Table of Contents
Jason Graystone joins a YouTube conversation to unpack how trading fits into a bigger wealth blueprint. He’s a seasoned trader and educator (and author of Always Free) who’s spent years helping people separate the thrill of making money from the skill of keeping it. In this interview, Jason explains why mobility freedom, mindset, and delegation matter just as much as entries and exits—so you’re not chained to a screen or a paycheck.
Here’s what you’ll get from this piece: a clear take on the difference between trading income and long-term wealth, practical ways to smooth the ups and downs (think index funds, ETFs, or property alongside your trading), and how to design a more flexible style—like shifting toward swing trading when you’re traveling or bandwidth is spotty. Jason also lays out a simple path to freedom: build a 9–12 month runway, prove consistent profitability, then scale via funding or teaching, all while delegating low-value tasks so 80% of your time goes to high-impact work.
Jason Graystone Playbook & Strategy: How He Actually Trades
Core philosophy: freedom first, system second
Jason’s whole approach is built to create freedom, not a new job. That means rules that remove drama, keep risk small, and let the account compound without you staring at candles all day. The bullets below translate that philosophy into guardrails you can apply immediately.
- Trade only when a written edge is present; if a setup isn’t on your plan, it doesn’t exist.
- Risk a fixed at 0.5–1.0R per position; never exceed 2R total risk at once.
- Cap weekly drawdown at -6R; if hit, stop trading until next Monday and review.
- Size up only after 20 consecutive plan-compliant trades with positive expectancy.
- Automate or template everything you repeat (checklists, journaling, screenshots).
Markets & timeframes: pick lanes you can actually master
He focuses on a small basket he knows well and maps them top-down to stay aligned with dominant flows. The goal is clean structure, decent liquidity, and enough movement to make R-multiples meaningful without needing heroics.
- Universe: 3–6 instruments max (e.g., GBPUSD, EURUSD, XAUUSD, US100, one commodity).
- Timeframes: D1/H4 for bias and levels, H1/M15 for execution, M5 only for precision entries.
- Trade your “A” session only (e.g., London or NY); no new positions 30 minutes pre-news for red-flag events.
- Skip instruments with overlapping correlations when the total open risk would exceed 2R.
Daily prep: build the bias before the trigger
The prep creates the map: trend, key levels, liquidity pools, and likely path. Once the bias is set, you just wait for the market to invite you in—no improvising.
- Mark HTF trend: D1 above/below 50 EMA and market structure (HH/HL vs. LH/LL).
- Box the day’s prior high/low, Asia high/low, and nearest H4 supply/demand.
- Define “if–then” scenarios (e.g., “If H1 closes above prior high, then wait M15 pullback to enter long”).
- Pre-commit invalidation for each scenario (specific level, candle close, or time cutoff).
Setups that pay the bills (with rules)
These are simple, repeatable structures that let you harvest the same edge every week. Keep screenshots of winners and losers to sharpen the pattern.
Trend Continuation Pullback (primary)
- HTF bias long; D1 above 50 EMA and H4 making HLs.
- M15 pullback into a confluence zone (prior H1 high, 50/61.8 fib of impulse, or H4 demand).
- Entry on M15 bull engulfing or break-retest; invalidate on M15 close below zone.
- Stop: below structure or 0.8× ATR(14) M15, whichever is wider.
- Target: +1R partial, move to BE at +0.8R, trail below M15 swing lows or 3× ATR(14).
Breakout–Retest (news-safe variant)
- H1 compression under a clean D1 level; 3+ touches and decreasing ATR.
- Breakout H1 close through level; wait for retest and rejection wick on M15.
- Enter on M15 confirmation close; invalidate on full-body close back inside the range.
- Stop: beyond the opposite side of the broken level (structure > ATR rule).
- Target: measured move = height of range, scale at 1R and 2R, trail remainder.
Mean Reversion to Level (secondary, lower frequency)
- Countertrend only at fresh H4 supply/demand or weekly open/close levels.
- Clear M15 exhaustion (divergence, long wick, or failed second push).
- Half size (0.5R max) and hard time stop: if not +0.5R within 90 minutes, flatten.
- Stop: beyond level by 1.2× ATR(14) M15. Take full at 1–1.5R; no trailing.
Entries & timing: precision without overthinking
You only need one clean candle to say “go,”—but it must appear where your prep said it should. This section keeps you from jumping the gun or chasing.
- Enter on the close of the signal candle, not mid-bar.
- No entry if signal forms >3 candles after the price first tags the level (stale).
- If spread > 25% of stop size, skip; poor microstructure kills R.
- If your first attempt scratches at BE, allow one re-entry only if the level still holds.
Risk & sizing: protect the engine
Risk is the throttle for longevity. Here’s how to keep the equity curve smooth enough to scale.
- Position size = Account * R% / (Stop in pips * pip value); round down.
- Max simultaneous exposure: 2 pairs or 2R, whichever is hit first.
- After -4R weekly drawdown, halve risk per trade until you log 3 green trades.
- Daily stop: -2R or 2 hours of rule break risk (whichever first) → flat and journal.
Trade management: let math do the heavy lifting
Management is formulaic: front-run nothing, trail consistently, and bank partials to de-stress the mind. These rules remove the subjective wiggle room.
- Move to break-even at +0.8R unless HTF level is immediately ahead (then wait).
- Take 50% at +1R, then trail under/over the last two M15 swings or 3× ATR(14).
- If the trail is hit within 3 candles of entry, stand aside—structure isn’t ready.
- Time stop for intraday: exit before session close unless trade is >1.5R and aligned with D1.
News & session filters: avoid the blender
Volatility is great when planned, awful when random. These filters keep you on the right side of the spikes.
- No new trades 30 minutes before and 15 minutes after high-impact events on your instrument.
- For gold/indices, avoid initiating in the first 5 minutes of NY open; look for the retest.
- If the spread widens > 2× average, cancel pending orders and reassess after 10 minutes.
Journal & metrics: build the feedback loop
Your edge compounds when you measure it. The goal is not pretty notes—it’s to get cold, hard numbers you can tune.
- Log every trade with setup tag, R result, screenshots, and rule compliance (Y/N).
- Weekly review: win rate, avg win/loss, expectancy, and error rate (% of rule breaks).
- Promote setup risk (e.g., 1.0R vs 0.5R) only when a tag shows >150 trades and Expectancy > 0.25R.
Capital stack: scaling without overexposure
Growth doesn’t have to mean bigger personal risk. Use multiple buckets so one rough patch doesn’t derail the whole plan.
- Keep personal account risk at 1R max; use prop/funded accounts for incremental size.
- Withdraw a portion of profits monthly to a Wealth Bucket (index funds/ETFs/real assets).
- Hard rule: if aggregate exposure across all accounts would exceed 3R, reduce positions or skip.
Lifestyle & operations: make it sustainable
Freedom is the KPI. You’re designing a business that fits your life, not the other way around.
- Standardize a 90-minute daily block for prep, execution windows, and journaling.
- Delegate non-trading admin (image clipping, report formatting) and use templates/checklists.
- Maintain a 9–12 month cash runway so you never trade from fear.
Drawdown protocol: fast stop, fast repair
Everyone draws down; pros just recover faster because the plan kicks in automatically. Follow this playbook to get back to baseline.
- At -6R on the week or -10R on the month, go SIM for 1–2 weeks with the same rules.
- Identify the top two error types and write a counter-rule you’ll check before entries.
- When back live, start at 0.5R risk for 10 trades; if net positive and error rate <10%, restore risk.
Weekend maintenance: keep the edge sharp
Use the weekend to zoom out, reset levels, and line up clean A-setups for next week. This is where most of the stress disappears.
- Refresh D1/H4 levels; remove clutter and keep <10 lines per chart.
- Build next week’s if–then playbook with 2–3 scenarios per instrument.
- Archive the best/worst trades of the week into a Setup Bible so your pattern memory stays fresh.
Size Risk Like a Pro: Fixed R, Caps, Volatility Adjustments
Jason Graystone keeps it simple: pick a fixed R per trade and defend it like your life depends on it. He treats risk as a throttle, not a guess, so position size expands or shrinks based on the stop distance—never on feelings. On choppy days, Jason tightens exposure and lets volatility dictate smaller size rather than forcing targets. That consistency is what keeps the account alive long enough for the edge to play out.
He also caps total open risk, so one busy session can’t wreck the week. If volatility spikes, Jason reduces R and widens stops only when structure demands it—never both size and stop at once. Drawdown triggers cut risk automatically until a string of clean, rule-following trades returns. It’s boring by design, and that’s exactly why it scales.
Trade the Mechanics, Not Your Gut: Rules Over Predictions Every Session
Jason Graystone doesn’t forecast; he executes. He builds a mechanical checklist—bias, level, trigger, stop, and management—and treats it like a pilot’s preflight. If a candle pattern appears at the wrong level, it’s a non-event. When the checklist says “no trade,” Jason stands down without debating the chart.
During the trade, Jason follows predefined actions: move to break-even at a specific R, scale at 1R, and trail behind structure—no ad-hoc tweaks because a candle “looks heavy.” He logs rule compliance on every position so he can measure edge, not vibes. The result is consistency: fewer random decisions, tighter variance, and a P&L built on repeatable mechanics rather than one-off predictions.
Diversify Smartly: Mix Underlyings, Strategies, and Holding Durations for Stability
Jason Graystone spreads risk across a small, familiar basket so one theme can’t sink the boat. He mixes currencies, indices, and one commodity to avoid being overexposed to a single macro driver. On top of that, Jason runs more than one edge—trend continuation and breakout-retest—so if one goes cold, the other can still pay. The aim is smoother equity, not more action.
He also staggers holding durations to reduce timing risk: intraday moves for cash flow, swing positions for meatier trends. When volatility compresses, Jason leans on breakout systems; when markets are flowing, he emphasizes pullback entries and lets runners work. Correlation is checked before stacking trades—if two positions are highly linked, he cuts size or skips one. That way, diversification isn’t just “more trades”; it’s a deliberate, risk-aware variety that keeps the account steady.
Define Your Risk Upfront: Stop Placement, Time Stops, and Max Drawdowns
Jason Graystone starts every trade by defining the loss before the gain. He places stops at objective invalidation points—beyond structure or a multiple of ATR—so randomness can’t shake him out. If the stop needs to be wider, he scales position size down to keep R constant rather than “hoping” the market behaves. That clarity kills hesitation and stops the quiet creep of oversized bets.
He also uses time stops to avoid dead capital: if the trade hasn’t moved a set fraction of R within a defined window, he’s out. Max daily and weekly drawdown limits act like circuit breakers; hit the line, and trading pauses for a reset and review. Jason treats these limits as part of the system, not punishments, so they trigger automatically without debate. By deciding risk details upfront, he trades faster, cleaner, and with far fewer emotional detours.
Discipline That Scales: Prep, Checklists, Post-Trade Reviews, Weekly Expectancy Targets
Jason Graystone treats discipline as a workflow, not a mood. His day starts with a short prep block—mark higher-timeframe levels, define “if–then” scenarios, and set alerts—so execution is just following through. A written checklist sits next to the charts, covering bias, level, trigger, stop, risk, and management; if any box fails, the trade is skipped without debate.
After the session, Jason runs a quick post-trade review: tag the setup, score rule compliance, and log R-multiples to track expectancy by setup. Weekly, he grades performance against targets—win rate, average win/loss, and expectancy—then adjusts only what the data supports. This rhythm keeps errors visible, prevents silent drift from the plan, and makes scaling a function of measured consistency rather than hope.
In the end, Jason Graystone’s message is beautifully simple: build a rules-based trading business that buys your freedom, not another job. He anchors everything to defined risk and mechanical execution—fixed R, objective invalidation, and time stops—so results hinge on repeatable behavior rather than lucky calls. He diversifies on purpose (underlying, strategy, and duration), keeps correlations in check, and lets volatility decide how big or small he goes. When conditions change, he toggles between clean trend pullbacks and breakout–retests, always with prewritten “if–then” scenarios that remove hesitation and FOMO.
Equally important, Jason treats discipline as a daily workflow: quick prep, checklist-led entries, and post-trade reviews that track expectancy and error rate. Drawdown circuit breakers pause the game before damage compounds, while a capital stack—personal account plus funding—scales returns without inflating personal risk. Profits are skimmed to a separate wealth bucket so the account isn’t burdened with life expenses, and a cash runway keeps emotions out of decisions. Put together, this is a full operating system: a practical, rules-first approach that turns trading from a roller coaster into a steady engine for long-term freedom.
