxes, not the screenshots.