A beginner course on stock options
Options From Zero.
Learn what calls and puts are, how to read the numbers, and how to plan a trade before you risk money. Written for people starting with no experience.
Educational course. No tips, no signals, no promised results.
Pay now
A one-time payment of $100 unlocks all ten modules on your account. Progress saves as you go, and you earn a certificate when you finish. No subscription.
$100
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Who this is for
A good fit
- You are new to options and want to understand them before risking money.
- You own stocks and want to know how covered calls and puts work.
- You want to practice with a written plan of your own.
A poor fit
- You want trade tips or signals.
- You want a promise of income or returns.
- You would be trading money you cannot afford to lose.
Ten modules, in order
- 1
What an option is
Calls, puts, strikes, expirations and the 100-share contract, explained with plain examples.
By the endYou can read an option quote and say what it costs and what it gives you.
- 2
Reading an options chain
Bid and ask, volume, open interest, and what in, at and out of the money mean on a real chain.
By the endYou can pick out a contract and judge whether it trades smoothly.
- 3
Reading candles and trends
What the body and wicks of a candle show, how to spot an uptrend, a downtrend and a sideways range, and what support and resistance mean.
By the endYou can read a candlestick chart and describe the trend and the key price levels.
- 4
Chart reading practice
A quiz built on unlabeled charts: single candles, long wicks, trends, and support and resistance lines.
By the endYou can look at a chart and say what the recent candles and the trend are showing.
- 5
Payoff at expiration
Profit and loss diagrams for long and short calls and puts, and how to find the breakeven price.
By the endYou can sketch any single-option payoff and state the most you can lose.
- 6
What moves an option's price
Intrinsic value, time value, implied volatility and the four Greeks: delta, gamma, theta and vega.
By the endYou can explain why an option lost value on a day the stock rose.
- 7
Buying calls and puts
Choosing a strike and an expiration, sizing a position, and planning for a total loss of the premium.
By the endYou can write down your maximum loss before you enter a trade.
- 8
Selling options
Covered calls, cash-secured puts, assignment, and why selling uncovered options carries the largest risk.
By the endYou can describe what you would owe, and when, for each strategy.
- 9
Managing risk
Position size, exit rules, earnings and volatility events, and a short overview of how option trades are taxed, with a reminder to ask an accountant.
By the endYou can set rules for when you will exit, win or lose.
- 10
Your trade plan and alerts
Writing an entry and exit plan, setting price alerts at your own levels, practicing with paper trades, and keeping a journal.
By the endYou have a written plan you can follow without guessing.
How it works
Short lessons
Each module is broken into focused lessons with worked examples using hypothetical numbers.
Practice
Exercises with a payoff calculator, plus paper trades with no money at risk.
A plan you keep
You build a written trade plan as you go, so you finish with something you can use.
Stop and start
Sign in on any device and pick up where you left off. Your quiz results save to your account.
Certificate
Pass every module's quiz to earn a certificate of completion with a link anyone can verify.
One payment of $100 covers the full course. There are no recurring charges.
What this course will not do
It will not tell you what to buy or sell, and it will not promise profits. Options can lose their entire premium, and results vary from person to person.
The goal is to help you understand the risks well enough to decide for yourself.
Start from zero.
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