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Early retirement is growing popularity these days. In fact, an article by Forbes suggests that retiring early may extend your lifespan. Furthermore, it also reported that those who “took early retirement had a 42 percent lower five-year mortality rate than those who continued working into their 60s.” However, early retirement is not all about absolute liberation from your 9 to 5 job. In contrast, retiring early actually makes you face the reality of boredom. And to combat boredom, most retirees take full-time hobbies, start businesses, or make investments. And speaking of investments, many of the early retirees actively participate in Investment Trading due to the flexibility that it offers.

What Is an Investment Trading Journal?

Investment trading is a popular type of investment among early retirees. Some may treat this as a sort of hobby, while others would take trading seriously. Serious traders regularly monitor their investments from time to time, waiting for them to gain profit exponentially. So they usually arm themselves to the teeth with a trusty tool that enables them to monitor the progress of their investments. Such a tool is called the Investment Trading Journal. Investment Trading Journals are like general journals that record the amount of invested capital, profit gain and loss, and deposits and withdrawals. However, these journals are only used specifically in trading stocks, crypto-currency, options, and other types of securities.

FREE 4+ Investment Trading Journal Forms in XLS

1. Stock Investment Trading Journal

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  • XLS

Size: 13 KB

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2. Crypto Investment Trading Journal

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  • XLS

Size: 47 KB

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3. Options Investment Trading Journal

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  • XLS

Size: 5 KB

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4. Forex Investment Trading Journal

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  • XLS

Size: 8 KB

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5. Bitcoin Investment Trading Journal

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  • XLS

Size: 47 KB

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What is Investment Trading?

Investment Trading is a trading activity where investors participate using the “buy and hold” strategy. This strategy are employed by those who wish to participate in trading by buying stocks and holding them until it gains sufficient profit for a more extended period. Investment traders often pick the best type of stocks based on how much profit it earns over a long period. The history of trading started ever since the days of our founding fathers. And despite being associated with Wall Street, the first stock exchange was established in Philadelphia in 1791. It was only 1792 that the New York Stock Exchange was set-up with 24 merchants and brokers “acting as agents for other persons” for a commission. These traders first traded “under a tree at 68 Wall Street”, which will later be famously known as “the financial center of the world.”

The Buy and Hold Strategy

As mentioned above, investment traders pick the best stocks to invest in and hold them for a long time. This is called the buy and hold strategy of trading. This strategy is preferred by traders who wish to make long term investments. Traders who use this trading strategy are also called preferred shareholders. They are so-called as such because they’re the first ones to be paid of their shares, the moment the company distributes its profit among its shareholders. The buy and hold trading strategy, however, is only recommended for traders who are willing to bear the ultimate risk of failure.

How to Make an Investment Trading Journal

Being an early retiree at the age of 40, you’ve come to realize that retiring is not always rainbows and butterflies. You’ve also realized that you need to get away from boredom and do something productive quickly. So in search of something productive called a hobby, you then decide to invest some of your savings. You heard from your friends that stock trading is worth a try and is profitable as it is fun at the same time. So you tried what your friends recommended you and found out that what they said was true. Hooked like a fish, you then decided that this is the kind of hobby that you’ve been looking for. It consequently turned you into a serious investment trader, which also led you to need a tool to help track its progress as well. And after a lengthy search, you found yourself an Investment Trading Journal. And, here are the steps on how to make it.

Step 1. Choose and Download an Investment Trading Journal Template

Choose and download an investment trading journal template so that you can start making one right away. To start, choose among a list of investment trading journal templates included in this article. After choosing, hit the download button so you can edit it immediately.

Step 2. Edit the Investment Trading Journal Template

Edit the investment trading journal template right after downloading it. To edit the template, simply fill in the rows and columns with the facts and figures that it’s asking for. Those facts and figures include dates, the amount invested, profit and loss rates, and so on. While editing, make sure to put the recent facts and figure on their respective cells.

Step 3. Review the Entries in the Investment Trading Journal

After your done editing the template, double-check the entries in the journal for accuracy and correctness. Scan every nook and cranny of the journal and leave no stone unturned. If ever you find any erroneous entries in the journal, you can have them marked so that you can correct them later. Reviewing your investment trading journal after you’re done putting all the entries allows you to correct errors whenever you spot one.

Step 4. Save and Store the Investment Trading Journal

Save and store the investment trading journal on your computer after you’re done with the previous steps. To start, create a new folder and name it “investment trading journals.”  Then create a sub-folder in it and name it after the companies that you’ve invested in. Saving and storing your investment trading journal on your computer lets you access and update it anytime you want. But if you’re looking to access your journals anywhere regardless of where you are, you can also opt to store them in google drive or cloud.

Step 5. Update the Investment Trading Journal Periodically

Update the investment trading journal from time to time. This way, you can see if your investments are making progress or if it is on the brink of failing. This will allow you to decide on whether to withdraw your funds and invest them elsewhere or not. To update your investment trading journals, simply repeat the same process that you did when you first made your entries.

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