Stock Trading for Beginners

Join the FREE Stock Trading for Beginners community

https://skool.com/trading

Inside you'll find:

• The complete Momentum Trading course
• Live Q&A sessions
• Chart discussions and feedback
• A community learning the same rules-based process

When you first open a chart, where should you actually begin?

For most beginners, the answer is not more indicators.

In Episode 2 of the Start Here season, we walk through the order I use when analyzing a new stock:

• Why I zoom out before making any decisions
• How Monthly and Weekly charts provide context
• The basic role of market structure
• Why support and resistance create the map
• When I move down to the Daily and 4-hour charts
• Why indicators come after the chart itself makes sense

The goal is to make chart analysis feel more structured and less overwhelming.

Watch the visual version

🎥 The First 3 Things I Analyze on Every Stock Chart

https://youtu.be/FdtVXdQjnOw

Next episode:

Start Here 3: Market Structure Made Simple

These are going great. Can you please complete the series and produce the next episodes, 3 through 10 please. I will review everything after.

Absolutely. I’ll keep the same format and tone as Episodes 1 and 2, but keep these tighter so each episode has one clear job.

Send me some feedback!

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Join Our Free Community on Skool:

https://www.skool.com/trading

Join the FREE Stock Trading for Beginners community

📈 https://skool.com/trading

Inside you'll find:

• The complete Momentum Trading course
• Live Q&A sessions
• Chart discussions and feedback
• A community learning the same rules-based trading process

If you're new to trading, it can feel like you need to learn everything at once.

Day trading. Options. Indicators. Patterns. Breakouts. Risk management.

But before any of that, it helps to decide what kind of trading actually fits your life.

In the first episode of the Start Here season, we cover:

• Why I prefer swing and momentum trading for beginners
• Why trading does not have to mean watching charts all day
• How higher timeframes can simplify the process
• Why trading is about probabilities rather than perfect predictions
• The basic Analyze → Plan → Execute → Manage framework
• Why doing nothing can sometimes be the correct trading decision
• What we'll build throughout the rest of the Start Here season

If you're new to the podcast, listen to this season in order.

Next episode:

Start Here 2: The First Things I Look at on a Stock Chart

Send me some feedback!

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Join Our Free Community on Skool:

https://www.skool.com/trading

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

 If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Getting into a trade is only the beginning.

Once you own the position, a new set of decisions starts:

Do you hold? Add? Reduce? Exit?

And how do you know whether the chart has actually changed—or you're simply reacting emotionally to normal volatility?

In the final episode of Season 5, we bring together the major lessons from the season and build a simple process for managing a trade after the entry.

In this episode, we cover:

•  Why your Trading Avatar should determine how you manage the position 
•  Why the controlling timeframe matters more than short-term noise 
•  The four decisions after an entry: Hold, Add, Reduce, Exit
•  Why your first entry doesn't need to be perfect
•  How position size can affect your ability to remain objective 
•  Why being red or green isn't a trading signal
•  How to determine whether the original thesis has actually been invalidated 
•  Why a winning trade can still involve a bad process—and a losing trade can still involve a good one 
•  A simple step-by-step process for deciding what to do as the chart develops 

One of the biggest mistakes traders can make is changing the plan based on how the position makes them feel.

A short-term pullback doesn't automatically mean a higher-timeframe thesis has failed.

And a profitable position doesn't automatically mean it's time to sell.

The goal is to return to the plan, evaluate the evidence, and make a decision that matches the type of trade you intended to take.

A Simple Post-Entry Process

After entering a trade:

1.  Identify your Trading Avatar
2.  Return to the controlling timeframe
3.  Ask whether your original thesis still exists 
4.  Determine where price is relative to support and resistance
5.  Decide whether to Hold, Add, Reduce, or Exit
6.  Ask whether you're responding to new information or emotion

You can't remove uncertainty from trading.

The goal is to have a process for responding to it.

Momentum Trading Alliance Applications Are Open

If you've listened through Season 5 and understand many of these ideas but still feel like you need help applying them to your own charts and building a complete process, that's exactly what we work on inside Momentum Trading Alliance.

Applications for the next MTA cohort are currently open and close later this week.

If you're curious about MTA but aren't sure whether you're ready or whether it's the right fit, that's what the strategy call is for.

We can talk about where you are now, what you've been struggling with, and what you're trying to accomplish with your trading.

👉 Book a Strategy Call: https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Key Takeaway

Entering the trade gives you a position. How you manage it determines whether you're actually following a strategy.

Know what type of trader owns the position, know which timeframe controls it, control your size, define what would invalidate the thesis, and have a reason behind every decision to Hold, Add, Reduce, or Exit.

Send me some feedback!

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Join Our Free Community on Skool:

https://www.skool.com/trading

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

 If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

A good entry matters, but getting into the trade is only the beginning.

Once you own the position, the chart keeps developing, and you still need a process for deciding what comes next.

In this episode, we look at the decisions that happen after the entry and how having a structured plan can make trade management clearer.

We cover:

•  Why buying near support instead of chasing resistance can improve the starting point of a trade 
•  How your Trading Avatar helps define the type of trade you're taking 
•  The four decisions that come after an entry: Hold, Add, Reduce, Exit
•  Why position size, timeframe, and invalidation should be planned before emotions take over 
•  Common execution traps that can pull you away from your original plan 
•  Why hindsight makes trading education look easier than real-time decision-making 
•  How the new Momentum Trading Lab will help us practice decisions while charts are still developing 

I also explain more about Momentum Trading Alliance (MTA), why I created the mentorship, and who it may be a good fit for.

MTA is designed for traders who want a more structured swing and momentum trading process—not an alert service telling you what stock to buy.

The goal is to help you build a process you can eventually apply independently.

Momentum Trading Alliance Applications Are Open

Applications are currently open for the next MTA cohort.

If you'd like to see whether the mentorship could be a good fit for where you are with your trading, you can book a strategy call using the link below.

👉 Book a Strategy Call: https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

We'll talk about where you are right now, what you're struggling with, what you'd like to improve, and whether MTA makes sense for you.

Key Takeaway

The entry gets you into the trade. The process tells you what to do next.

A complete trading plan goes beyond finding a good entry. It also helps you decide when to hold, add, reduce, or exit as the chart develops.

Send me some feedback!

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Join Our Free Community on Skool:

https://www.skool.com/trading

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

 If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Making money on a trade doesn’t automatically mean you made a good decision. And losing money doesn’t automatically mean you made a bad one.

Trading is based on probabilities, which means a strong setup can fail and a poor decision can still get rewarded.

In this episode, we look at why it’s important to separate process from outcome when reviewing your trades.

📈 Join the FREE Stock Trading for Beginners Community

Inside the community you'll find:

•  A complete beginner-friendly trading course 
•  Weekly live Q&A calls 
•  Lessons on market structure, support and resistance, confluence, Trading Avatars, execution, and more 

👉 https://skool.com/trading

We cover:

•  The four combinations of good/bad process and good/bad outcomes
•  Why profitable trades can sometimes reinforce dangerous habits 
•  How a losing trade can still be an example of excellent execution 
•  Why chasing resistance, oversizing, or ignoring invalidation isn't justified just because the trade worked 
•  How your Trading Avatar helps define what good execution actually looks like 
•  Why luck and skill can look very similar over a small number of trades 
•  A simple framework for reviewing your trades without letting hindsight take over 

One of the most useful questions to ask after a trade is:

Would I repeat this process under the same conditions, without knowing what happened next?

The goal isn't to stop caring about results. Results matter.

But one profitable or losing trade shouldn't be the full judgment of the decision.

Over time, the objective is to build a process that deserves to be repeated.

Key Takeaway

A winning trade can still be a bad trade, and a losing trade can still be a good trade.

Review both the outcome and the quality of your execution. Over a large enough sample of trades, improving the decisions you can control is what matters most.

Send me some feedback!

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Join Our Free Community on Skool:

https://www.skool.com/trading

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

 If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Conviction is an important part of trading.

It helps you take action, stay patient during normal volatility, and stick with a valid thesis when the chart is behaving as expected.

But conviction becomes dangerous when it starts replacing your rules.

📈 Join the FREE Stock Trading for Beginners Community

Inside the community you'll find:

•  A complete beginner-friendly trading course 
•  Weekly live Q&A sessions 
•  Lessons on market structure, support and resistance, confluence, Trading Avatars, and execution 

👉 https://skool.com/trading

In this episode, we explore the difference between healthy conviction and certainty, why high conviction often leads traders to oversize positions, chase poor entries, ignore invalidation, and become emotionally attached to a trade.

You'll learn how to stay confident in your analysis while still respecting risk management and allowing the chart—not your emotions—to guide your decisions. 

In this episode, we cover:

•  Why conviction is not the same as certainty 
•  How conviction can distort position sizing 
•  Why a great company can still be a poor trade at the wrong price 
•  How conviction influences Trading Avatar behaviors 
•  The danger of confirmation bias 
•  Why traders often move their invalidation after entering 
•  Looking at portfolio risk instead of individual positions 
•  Building conviction from evidence instead of emotion 
•  A practical high-conviction checklist to review before increasing a position 

The goal isn't to trade with less confidence.

It's to build disciplined confidence—confidence that's supported by market structure, support and resistance, confluence, and clear risk management. 

Key Takeaway

High conviction should support your process—not replace it.

A strong thesis can justify taking a trade.

It should never justify:

•  Ignoring support and resistance 
•  Oversizing a position 
•  Moving your invalidation 
•  Averaging down emotionally 
•  Holding simply because you believe the story 

Remember:

Your Trading Avatar gives you the plan.

Your execution determines whether you actually follow it.

Send me some feedback!

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Join Our Free Community on Skool:

https://www.skool.com/trading

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Most traders think the hard decisions happen after they enter a trade.

But in reality, the quality of those decisions is usually determined before they ever press the buy button.

In this episode, we explore why clear trading rules are one of the most overlooked parts of successful trading—and how defining your plan before entering can help you avoid emotional decision-making later.

You'll learn how to build rules that match your Trading Avatar, define your controlling timeframe, manage positions consistently, and evaluate your execution without letting profits and losses distort your thinking.

In this episode, we cover:

•  Why most trading rules are too vague 
•  How your Trading Avatar shapes every trading decision 
•  Choosing the correct controlling timeframe 
•  What should be true before you buy 
•  Planning how you'll hold, add, reduce, or exit 
•  Why you shouldn't rewrite your rules mid-trade 
•  Separating process from outcome 
•  How to build a simple, repeatable trading plan 

The goal isn't to predict every move.

It's to create a process that's clear enough to follow—even when emotions are trying to pull you away from it.

📈 Join the FREE Stock Trading for Beginners Community

Inside the community you'll find:

•  A complete beginner-friendly trading course 
•  Weekly live Q&A sessions 
•  Lessons on market structure, support and resistance, confluence, Trading Avatars, and execution 

👉 https://skool.com/trading

Key Takeaway

The best time to make important trading decisions is before you're emotionally invested in the trade.

Define your:

•  Trading Avatar 
•  Controlling timeframe 
•  Entry requirements 
•  Position size 
•  Rules for adding 
•  Profit-taking plan 
•  Invalidation level 

Then let your plan guide your execution—not your emotions.

Your Trading Avatar gives you the plan.

Your execution determines whether you actually follow it.

Send me some feedback!

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Join Our Free Community on Skool:

https://www.skool.com/trading

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Many traders spend a lot of time looking for the perfect entry.

But one decision that can quietly make every later decision more difficult is going all in too early.

In this episode, we explore why committing your full intended position on the first entry can increase emotional pressure, reduce flexibility, and make it harder to follow your trading plan.

You'll learn why a controlled starter position can help you stay objective, preserve capital, and give the chart time to develop before committing more.

In this episode, we cover:

•  Why traders feel the need to go all in 
•  How position size changes your emotions 
•  Why oversized positions lead to poor execution 
•  The hidden cost of losing flexibility 
•  How going all in can trigger common execution mistakes 
•  Why your first entry doesn't need to be perfect 
•  The opportunity cost of tying up too much capital 
•  A simple framework for choosing a better starter position 

The goal isn't to avoid conviction.

It's to size your position in a way that allows you to follow your plan, even when the market becomes uncertain.

📈 Join the FREE Stock Trading for Beginners Community

Inside the community you'll find:

•  A complete beginner-friendly trading course 
•  Weekly live Q&A sessions 
•  Lessons on market structure, support and resistance, confluence, Trading Avatars, and execution 

👉 https://skool.com/trading

Key Takeaway

Your first entry should create opportunity, not pressure.

A controlled starter position gives you room to:

•  Stay objective during normal volatility 
•  Add only if your plan allows 
•  Preserve capital for future opportunities 
•  Make decisions based on the chart instead of your emotions 

Remember:

Your Trading Avatar gives you the plan.

Your execution determines whether you actually follow it.

Send me some feedback!

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Join Our Free Community on Skool:

https://www.skool.com/trading

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

In this episode, I talk about why trading can feel clear when you are watching lessons, but much harder when you open your own charts.

That is normal.

Watching someone label structure, mark support and resistance, or explain BOS and CHOCH is very different from doing it yourself.

The fastest way to improve is to start getting reps:

•  mark up charts 
•  make mistakes 
•  paper trade 
•  notice your emotions 
•  ask better questions 
•  get feedback 

Join the free Skool group and post one chart you are currently working on:

Skool.com/trading

Send me some feedback!

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Join Our Free Community on Skool:

https://www.skool.com/trading

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

One of the hardest questions every trader faces is:

"Has my trading thesis actually changed?"

A stock pulls back after you buy...

Is it just normal volatility?

Or is it a sign that the trade is no longer valid?

In this episode, we build a practical framework for answering that question objectively. You'll learn how to separate chart-based evidence from emotion so you can make better decisions about when to hold, add, reduce, or exit a position.

Join the Free Trading Community

Join our free trading community (full course + weekly live Q&A):

👉 https://skool.com/trading

Inside the community you’ll find the full Momentum Trading Strategy course, plus weekly live Q&A sessions.

What You'll Learn:

What a Trading Thesis Actually Is

Learn why every trade should begin with a clearly defined thesis—and why knowing what would invalidate it is just as important as knowing why you entered.

Why Your Trading Avatar Matters

Discover why different Trading Avatars manage the exact same chart differently, and why your controlling timeframe should determine your decisions.

The Strongest Signs of Invalidation

We cover the key pieces of evidence that may signal your thesis has genuinely changed, including:

•  Meaningful support failures 
•  Changes in market structure 
•  Failed breakouts and backtests 
•  Broader market and sector weakness 

Normal Volatility vs a Broken Trade

Not every pullback means it's time to sell.

Learn how to distinguish normal market movement from genuine invalidation so you don't exit healthy trades too early.

A Practical Thesis Review Checklist

A simple process you can use whenever a trade becomes uncomfortable to help you stay focused on the chart—not your emotions.

Free Trading Avatar Execution Checklist

If you'd like a copy of the Trading Avatar Execution Checklist, join our free Skool community using the link above and send me a message with the word EXECUTION.

I'll send it over.

Key Takeaway

Your profit and loss tell you how the position is performing.

The chart tells you whether the reason for owning it still exists.

Your Trading Avatar gives you the plan.

Your execution determines whether you actually follow it.

If you enjoyed this episode, I'd really appreciate it if you subscribed and left a review. It helps more beginner traders discover the podcast and supports the show.

Thanks for listening, and I'll see you in the next episode.

Send me some feedback!

Momentum Trading Alliance is now open.

If you’d like to build a more structured swing and momentum trading process, book a strategy call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/tylerstokes-com/strategy-call

Join Our Free Community on Skool:

https://www.skool.com/trading