Though I have been trading stocks for many years, every time now, before I click on that “Buy” button to place my purchase order of a particular stock, I will still do a rigorous analysis of whether I have done all the necessary preparation work to buy the stock. For I know, even with the best preparation and research work I have taken, the stock price may still head south upon the acceptance of my buy order. This is a fact of stocks investing that retail investors have to accept hence though a “trading plan” sounds like a cliché, a plan is really necessary for retail investors to maximize their investment profits during trading. I feel that many retail investors are too eager to chase after speculative gains while they delay in “cutting losses”. This is human nature afterall. A good trader must first have self-discipline, not to be tempted ......