For trade details (prices, gains, dates), see My Portfolio.
Jan 16, 2026 - Bought MSFT
Why: Morningstar 4-star rating with fair value at $600 vs current price around $457 - good value opportunity. Sector and industry look strong. Chart rating falls short by 1 point because not trending near 100 SMA, but Microsoft has only dipped below 100 SMA once (2023) in the past 5-6 years. Willing to overlook chart rating since AI rating is solid. Stock ran up in 2025 then pulled back to ~$450, same level as June 2024. Could dip more but news sentiment suggests otherwise.
Emotions: No real emotion. Microsoft is a strong, safe company. Even if price drops, it's typically a reliable hold. Feeling confident in this position.
Lesson: TBD
Jan 16, 2026 - Bought NICE
Why: Checks all strategy boxes. Chart rating 8 (solid). AI rating 4.3 based on strong financials. Industry is AI software platform - see Trading Rookie sector insight post (Jan 4, 2026) for positive outlook on this space. Morningstar 5-star rating with 25%+ room to grow. Currently trending well below 100 SMA, giving plenty of upside to return to average. Full strategy alignment - this is exactly the kind of setup we're testing.
Emotions: Confident. This stock checks every box in the strategy. Excited to see how this forward test plays out.
Lesson: TBD
Jan 16, 2026 - Bought SPYI
Why: High income ETF for parking money. Chart is choppy but overall trending up since inception in 2022. Morningstar 4-star with neutral rating. Also aligns with sector analysis - exposure to AI software/platform and tech companies. Safe bet for earning income while waiting.
Emotions: No real emotion. Just parking money to generate income.
Lesson: TBD
Jan 16, 2026 - Bought IDVO
Why: Income/dividend ETF for parking money. International exposure - not dependent on US only, which provides diversification and a defensive hedge. Chart has been climbing steadily since 2023. Slightly overvalued - price jumped about $3 recently. Not following strategy, just a place to park cash while earning dividends.
Emotions: No real emotion. Seems like a safe bet. Just parking money and seeing what happens.
Lesson: TBD
Jan 16, 2026 - Bought XAR
Why: Does NOT follow the strategy - going rogue on this one. Defense industry ETF as a money parking spot. Global tensions are high, which should keep defense sector moving up. Morningstar neutral with 5-star and solid track record. Chart shows steady climb since 2022 with minor dips in 2020/2021. It's overvalued, but testing if world events will keep pushing it higher. Not a high dividend play - purely a bet on geopolitical environment.
Emotions: Mixed feelings. Don't like that it's overvalued and doesn't follow the strategy. But curious to test if news-driven momentum can work. This is an experiment.
Lesson: TBD
Nov 18, 2025 - Sold RHHBY (+13.9%)
Why: Had a good chart rating (8.5) and strong profit margin (~50%), meaning lots of room for growth potential.
Emotions: Stayed patient for 7.5 months (longer than my 3-5 month target). Really believed in it due to good ratings. Was about to sell like PFE, but then price started rising so I waited.
Lesson: Followed the strategy and used a trailing stop when it took too long. Stock went up to $51, set trailing stop at $49, and it triggered. Made profit by letting the trailing stop work instead of panic selling or holding too long.
Oct 2, 2025 - Sold PFE (+1.1%)
Why: Bought based on strong strategy scores - AI rating 3.49 and chart rating 8.5. Held for 9 months despite drop to $23-24 because ratings suggested high growth potential.
Emotions: Stayed patient. Had high hope based on strategy ratings - no panic selling despite the prolonged drop.
Lesson: Good strategy scores don't guarantee swing trading success. A stock can have great AI and chart ratings but still not move in the timeframe needed. After 9 months without profit, had to accept it wasn't working for short-to-mid term swing trading.
Jul 22, 2025 - Sold TGT (+0.3%)
Why: Held for 4 months. Stock dropped from $104 to around $93 but waited patiently. As soon as it came back to break-even, sold because didn't see it going higher.
Emotions: Stayed patient. Didn't panic sell when it dropped - waited for recovery instead of locking in a loss.
Lesson: Didn't let emotions make me lose money. For short-to-mid term swing trading, 4 months without profit and no upside in sight means it's time to exit - even at break-even.
Mar 4, 2025 - Sold JNJ (+16.2%)
Why: Followed the strategy. Bought at the 100-day SMA around $145, sold at my target exit price of $169. Chart rating was 8. AI rating wasn't created yet.
Emotions: Minimal emotional interference - had a clear exit strategy at $169 and executed it.
Lesson: Should have used a trailing stop (around $168) instead of a fixed exit. Stock is now around $200 - could have maximized profits by letting winners run with a trailing stop.
Sep 26, 2024 - Sold NVDA (+16.2%)
Why: Also bought without a clear strategy - just wanted to test the market.
Emotions: Sold as soon as I saw a little profit. Could have set a trailing stop at $125 and let it keep running, but instead cashed out immediately.
Lesson: Don't sell winners too early. Could have set a stop-loss and let profits run instead of exiting at the first sign of gains.
Aug 5, 2024 - Sold TSLA (-12.8%)
Why: Bought without a clear strategy - just wanted to test the market and see what would happen. Not a good approach.
Emotions: Uncertain. Didn't have a trading strategy yet, was just experimenting with real money.
Lesson: Good: Had a stop-loss and stuck to it when the price dropped from $210 to $183. Bad: The stock later recovered and went higher. Need to balance having a stop-loss with patience for normal price fluctuations.
This journal documents the messy reality of trading - good decisions, mistakes, and everything in between. Learning in public.