MoneyPlanIt

Trading strategies for beginners

Learn trading strategies, one level at a time

Clear, beginner-friendly lessons on how each trading strategy works, from trend following and breakouts to options and risk management. The same ideas apply to stock trading, forex and other markets. Every lesson ends with an interactive quiz that climbs through five levels, so you can test what you know and see your progress.

The learning path

Take the lessons in this order. Each one only uses ideas taught in the lessons before it.

  1. 00Trading for Beginners: The Basics
  2. 01Position Sizing and the 1% Rule in Trading
  3. 02ATR Stop Loss and Position Sizing
  4. 03Breakout Trading Strategy: Support and Resistance Breakouts
  5. 04Moving Average Crossover Strategy
  6. 05Pullback Trading Strategy: Buying Dips in an Uptrend
  7. 06RSI Trading Strategy: Buying Oversold Dips
  8. 07Bollinger Bands Strategy: Mean Reversion in a Range
  9. 08Opening Range Breakout (ORB) Strategy
  10. 09Time-Series Momentum: A Simple Trend Following Strategy
  11. 10Covered Call Strategy Explained

How the five quiz levels work

  1. L1Foundations. Recognise the strategy and its vocabulary.
  2. L2Mechanics. Know how the signals and rules work, and why.
  3. L3Application. Apply the rules to realistic chart situations.
  4. L4Numbers & risk. Size, measure and manage the trade with real calculations.
  5. L5Mastery. Judge edge cases, failure modes and market conditions.

Score at least 75% on a level to unlock the next one and earn XP. Your rank rises as you climb. Level 1 is open to everyone; a free account unlocks Levels 2 to 5.

All 50 trading strategies

Start here: trading basics

New to trading? Read this first. It explains the words and ideas every other lesson uses.

Trend following strategies

Trend following strategies wait for a market to show direction, then ride it. They accept frequent small losses in exchange for occasionally catching a large move.

Mean reversion strategies

Mean reversion strategies bet that a stretched price will snap back toward its average. They usually win often but need firm stops for the moves that keep going.

Breakout trading strategies

Breakout trading strategies enter when price escapes a range or key level, aiming to catch the burst of momentum that often follows.

Momentum trading strategies

Momentum strategies buy what has been rising and avoid what has been falling, based on the tendency of strong performers to keep performing for a while.

Price action trading strategies

Price action strategies read candlestick patterns, chart patterns and key levels directly from the chart, often without indicators.

  • 30Price actionPin Bar ReversalTrade long-wicked rejection candles at key levels as signs a move has been refused.Lesson coming soon
  • 31Price actionEngulfing Candle PatternUse bullish and bearish engulfing candles at support and resistance as reversal triggers.Lesson coming soon
  • 32Price actionInside Bar BreakoutTrade the break of a candle that sits entirely within the previous candle’s range.Lesson coming soon
  • 33Price actionDouble Top and Double BottomTrade two failed tests of a high or low once the neckline breaks.Lesson coming soon
  • 34Price actionHead and ShouldersRecognise the classic reversal pattern and trade the neckline break with a measured target.Lesson coming soon
  • 35Price actionFibonacci RetracementUse the 38.2%, 50% and 61.8% retracement levels to plan pullback entries in a trend.Lesson coming soon
  • 36Price actionSupply and Demand ZonesFind areas where price left sharply and trade the first return to them.Lesson coming soon
  • 37Price actionLiquidity Sweep (Stop Hunt) ReversalTrade the reversal after price runs obvious stops beyond a high or low and snaps back.Lesson coming soon
  • 38Price actionFair Value GapSpot three-candle imbalances and trade price returning to fill them.Lesson coming soon

Options trading strategies

Options trading strategies use calls and puts to earn income, hedge, or shape a trade around a view on price and volatility.

  • 10OptionsCovered Call Strategy ExplainedOwn shares and sell someone the right to buy them from you at a set price. You earn income, but give up big gains.5 quiz levels
  • 39OptionsCash-Secured PutSell a put with the cash set aside to buy the shares, earning premium while waiting for a lower entry.Lesson coming soon
  • 40OptionsProtective PutBuy a put on shares you own to set a floor under your losses, like insurance.Lesson coming soon
  • 41OptionsBull Call SpreadBuy one call and sell a higher-strike call to make a cheaper, capped bet on a rise.Lesson coming soon
  • 42OptionsIron CondorSell an out-of-the-money put spread and call spread to profit if price stays in a range.Lesson coming soon
  • 43OptionsLong StraddleBuy a call and a put at the same strike to profit from a big move in either direction.Lesson coming soon
  • 44OptionsCalendar SpreadSell a near-dated option and buy a later one at the same strike to profit from time decay.Lesson coming soon

Risk management in trading

Risk management strategies decide how much to trade, where to place stops and when to cut exposure. They matter more to long-term results than any entry signal.

Common questions

Which trading strategy is best for beginners?

No strategy wins every time. Start with Trading Basics, then learn position sizing, because deciding how much to risk matters more than any entry signal. After that, simple rule-based strategies such as the moving average crossover are a good place to begin.

Do I need to pay or sign up?

No payment is needed. Lessons and Level 1 of every quiz are free with no account. A free account, with just your email, unlocks quiz Levels 2 to 5 and Stages 2 to 4 of the Pattern Trainer, and saves your quiz progress so you can carry on from another device. Without an account, progress is saved in your own browser.

Is this financial advice?

No. The lessons explain how strategies work so you can understand and test them. Trading involves risk of loss, so practise on a demo account first.