The Final Tape
Prop Journal Scorecard
Evaluate any spreadsheet or software before you trust it with funded capital
6 essential fields
| Field | Pass | Fail |
|---|---|---|
| Static risk (planned $) | Risk from starting balance every trade | Using current equity |
| Phase label | Eval / funded / personal on every row | Mixing phases in one book |
| Setup name | Fixed named setups | Blank or vague strategy fields |
| Compliance % | Rules at entry, before outcome | Scoring after P&L color |
| Outcome in R | Net P&L ÷ planned risk | Dollar-only review |
| Behavior tags | Dropdown exit/size/regime labels | Free text you cannot rank |
Journal scorecard
Fail more than 2 and funded blind spots are likely.
- Separate portfolio per phase (eval and funded never share one book)
- Static risk inherited automatically on new trades
- Named setups + scorable checklists tied to setup object
- R from planned risk (realized_r = pnl / planned_risk_$)
- Rankable dropdown tags on losers
- Filter by setup + compliance in under 10 seconds
Red flags
- Replay-first with no checklist scores
- Default compounding on eval portfolios
- No setup object — compliance becomes storytelling
- Tag chaos — cannot rank loser behaviors
- Blended books — eval + funded + personal in one curve
- P&L-only summaries with no trade-level evidence
Broker vs journal
- Broker dashboard: Fills, limits — misses why you approach the limit
- Your journal: Compliance, R, tags — misses hard risk stops
- Use both: Broker for execution; journal for process quality
Full guide: Best Trading Journal for Prop Traders
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