Published: January 8, 2026.

You will find the Position Size Calculator under the Invest tab in your program.

Just a heads up: The features available in the Position Size tool depend on your level of access to TradeStops. For example, Basic and Plus members will see a more limited set of features than higher-tier members.

To start, select the source you would like to use. Individual Securities allows you to manually add the ticker(s) you would like to size. My Baskets allows you to select one of your baskets as a source.

Note: TradeStops Basic and Plus members can add tickers; however, they cannot add baskets as a tool source.

To learn more about baskets, click here.

Position Size using My Baskets:

After selecting My Baskets, you would select the Basket you would like to use (1). The tickers in that Basket will automatically fill in for you. You can add additional tickers if you like (2). Lastly, you would enter the investment amount (3) and then click Calculate Position Size.

The tool displays the number of shares to buy using equal-risk position sizing. It calculates each position based on the security’s Volatility Quotient, the most recent closing price, and your investment amount. As a result, the tool typically allocates more capital to lower-risk securities and less to more speculative ones. Even so, the Risk % per Position remains consistent across all holdings, regardless of individual risk levels.

You can save your results as a new or existing basket or portfolio. You can also print and export your results at the top right.

Image as of Dec. 16, 2025. 

Position Size using Individual Securities, Multiple Positions:

When using the Individual Securities option, you can position size one or multiple securities at the same time.

First, select Individual Securities as your source (1). Next, enter your tickers one at a time; each new line will automatically appear, allowing you to add additional tickers (2). Finally, enter your Investment Amount (3) and click Calculate Position Size.

The tool will then size all positions equally based on risk, as shown in the first example.

Position Size using Individual Securities, Individual Position:

If you select Individual Securities (1) and size only one position at a time, you would enter just one ticker (2) and then select Calculate Position Size.

You can also choose the trade type—either buying long or selling short. In the example above, the position is a long trade in Coca-Cola (KO).

After hitting the Calculate Position Size button, you will see three options:

• Dollar Investment Risk (available to Basic, Plus, Premium, and Elite).
• Risk Percentage of Portfolio (available to Basic, Plus, Premium, and Elite).
• Equal Position Risk (available to Premium and Elite).

Let’s look at each category.

 Dollar Investment Risk

The Dollar Investment Risk box shows how many shares to buy based on your selected investment amount or risk tolerance. You can adjust the inputs by clicking the blue edit pencil icons next to Your Amount at Risk, Risk (VQ%), and Purchase Price.

Image as of Dec. 16, 2025.

 Risk Percentage of Portfolio

The Risk Percentage of Portfolio box calculates the number of shares to buy based on your chosen risk percentage for the selected portfolio. You can specify the percentage of your portfolio’s total value you are willing to risk on this new position. This calculation includes all available cash in the portfolio.

Image as of Dec. 16, 2025.

In the example above, we selected an investment portfolio valued at $169,800.80, including cash. If we choose to risk 1% of the portfolio’s value on Coca-Cola (KO), we can purchase up to 210 shares, with an approximate dollar risk of $1.7K.

Equal Position Risk (ONLY available to Premium and Elite levels).

The Equal Position Risk box sizes the selected security based on equal risk parity, taking into account the other positions in the portfolio—similar to the Risk Rebalancer tool. This feature does not include cash held in the portfolio.

Image as of Dec. 16, 2025.

As an individual investor, you decide how to position size one or multiple positions. The Position Size Tool is flexible and designed to support a wide range of position sizing strategies to meet your investing needs.

At the bottom of each position sizing box, you can add the selected ticker directly to a portfolio. In addition, the Risk Percentage of Portfolio option includes a shortcut to the Risk Rebalancer tool, allowing you to perform a more comprehensive portfolio rebalancing when needed.

Need Help? 

Our Customer Success team is ready to assist: 

• Phone: 1-866-385-2076 (toll-free) 
• Email: [email protected] 

*Note—The tabs and features you see on your TradeSmith Finance site will vary based on your subscription(s) and subscription level(s).