Options Trading
Options give you ways to profit from a move, hedge a position you already hold, or collect income — but only once the mechanics make sense. Start with the numbered course below, which walks from reading an options chain through to placing a first trade, then use the strategy guides as a reference once you know how contracts actually work.
Options Basics (12 lessons, 10 with video)
A numbered beginner course covering everything you need before placing a first options trade: reading an options chain, calls versus puts, strike prices, expirations, moneyness, order types, the Greeks, bid-ask spreads, volume and open interest, and choosing a broker. Most lessons include a short companion video.
- 1Options Chainvideo
- 2Calls and Putsvideo
- 3Strike Pricesvideo
- 4Expirationsvideo
- 5Moneynessvideo
- 6Order Actionsvideo
- 7Greeks Beginnervideo
- 8Bid & Askvideo
- 9Volume and Open Interestvideo
- 10Selecting a Brokervideo
- 11Your First Options Trade
- 12Basic Options Risk Management
Options Strategies (23)
Reference guides to the standard options strategies, grouped by market outlook — bullish plays like covered calls and bull call spreads, bearish plays like long puts and bear put spreads, and neutral or volatility trades like straddles, strangles, condors, and butterflies. Each covers construction, payoff, breakeven, and the risks that matter.
Options are leveraged instruments and can lose their entire value by expiration. Nothing here is a recommendation to trade — see our disclaimer.