Why Paper Trade?
Paper trading lets you practice buying and selling stocks with simulated money. You get the experience of making real decisions — choosing a stock, picking a direction, watching the outcome — without risking a single dollar.
It's the "Practice" step in TickerTrust's Decision Loop: Observe, Analyze, Practice, Reflect. You observe the data, let the AI analyze it, then practice your thesis with a paper trade before reflecting on the outcome.
Step 1: Go to the Paper Trading Page
Click "Trade" in the main sidebar, then select "Paper Trading" from the sub-navigation tabs. You'll see the paper trading interface with a form to submit trades and a table of your current positions.
Step 2: Choose Your Direction
Every trade starts with a direction. You have two choices:
- •Open Long: You think the stock price will go up. You profit if the price rises.
- •Open Short: You think the stock price will go down. You profit if the price falls.
Step 3: Enter the Trade Details
Fill in the trade form:
- •Symbol: The ticker of the stock you want to trade (e.g., AAPL, TSLA, NVDA).
- •Quantity: How many shares. Start small — 10 to 50 shares — while you're learning.
- •Your Reasoning: Write 1-2 sentences about why you're making this trade. This is important — it creates a record so you can reflect on your thinking later.
Step 4: Submit and Monitor
Click "Submit Trade" to open your paper position. It appears in your active positions table showing the entry price, current price, and live P&L.
Check back periodically to see how your trade is doing. The position updates with real market prices so your simulated gains and losses reflect what would actually happen.
Step 5: Close Your Position
When you're ready to exit, click "Close Position" on the trade. Your final P&L is calculated and the trade moves from active positions to your trade history.
After closing, take a moment to reflect. Did the stock move the way you expected? If not, why? This is where the Reflection Comparison Block helps — it compares your original reasoning against the actual outcome.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of It
Treat paper trading like real trading. If you wouldn't risk $5,000 of real money on a trade, don't paper trade it just because it's free. The habits you build here carry over to real trading.
- •Always write your reasoning — it trains you to have a thesis before every trade.
- •Set a mental stop loss even in paper trading. If a trade drops 5-10%, close it.
- •Review your trade history weekly to spot patterns in your wins and losses.
- •Use the Trade Journal to tag and annotate your trades.