TheoTrade

TheoTrade
The Rebel’s Guide to Trading Options
How to Protect & Profit in Any Market

© Copyright 2015 - 2018 TheoTrade, LLC. All rights reserved.

Edition V5
Unauthorized duplication of this eBook is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, translated into any language, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, recorded or otherwise, without the prior written permission of TheoTrade, LLC.

TheoTrade is a registered trademark of TheoTrade LLC. LEAPS are a registered trademark of the
Chicago Board Options Exchange.

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Disclaimer and Waiver of Claims

We Are Not Financial Advisors or a Broker/Dealer: Neither TheoTrade® nor any of its officers,
employees, representatives, agents, or independent contractors are, in such capacities, licensed
financial advisors, registered investment advisers, or registered broker-dealers. TheoTrade ®
does not provide investment or financial advice or make investment recommendations, nor is it
in the business of transacting trades, nor does it direct client commodity accounts or give
commodity trading advice tailored to any particular client’s situation. Nothing contained in this
communication constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, promotion, endorsement, or offer
by TheoTrade ® of any particular security, transaction, or investment.

Securities Used as Examples: The security used in this example is used for illustrative purposes
only. TheoTrade ® is not recommending that you buy or sell this security. Past performance
shown in examples may not be indicative of future performance.

Return on Investment “ROI” Examples: The security used in this example is for illustrative
purposes only. The calculation used to determine the return on investment “ROI” does not
include the number of trades, commissions, or any other factors used to determine ROI. The ROI
calculation measures the profitability of investment and, as such, there are alternate methods to
calculate/express it. All information provided is for educational purposes only and does not
imply, express, or guarantee future returns. Past performance shown in examples may not be
indicative of future performance.

Investing Risk: Trading securities can involve high risk and the loss of any funds invested.
Investment information provided may not be appropriate for all investors and is provided
without respect to individual investor financial sophistication, financial situation, investing time
horizon, or risk tolerance.

Options Trading Risk: Options trading is generally more complex than stock trading and may not
be suitable for some investors. Granting options and some other options strategies can result in
the loss of more than the original amount invested. Before trading options, a person should
review the document Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options, available from your
broker or any exchange on which options are traded.

No part of this presentation may be copied, recorded, or rebroadcast in any form without the
prior written consent of TheoTrade ®.

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Contents.
TheoTrade Mission.......................................................................................................................... 6
Introduction. ................................................................................................................................... 7
TheoTrade Principles ................................................................................................................... 7
Introduction to Options .............................................................................................................. 8
TheoTrade Mantra ...................................................................................................................... 9
TheoTrade Characteristics of Traders ........................................................................................... 10
Understanding Options. ................................................................................................................ 11
Ancient Roots of Option Contracts ........................................................................................... 11
Definition ................................................................................................................................... 11
Option Advantages .................................................................................................................... 12
Options Disadvantages .............................................................................................................. 12
Option Buyer’s Rights and Option Seller’s Obligations ............................................................. 12
Option Particulars ..................................................................................................................... 14
Understanding Option Premium ............................................................................................... 18
Intrinsic Value Formula ............................................................................................................. 19
Relationship of Stock Price to Option Price. ................................................................................. 21
The “Money” is the stock price. ................................................................................................ 21
Intrinsic Value of an Option When the Stock is at $50 ............................................................. 21
Time Value (Extrinsic Value) ...................................................................................................... 22
Factors that Influence Time Value ............................................................................................ 23
ATM Options have the most time value. .................................................................................. 24
Volatility .................................................................................................................................... 25
Option Positions ........................................................................................................................ 27
Closing Option Positions ........................................................................................................... 36
Exercising Options ..................................................................................................................... 37
Enhancing Returns and Managing Risk with Options. .................................................................. 39
Hedging Your Long Term Portfolio with Put Options ................................................................ 39
Using Options to Benefit from Price Movements (Speculating) ............................................... 42

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Risk-Reward Analysis of Options versus Stocks ........................................................................ 42

Trading with Spreads................................................................................................................. 43
Stock and ATM Option Equivalents and Related Risks. ................................................................ 45
Stock Market Terminology. ........................................................................................................... 47

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TheoTrade Mission.
You want to learn about the markets, and that's what gets us up in the morning at TheoTrade.
We do it for the love of the trade. Forget what you think stocks are going to do and start focusing
on the right trades with the right trade logic. We are not some run-of-the-mill talking heads. We
trade, and we do this to evoke change in the flawed reality of classical Wall Street finance. Step
up to the plate, commit yourself to learning the markets from our experience and join us in our
pursuit of financial revolution.

Don Kaufman

Co-Founder TheoTrade

Learn. Chat. Trade.

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Introduction.
Congratulations on beginning your journey towards learning the options markets with
TheoTrade! You are about to embark on a learning experience that will teach you risk-averse
concepts for trading known and used by less than 1 percent of the people in the stock market.
To begin, we shall introduce the TheoTrade Principles:

TheoTrade Principles
1. Trade Logic
2. Capital Allocation
3. Directional Bias

Trade Logic
At TheoTrade, we put your strategy and trade logic first. The vast majority of people involved in
markets are infatuated with market direction attempting to predict the next move a stock is going
to make. The reality, what you “think” a stock is going to do, does not always translate into
profits. Many investors and traders alike place far too much emphasis on being right or picking
the next move a stock might make. Our veteran traders dictate the right strategy coupled with
established entry and exit criteria so you do not need to be “right” in picking a direction in a stock
or the markets in order to be profitable.

Capital Allocation
How and where you allocate capital should be strongly considered as a viable portion of your
trading methodology. At TheoTrade, Capital Allocation takes precedence over being “right” in
the markets. Why you ask? Experience and watching order flow for decades has taught us
invaluable lessons. Have you ever been stopped out of a trade or bailed out of a position only to
see the markets turn around shortly thereafter? How and where you allocate capital can define
not only losses, but it can be the defining factor in your overall success or failure in the markets.
Our war cry is “duration over direction,” and you need to be capable of sustaining trades long
enough to be profitable.

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Directional Bias
We are not anti-charts. Rather, we recognize that where you “think” a stock might go does not
always mean the markets will agree with your sentiments. Being right directionally cannot define
us as investors or traders for we may not be “right” often enough. At TheoTrade, we are realists
of the marketplace, and we must place our capital at risk ONLY with the correct trade logic and a
comfortable allocation.

Introduction to Options
This TheoTrade Introduction to Options is designed to help you become familiar with some basic
Wall Street concepts and the fundamentals of call and put options. Understanding how options
work is paramount to becoming a more effective trader. The fact that options are widely
regarded as risky is ironic, as options were originally designed as risk management tools. Like any
tools, one must learn how to use options. A power saw has many advantages over a handsaw for
cutting wood. However, if you don’t learn how to use a power saw, you can cut your fingers off.
Similarly to a power saw, those without an understanding of options can put themselves at risk.
For the most part, brokers are right in advising their clients to stay away from options. They know
most will want to grab hold of the “saw” without learning how to use it. However, once a person
is properly educated on the proper use of these risk management tools, options can be the
quickest, easiest, and safest route to financial success in the financial markets.

The strategies taught in our online classes, chat rooms and workshops are used by trading
professionals around the world, and you will be learning from some of the best traders in the
world. Our instructors have a minimum of 15 years’ experience working within the finance
industry as traders, market makers or brokers. They will teach you how to hedge your stocks and
mutual funds to enhance your returns and minimize losses on major downturns. You will learn
how to place trades that can produce large monthly returns with very small moves in a stock. All
this can be done with minimal capital and in only a few hours per week. At TheoTrade, our
courses and coaching will provide you with step-by-step criteria for each strategy that will help
you select and validate candidates, establish loss limits and profit goals and enter and exit each
trade. You’ll learn in a very short time what takes most traders many years to discover through
trial and error. The greatest experience is other traders’ knowledge and learning from their
mistakes.

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If you have little or no experience with options, some of the material in this study guide may be
difficult to grasp at first. Don’t let that worry you. It is our job through online classes, coaching
and workshops to help you understand the concepts. If you merely become familiar with the
material, it will help shorten your learning curve.

TheoTrade Mantra
Traders, speculators and investors who do not utilize risk-management techniques are at the
mercy of the market. They may fall victim to market corrections and reversals. The best traders -
- the ones that last -- utilize strategies designed to reduce risks and protect capital.

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TheoTrade Characteristics
of Traders
We at TheoTrade:

▪ Hate risk.
▪ Use any tool available to reduce risk.
▪ Use options to reduce risk and enhance returns.
▪ Never put all of our money on one trade.
▪ Never trade on tips.
▪ Sleep at night because our positions are covered.
▪ Do our homework before executing any trade.
▪ Use margin only when they are hedged.
▪ Buy on weakness and sell on strength.
▪ Are disciplined.
▪ Plan our strategies.
▪ Are always prepared to execute our plan.
▪ Stick with our plan; we don’t panic.
▪ Know when to exit.
▪ Thrive on chaos. It’s their manna.
▪ Identify our maximum loss before entering a trade.
▪ Factor in commissions and interest when evaluating returns.
▪ Are always ready to pounce on volatility and opportunity.

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Understanding Options.
Note: Pay particular attention to this section on options. You will need to understand how to use
options to trade in the market with reduced risk. It is not unusual to be confused by this material.
The concepts are abstract and hard to grasp at first. The good news is that this is as difficult as it
gets! And we will lead you into a fuller understanding during TheoTrade classes. The more
familiar you are with this section at the outset, the more quickly you will master our courses at
TheoTrade.

Ancient Roots of Option Contracts

Although many believe options are a recent innovation, they actually date back thousands of
years as options originated as risk-management tools. Evidence that the use of option contracts
was standard in ancient times appears during the Greek civilization.

All option contracts that trade on U.S. exchanges are issued, guaranteed and cleared by the
Options Clearing Corporation (OCC). Founded in 1973, OCC is a standalone clearinghouse that
issues and clears options and futures on common stocks, indices, currencies and interest rate
composites listed on 12 participating exchanges, of which five are shareholders. Since July 18,
2012, and as part of the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul, OCC was designated a systemically
important financial market utility. As such, the Federal Reserve has become a third regulator
along with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange
Commission, with some form of supervisory role.

Definition
A stock option is a contract that gives the holder the right to buy (a call) or sell (a put) on a
particular stock, at a predetermined price (the strike price), on or before a particular date (the
expiration date). For everyone who buys stock, there is someone who sells it. Likewise, for every
option (call or put) buyer, there is an option seller.

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Option Advantages
▪ Options give the holder the opportunity of maximum gain through leverage.
▪ Options can be used as risk-management and loss-prevention tools.
▪ Options can be sold to earn premiums and create cash flow.

Options Disadvantages
▪ The buyer/owner can lose his or her entire investment.
▪ The limited life of an option is a double-edged sword; a disadvantage if you’re a buyer but
a distinct advantage if you’re a seller.

Option Buyer’s Rights and Option Seller’s

Obligations
Calls
The buyer or holder of a call option pays a premium for the right, but not the obligation, to buy
a particular stock at the strike price prior to expiration. He may also choose to sell the option
purchased at any time prior to expiration or let it expire worthless. The call buyer wants the stock
to go up.

Buying a call is similar to having an option to buy a house. If the house goes up in value, you can
either exercise your right to buy the house or sell your option to someone else who would like
the right to buy the house. If expiration approaches and the house has gone down in value below
your agreed to right to purchase, you can let the option expire with no obligation to purchase the
house. Your loss is limited to the premium you paid for the option.

You could buy a call for speculation hoping to make a profit by selling the call at a profit should
the stock go up. Calls can also be used to hedge a short sale. The risk of selling short is that the
stock could go up. However, owning a call would limit your price to buy the stock at the strike
price prior to expiration, regardless of how high the stock would go.

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The seller or writer of a call option collects the premium and is obligated, if called upon prior to
expiration, to sell a particular stock at the strike price. This is likely to happen if the option is “in
the money” (i.e., if the stock price is higher than the strike price) at expiration. He/she may buy
the call back to prevent this from happening. If the stock stays below the call strike price, the call
will expire worthless and the seller of the call will keep the entire premium received. The call
seller wants the stock to go down.

The seller of the call is like someone who has sold you an option to buy a house. He or she is
obligated to sell you the house anytime you exercise your right. If the house goes down in value
and you don’t exercise your right to buy the house, the call seller keeps the premium. However,
if you exercise your option to buy the house, he is obligated to sell it to you at the agreed-to
price.

One does not need to own the stock to sell a call option. This would be referred to as selling an
uncovered call (also frequently referred to as “selling naked”) and the risk can be unlimited. If
the call is exercised, the call seller would have to buy the stock at the current price and resell it
at the strike price to the call buyer. If a trader has sold a call on a house and expiration approaches
and the house has gone down in value below your agreed-to right to purchase, you can let the
option expire with no obligation to purchase the house. Your loss is limited to the premium you
paid for the option.

You could buy a call for speculation hoping to make a profit by selling the call at a profit should
the stock go up. Calls can also be used to hedge a short sale. The risk of selling short is that the
stock could go up. However, owning a call would limit your price to buy the stock at the strike
price prior to expiration, regardless of how high the stock would go.

Puts
The buyer or owner of a put option pays a premium for the right, but not the obligation, to sell
a particular stock at the strike price prior to expiration. He may choose to sell the option prior to
expiration or simply let it expire worthless. The put buyer wants the stock to go down.

Think of buying a put like buying insurance on a car. If the car is damaged, you have the right to
file a claim. The insurance company is the seller of the put. If you exercise your right to sell, the
seller of the put is obligated to buy the stock at the agreed-to price, even if the stock should go
to zero. Just the same, the insurance company must give you the dollar value of your car even if
it is demolished and worthless. Of course, the insurance company is hoping you never wreck your
car so they can keep the premium. Likewise, the put seller is hoping the stock stays above the
strike price of the put so you never exercise your right to sell the stock, and the put eventually
expires worthless. In such cases, the put seller will keep the premium received.

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You could buy puts for speculation hoping that a stock goes down and the puts go up in value. Or
puts can be used to hedge a stock position, giving you the right to sell the stock at the strike price
regardless of how low a stock should go.

The seller or writer of a put option collects the premium and is obligated, if called upon prior
to expiration, to buy a particular stock at the strike price. This is likely to happen if the option is
“in the money” (i.e., if the stock price is lower than the strike price) at expiration. He could buy
back the put to prevent this. If the stock stays above the strike price, the put will expire worthless
and the put seller will keep the entire premium received. The put seller wants the stock to go up.

Option Buyer (Holder) Option Seller (Writer)

Buys option contracts Sells option contracts
Call = right to buy Call = obligated to sell
Put = right to sell Put = obligated to buy
Pays the premium Receives the premium

Option Particulars

Option Holders and Writers

The buyer of an option is referred to as the option holder. The seller of an option is referred to as
the option writer.

Option Contract
Options trade in contracts and not shares. All option contracts are bought and sold in one
hundred-share lots only. One call or one put is a contract to buy (a call) or sell (a put) one hundred
shares of an underlying stock. One call is the right to buy 100 shares; two calls, 200 shares; three
calls, 300 shares; etc. Note: a recent innovation in markets are Mini options. Mini options are
option contracts where the underlying security is 10 shares of a stock. This is the main difference
between mini options and standard options, which have 100 shares as the underlying security.

Option Premium

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The premium is the price that the buyer/holder of an option pays and the seller/writer of an
option receives for the rights conveyed by the option. It is the price set by the holder and writer
or their brokers in a transaction in an options market where the option is traded. The premium
does not constitute a down payment or a credit towards the purchase of a stock; it is simply a
nonrefundable payment in full from the option holder (buyer) to the option writer (seller) for the
rights conveyed by the option.

The premium is always quoted on a per-share basis. If the 120 strike price calls are trading at
$5, this means $5 per share. Since one call covers one hundred shares, one call option would
therefore cost $5 x 100 or $500.

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Strike Price
The strike price is the price at which the option allows the holder to buy or the writer to sell
the underlying stock. The strike price is not negotiable. To establish a more orderly and liquid
market, strike prices are fixed in $.50, $1, $2.50, $5, or $10 increments. Index products, ETF’s,
and stocks with heavy volume (liquidity) often offer more strike price variety. Everything from
$.50 increment strike prices are now available on hundreds of liquid products. Below is an
example of strike price increments from December 2015 expiration in a prominent ETF product.

Expiration Strike Price

December 2015 205

December 2015 205.5

December 2015 206

December 2015 206.5

December 2015 207

December 2015 207.5

December 2015 208

December 2015 208.5

December 2015 209

Exceptions to the rule: Options on stocks that split may trade in various increments to account
for the split. (For example, one, 95 call trading for $4, will become two, $47.50 calls trading for
$2 on a 2:1 stock split.)

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Expiration
Equity (Stock) Options expire the Saturday following the third Friday of the month. The closing
price of the stock on the third Friday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time is used to
determine whether an option has value or not at expiration. Effectively therefore, equity options
expire at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on the third Friday of the month. In addition, Weekly
Options or “Weeklys” are now available on over 400+ underlyings and offer expirations every
Friday! Weeklys should be regarded as options with shorter lifespans but similar attributes.

Open Interest
Open interest refers to the number of outstanding option contracts of a particular strike price
and expiration date that have been bought or sold to open a position. If or when an option is
bought to open a position, the open interest increases by one. If or when that option is sold to
close the position, the open interest decreases by one. Likewise, if an option is sold to open a
position, the open interest increases by one. When it is bought back, open interest decreases by
one. Open interest is calculated at the end of each business day. Open interest is an indicator of
the liquidity of a particular option.

Option Volume
Option volume is the number of option contracts that have been bought or sold within a
particular time period. Volume is disseminated on a real time basis.

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Understanding Option Premium

The premium is made up of intrinsic value and time value.

Premium = Intrinsic Value + Time Value

Intrinsic Value
Intrinsic Value = Premium - Time Value

The intrinsic value is the value of the option with no consideration for time. It is the value of
the option at expiration. Therefore, it is the value of the option when there is no time. It is the
REAL VALUE of an options contract. It reflects the amount, if any, by which an option is “in the
money.” The intrinsic value is usually the minimum value an option will have as an option will
rarely trade below its intrinsic value.

To understand intrinsic value, think of having an accident insurance policy (a put) on your car.
You paid a premium of $3,000 to insure your $50,000 auto for one year. If you were to sell your
car within the year you could get a refund on part of the premium because you did not use all of
the time. (The put would still have some time value in it.) However, pretend on the day your
policy expires, you total your car and you are unconscious for a week. When you wake up you
find out that your car was totaled. Even though the policy expired a week earlier and there is no
time value left in it, you are still covered. This is because the accident happened before the policy
expired. Your policy expired with an intrinsic value of $50,000. You can still file a claim and
receive the full difference between the face value of the policy and the current value of the car.
In this example, you had a $50,000 policy and the auto was totaled. Therefore, you will receive
$50,000. This is the policy’s (the put’s) intrinsic value and it does not go away even though the
policy has expired.

If at expiration an option is in-the-money, that is, has intrinsic value equal to or greater than one
penny per share ($.01 in the money), then the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) will
automatically exercise that option on behalf of the option buyer. To determine the intrinsic value
of an option, use the following formula:

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Intrinsic Value Formula

What is the right to buy/sell _________
Call Put Company

for/at $ ________ worth, at expiration,

Strike Price

when its current market price is _______?

Stock Price

For example, to determine the intrinsic value of the $50 strike price call when XYZ stock is at $52,
we would ask ourselves, “What is the right to buy XYZ for $50 worth when its current market
price is $52?” It is worth $2. The right to buy the stock for $50 when the stock is at $52 saves us
$2. With the 50 call, we could buy the stock for $50 and immediately sell it for $52 and make a
profit of $2. Therefore, the 50 call has an intrinsic value of $2.

The right to buy the stock for $50 when its current market price is $49 would be worth nothing!
Why pay for the right to buy at $50 when you can buy for $49?

Now, let’s determine the intrinsic value of the 50 put when XYZ is trading for $52. Using the
formula above we would say, “What is the right to sell XYZ at $50 worth when its current market
price is $52?” It is worth nothing. The stock is trading for $52, so why pay for the right to get only
$50? However, if the stock was at $49, the $50 put would be worth at least $1 intrinsically and
even more, if there was time some time value left.

The intrinsic value of a call option equals the stock price less the strike price. However, it can
never have a negative value. An option either has value or not.

Intrinsic value cannot go below 0.

Stock Price $52 $53

- Strike Price -$50 -$55
Call’s I.V. $2 $0

The intrinsic value of a put option equals the strike price less the stock price.

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The intrinsic value of the 55 put when the stock is trading at $57 is 0, not -2. Intrinsic value cannot
go below 0. The 55 put with the stock at $57 would be $2 out-of-the-money. When the stock is
at $53, the intrinsic value of the 55 put would be $2. The 55 put with the stock at $53 would be
$2 in-the-money.

Strike Price $50 $55

- Stock Price -$52 -$53
Put’s I.V. $0 $2

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Relationship of Stock
Price to Option Price.
The “Money” is the stock price.
At-the-Money (ATM) Call or Put: The stock’s price is the same as the strike price. Intrinsic value
is zero.

Out-of-the-Money (OTM) Call: The stock’s price is below the strike price. Intrinsic value is zero.

Out-of-the-Money (OTM) Put: The stock’s price is above the strike price. Intrinsic value is zero.

In-the-Money (ITM) Call: The stock’s price is above the strike price. Intrinsic value is positive.

In-the-Money (ITM) Put: The stock’s price is below the strike price. Intrinsic value is positive.

Intrinsic Value of an Option When the Stock

is at $50
Strike Intrinsic Value Intrinsic Value

Price of a Call of a Put

65 0 (15 OTM) 15 ITM

60 0 (10 OTM) 10 ITM
55 0 (5 OTM) 5 ITM
50 0 ATM 0 ATM
45 5 ITM 0 (5 OTM)
40 10 ITM 0 (10 OTM)
35 15 ITM 0 (15 OTM)
ITM = in the money, OTM = out of the money, ATM = at the money

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Time Value (Extrinsic Value)

The time value of an option is that portion of the option premium over and above its intrinsic
value. Generally speaking, the more time before expiration and/or the more volatile the
underlying stock, the higher the time premium will be. Such factors increase the probability of a
stock reaching a certain price point. Thus, time value will be higher when the option is farther
from expiration and will decrease as the option gets closer to expiration. A May option will cost
more than an April option because there is more time for the stock to reach or go beyond the
strike price. Out-of-the-money options carry only time value, if they have any value at all. Time
value can be determined by subtracting the intrinsic value of an option from the premium.

Time Value = Option Premium - Intrinsic Value

If there is some time left before expiration, an option may be worth more than its intrinsic value
by an amount equal to its time value. An option that still has time value left prior to expiration
will rarely be exercised, as it will bring the holder a greater value by simply selling it.

For example, let’s say XYZ stock is trading at $52 with a week left until expiration. The 50 call is
trading at $2.50 because it has $2 of intrinsic value and $.50 of time value. If one were to exercise
the call and buy the stock for 50 and then immediately sell the stock at $52, he would realize
$2.00. However, if he simply sold the call, he would realize $2.50. Even if the call holder wanted
to own the stock, he would be better off selling the call and then buying the stock. By doing so
he would be able to buy the stock for fifty cents less per share. This is why an option that still
has time value remaining is rarely exercised.

At expiration, all the time value goes away and only intrinsic value remains. Time value usually
diminishes as an option goes further ITM or OTM, or as it moves closer to expiration, to the point
where it will eventually be reduced to nothing. If prior to expiration, an option has intrinsic value
(ITM) and there is little or no time value remaining, there is a high likelihood it could be exercised.
Such an option is now trading at “parity.” An option is trading at parity with its stock if it is in-
the-money and has no time value.

For example, if the 50 call was trading for $2 with the stock at $52, it would be trading at parity.
If the option holder wanted to own the stock, he/she would exercise his option as there is no
advantage in selling the call when there is no time value remaining. However, if he/she was
merely speculating with the option and did not want to own the stock, he/she would still sell the
option to avoid being automatically exercised and owning it. Remember, if an option expires with

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intrinsic value equal to or greater than one penny per share ($.01, it will be automatically
exercised by the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC). If a long call is exercised, the option holder
will now have a long stock position. If he wants to avoid this, he will sell the put even if there is
no time value remaining.

Factors that Influence Time Value

The primary factors that influence time value are the length of time remaining until expiration,
the underlying stock’s volatility and an option’s supply and demand.

Time Decay
Just like the premium would be more to insure a car for two months than one month, so too the
time value of a May option will be more than an April. The time value is a wasting asset. Other
factors being equal, the time value decreases as the option approaches expiration.

This decrease accelerates in a nonlinear fashion the closer the option gets to expiration as the
following time graph illustrates. This process is referred to as “time decay.” At expiration, only
those options that are in-the-money will have any intrinsic value remaining (remember, intrinsic
value does not change with time) but no options will have any time value remaining. If the option
is “out-of-the-money” and is not sold or exercised prior to its expiration, it will become worthless.

Time decay is advantageous to sellers of options and a disadvantage to buyers of options. For
example, the seller of a call option may, due to time decay be able to buy back the option at a
lower price than he originally sold it for, even if the stock does not drop in value. In such
situations, the option seller can make a profit and eliminate the risk of being “assigned.” If the
option is well OTM, the seller may allow the option to expire worthless and keep the entire
premium. When he sells an OTM option, an option seller is collecting money for time as there is
no intrinsic value. Should the stock at expiration be below the strike price, if it is a call, or above
the strike price, if it is a put, the seller will retain the entire premium.

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Time decay is disadvantageous to an option buyer because he now owns a wasting or decaying
asset. Even if the stock doesn’t move, the option will decrease in value every day due to time
decay. The option buyer is hoping the stock moves up quickly so he can retain as much time
value as possible.

ATM Options have the most time value.

An option whose strike price is at-the-money (ATM) will have more time value than the other
strike prices because there is more uncertainty as to its closing in-the-money or out-of-the-
money at expiration. This uncertainty diminishes as the option moves more into or out-of-the-
money. An option that is already in or out-of-the-money has a greater probability of remaining
so than one that is at-the-money. The time value will be approximately the same for options
equal distance ITM and OTM because they have relatively the same amount of uncertainty.

In the following table, notice for example that the 120 call that is five dollars OTM, has the same
time value ($3) as the 110 calls, which is five dollars ITM. However, the 110 call has a total
premium value of 8 because it also has five dollars of intrinsic value. As the following table
illustrates, the time value for options equal distance in or out-of-the-money on the same stock
will be approximately the same.

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Call Premium 30 days Prior to Expiration with Stock at $115

Strike Price premium intrinsic value time value

95 20.375 20 0.375

100 15.75 15 0.75

105 11.5 10 1.5

110 8 5 3

115 5 0 5

120 3 0 3

125 1.5 0 1.5

130 0.75 0 0.75

Volatility
Volatility is the measurement of the amount by which the price of the underlying security is
expected to fluctuate over a given period of time. Generally speaking, stocks that fluctuate over
a wide price range have more volatility. Typically, with all other factors being equal, an option’s
time value will be higher on a stock with greater volatility. Earthquake insurance will cost more
in San Francisco than in Chicago because San Francisco can “move” more. For example, take two
stocks trading at 100. The 105 May calls on both stocks are $5 out-of-the-money and therefore
have no intrinsic value, just time value. The premium for the 105 May calls is at $1 for Stock A
and $2 for Stock B. Even though both options have the same time remaining, Stock B’s calls are
trading $1 higher than Stock A’s. This is because Stock B is more volatile. The market is saying
that Stock B has a greater chance of moving to 105 than Stock A. Therefore, Stock B demands a
higher premium.

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Historical Volatility
Historical volatility is a statistical measurement of a stock’s price movements based on history.
Typically, it is calculated by taking the standard deviation of the stock’s daily closing price over
the past 21 trading days.

Implied Volatility
Implied volatility is the volatility derived from looking at the current market price of an option.
Option prices don’t imply a direction of movement for the stock. They only imply a probable
distribution or volatility. Increased volatility increases the expected value of an option but not
the expected value of a stock.

Although there are more technical methods of measuring volatility, it is a general rule that if the
stock is flat, volatility should be low. If the stock is fluctuating greatly, volatility should be high.
The higher the volatility, the higher the risk, and thus option sellers will demand more option
premium.

The market ultimately determines an options price. The “market” includes market makers,
liquidity providers, hedge funds, institutional investors, the public and even YOU. Remember, the
intrinsic or real value of an option will always be constant. The intrinsic value of the 50 call with
the stock at $51 will always be $1.00. However, the options will most likely be trading for more

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than $1 due to its time value. The time value is determined primarily by the distance the option’s
strike price is to the stock price, the stock’s volatility, the current demand for the option and the
volatility of the stock. The more a stock can move in price, the more money option sellers will
want to receive and the more option buyers will have to pay for an option. The marketplace
which factors in all these variables determines at what price we can buy or sell an option for in
the same fashion it establishes stock prices.

Option Positions
Buying Naked Calls
One who buys a call to open a position (goes long) wants the underlying stock to go up. This
will typically increase the option’s premium. If the stock price goes above the strike price, the call
buyer can either exercise the option to buy the stock or simply sell the option. His risk is limited
to what he paid for the option, plus commission.

The following graph illustrates the value at expiration of a 30 call bought for $3. The graph
illustrates a worst-case scenario as the option will usually be worth more prior to expiration when
there is some time value remaining. The stock must go to $33 at expiration to break-even, and
the call position begins making money above $33. The potential profit is unlimited (minus the
premium paid); a loss is limited to $3 a share.

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Selling Naked Calls

When one sells a call option (short) to open a position without owning the underlying stock or
another call (long) on the same security, it is called a naked or uncovered short call position. It
is called “uncovered” because the seller has no protection if the underlying security rises in price.
When you sell (go short) a call, you are giving someone the right to buy the underlying stock at
the strike price in return for the premium.

One who sells a call (to open a position) wants the underlying stock to go down. The seller
collects the premium and realizes maximum profit at the time of sale. Typically, if the stock price
stays the same or goes down, the value of the call will be reduced. The call seller can then close
out his position by buying back the call at a reduced price. The profit is then the difference
between what was originally received for selling the call less the price paid to buy it back.
Alternatively, if the stock price is below the strike price at expiration, the seller can let the option
expire worthless and keep the entire premium. However, should the stock price rise above the
strike price, the seller runs the risk of being exercised and having to deliver the stock at the strike
price.

The following graph illustrates the value at expiration of the 30 call sold for $3. If the stock is at
$30 or below, the call seller will keep the entire premium received. Maximum profit is limited to
$3 per share. However, if the stock goes above $30, the seller begins giving back the premium
and breaks even at $33. A loss is incurred as the stock closes above $33, and it can become
unlimited. Selling calls naked can cause extreme risk. TheoTrade advises clientele have extensive
experience prior to selling calls naked.

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Selling Covered Calls

When one sells a call option to open a position and owns the underlying stock, one has sold a
covered call. The risk of having a short call, as shown above, is covered by the underlying stock
position. In the event the stock goes above the strike price of the call, one would most likely be
called to deliver the stock at the strike price of the call sold. When one sells a covered call, he/she
limits the upside on the stock while only slightly reducing the downside risk of owning the stock.
In various TheoTrade classes, you will learn how to reduce the risk of covered call strategies.

Buying Naked Puts

One who buys a put wants the stock to go down, which usually increases the price of the put.
The buyer’s goal is to sell the put at a profit or exercise his right to sell the stock.

The following graph illustrates the value at expiration of the 30 put bought for $2. To break even,
the stock must go to $28. Below $28, the put increases in value dollar-for-dollar with every dollar
drop in the price of the stock; this can continue all the way to zero. However, a loss is realized at
expiration if the stock stays above $28. The maximum loss of $2 per share is realized at $30 or
above.

Selling Naked Puts

When one sells a put option to open a position without being short the underlying stock or long
another put option on the same security, it is called a naked or uncovered short put. The put

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seller wants the stock to go up so he can keep all or part of the premium. However, the potential
risk is high. The potential loss is the difference between the value of the underlying stock (which
could go to zero) and the strike price, less what was originally received for the sale of the put,
plus commission.

One who sells a put (to open a position) wants the stock to go up. The seller realizes maximum
profit at the time he sells the put. He/she will retain maximum profit if the stock closes at or
above the strike price at expiration. Should the stock go below the put strike price, the seller
could be obligated to buy the stock at the strike price, if exercised. Typically, he/she will buy back
the put prior to expiration to avoid this.

The following graph shows the value, at expiration, of the 30 put sold at $2. A maximum profit of
$2 per share is realized if the stock is at $30 or above at expiration. Break-even is at $28. The put
seller could lose up to $28 should the stock go to zero at expiration.

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Selling Covered Puts

When one sells a put option to open a position and is short the underlying stock, he/she has
sold a covered put. Also, if one owns a put and sells another put on the same stock, he is no
longer naked but hedged.

Vertical Spreads
A vertical spread is one strategy to use when you are confident a stock will move in a certain
direction. It does not employ the use of stock, only options making this a relatively inexpensive
method to benefit from stock movement. They are called “vertical” because they employ strike
prices of the same month that are higher or lower than each other vertically. With vertical
spreads, you are paying a premium to buy one option while at the same time collecting a
premium by selling another option. With a vertical call spread, you buy a call at one strike price
and sell another call at a different strike price. With a vertical put spread, you buy a put at one
strike price and sell another put at a different strike price.

Vertical Spread Formula:

▪ Buy one strike option
▪ Sell another strike option
▪ Same series (calls with calls or puts with puts)
▪ Same expiration month
▪ Same underlying asset (stock, index, ETF)

A vertical spread is an alternative strategy to a costly or risky naked long or short option position.
The profit potential remains relatively high while risk is dramatically reduced. Buying a naked call
or put can be expensive. The vertical spread reduces cost by selling another option. Selling a
naked call or put to open a position can be an extremely high-risk strategy. However, the sale of
a vertical spread to open is a much less risky strategy. Rather than being naked short a call or put,
one simultaneously buys a further out-of-the-money call or put to reduce the risk. These
positions are called spreads because the risk is “spread out” instead of being concentrated on
one naked long or short position.

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A vertical spread’s maximum value whether it is a call or a put spread can only go as high or low
as the difference between the two strike prices used. Therefore:

Maximum value a $2.50 spread (i.e., 17.50-20) could go to is $2.50, or $250 per spread.

Maximum value a $5 spread (i.e., 25-30) could go to is $5, or $500 per spread.

Maximum value a $10 spread (i.e., 75-85) could go to is $10, or $1,000 per spread.

Maximum value a $15 spread (i.e., 75-90) could go to is $15, or $1,500 per spread.

Profit or loss when buying a vertical spread to open:

When buying a vertical spread to open a position, maximum profit is limited to the difference
between the strike prices of the options bought and sold less the cost of the spread. Maximum
loss is limited to what you pay for the spread, that is, the premium of the option bought less the
premium of the one sold.

Maximum PROFIT when BUYING a Vertical Spread

Maximum profit = difference between strikes - cost of the spread

Maximum LOSS when BUYING a Vertical Spread

Maximum loss = net cost of the spread

Buying the Vertical Call Spread (Bull Call Spread)

This is a bullish play. By definition, you want the underlying stock to go up.

Formula: buy near-the-money calls (lower strike price) and sell an equal number of calls farther
out of the money (higher strike price) in the same expiration month.

Maximum Risk: the cost of the spread.

Maximum Profit: the difference between the two strikes, less the cost of the spread. If you pay
$1 for the 30-35 call spread, your maximum profit is 5 - 1 = 4.

Break-Even at Expiration: the stock must go above the lower strike price by an amount equal to
the cost of the spread. If you paid $1 for the 30-35 call spread, the stock must go to $31 at
expiration to break-even. As the stock increases in value from that point, you make money.

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Example:

XYZ stock is trading at $28. The Aug 30 call is $2 and the Aug 35 call is $1. If you buy one Aug 30
call and sell one Aug 35 call, the spread costs $100.

- $200 Paid for Aug 30 call

+$100 Received for Aug 35 call
- $100 Total cost (before commissions)

You are risking $100 for an opportunity to make up to $400, a 400% return on investment. The
following chart shows the profit or loss on this trade at expiration. Of course, this position can be
closed at any time prior to expiration. To close this position, you would sell the calls that you
bought and buy back the calls that you sold.

Value of 30-35 Call Spread at Expiration

To open the position, buy the 30 call and sell the 35 call.

To close the position, sell the 30 call and buy back the 35 call.

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Stock Sell Buy Debit Less Gain 1x %

Price 30C 35C Credit Cost Loss $__ Return
29 0 0 0 -1 -1 - 100 -100
30 0 0 0 -1 -1 - 100 -100
31 1 0 1 -1 0 0 0
32 2 0 2 -1 1 100 100
33 3 0 3 -1 2 200 200
34 4 0 4 -1 3 300 300
35 5 0 5 -1 4 400 400
4010 -5 5 -1 4 400 400

Buying the Vertical Put Spread (Bear Put Spread)

This is a bearish play. Execute it when you expect a stock to go down in price.

Formula: buy a put at or near the stock price (higher strike price) and sell an equal number of
farther out-of-the-money (lower strike price) puts in the same expiration month.

Maximum Risk: the cost of the spread.

Maximum Profit: the difference between the two strike prices less the cost of the spread. For
example, if you pay $1 for the 30-35 put spread, your maximum profit is 5 - 1 = 4.

Break-Even at Expiration: stock must go below the higher strike price by the cost of the spread.
If you paid $1 for the 30-35 put spread, the stock must go to $34 at expiration to break-even.

Example:

XYZ is trading at $37. The April 35 put is trading at $4.50 and the April 30 put is trading at $3.50.
If you buy the April 35 put and sell the April 30 put, you are paying $1 for the spread.

- $450 Buy one April 35 put for 4.50

+ 350 Sell one April 30 put at 3.50
-$ 100 Cost of the spread = -$1

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The following chart shows the profit or loss you would realize if you were to close this position
at expiration. To close this position, you would sell the puts that you bought and buy back the
puts that you sold.

Value of 30-35 Put Spread at Expiration

To open the position, buy the 35 put and sell the 30 put.

To close, sell the 35 put and buy back the 30 put.

Stock Sell Buy Debit Less Gain 1x %

Price 35P 30P Credit Cost Loss $ Return
36 0 0 0 -1 -1 -100 -100
35 0 0 0 -1 -1 -100 -100
34 1 0 1 -1 0 0 0
33 2 0 2 -1 1 100 100
32 3 0 3 -1 2 200 200
31 4 0 4 -1 3 300 300
30 5 0 5 -1 4 400 400
25 10 -5 5 -1 4 400 400

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Closing Option Positions

Buyers and sellers of option contracts may close out their positions in one of the following ways:

1. Let the option expire if it is out-of-the-money and worthless.

2. Offset the option by doing one of the following:

a. Buy back the options that were sold when opening the position.

b. Sell the options that were bought when opening the position.

3. Exercise the option if it is in-the-money.

4. Automatic exercise. If at expiration an option is in-the-money, that is, has intrinsic value
equal to or greater than one penny per share, then the Options Clearing Corporation
(OCC) will automatically exercise that option on behalf of the option buyer.

If a call is automatically exercised, on the next business day after expiration (usually Monday after
expiration Friday), the call holder will now have a long stock position and will be required to pay
for the stock at the strike price of the call purchased by the close of the business day.
Alternatively, the holder could elect to sell the stock to pay for it. The holder gets to keep any
profits or must make up any loss resulting from a stock movement between expiration and the
time the stock is sold. If a put is automatically exercised, on the next business day after expiration
(usually Monday after expiration Friday), the put holder will now have a short stock position and
will be required to deposit the margin requirement for a short stock position by the close of the
business day. Alternatively, the holder could buy the stock back to close the short position. The
holder keeps any profits or will have to make up any deficit.

Most options are either offset or expire worthless at expiration and are not exercised. The vast
majority of options exercised are done so on the expiration date. The risk of an option being
exercised prior to expiration is minimized when there is time value still left in its premium. This
is because one would receive more by simply selling the option to retain the time value. For
example, say the 50 call is trading at $3.50 with the stock at $53. If you sell the call, you receive
$3.50. If you exercise the call, you buy the stock at $50 and sell it for $53, thus netting only $3. In
this example, if the call buyer wanted to own the stock, he would be better off selling the call and
using the additional 50 cents per share to buy more stock or to reduce his basis in it. Thus, it is
rare for an option to be exercised when it still has time value remaining. Conversely, when an

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option is trading at parity with no time value, it runs a higher risk of being exercised prior to
expiration.

Options may be offset (sold if they were bought and bought back if they were sold) at any time
prior to expiration. Let’s repeat this sentence. Options may be offset or closed out at any time
prior to expiration. Typically, an option will be offset when a profit can be made or to reduce a
loss. Note: the prudent investor always makes note of expiration dates so he/she can avoid
leaving any profits at expiration.

Exercising Options
Buyers of option contracts have the right to exercise their option prior to expiration. Sellers of
option contracts are obligated to deliver the stock (call seller) or to accept delivery of the stock
(put seller) if called upon (assigned) prior to expiration.

Exercising Calls
When you own or hold a long (buy) call position, you have the right to exercise your option to
buy the stock prior to expiration. If, for example, you own one IBM Jan 85 call option, you may
choose to exercise your option to buy 100 shares of IBM stock at $85 per share plus commission.
If you are a seller of the IBM Jan 85 call, the OCC (Options Clearing Corporation) may call upon
you to deliver the stock. As the recipient of an exercise, you are assigned.

If you have sold the call without owning the underlying stock, you are what is referred to as naked
short the call (i.e., uncovered). You are now short the stock (naked) and will have to buy it at the
current price to deliver it. You will lose the difference between what you are forced to pay for
the stock and the strike price of the call less the premium received when you sold the call. If you
have sold the call and own (long) the stock (covered), your stock is now gone. This is commonly
referred to as having the stock called away. It has been delivered to the call owner who exercised
his call.

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Exercising Puts
This same process works for puts. If you are long (bought) one IBM Oct 95 put, you may choose
to exercise your right to sell IBM at 95. You tell your broker to exercise the put, and he in turn
instructs the OCC. The OCC then makes a random selection from its list of sellers of the IBM Oct
95 puts and informs that person to take delivery of 100 shares of IBM at $95 per share. The
following morning you have a sell transaction for 100 shares of IBM at $95 per share in your
account (i.e., $9,500 less commissions). Because you exercised your put, your position of being
long one IBM Oct 95 put is now eliminated. If you own the stock and choose to exercise your
option to sell, you are forcing the seller of the put contract to accept delivery of the stock you
own at the agreed upon strike price.

If you are the seller (short) of a 95 put, you may be called upon to accept delivery of IBM stock at
$95 per share. As the recipient of an exercise, you are assigned. When you are assigned, you
become the owner (long) of the stock. This is commonly referred to as having the stock put to
you. You must have all the money in your account the next day to pay for the stock. You are now
flat if you were short the stock (i.e., a covered put) when you had the stock put to you.

Transaction Costs
The transaction costs of options investing consist primarily of commissions (which are imposed
in opening, closing, exercise and assignment transactions) but may also include margin and
interest costs in particular transactions.

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Enhancing Returns and

Managing Risk with
Options.
Hedging Your Long Term Portfolio with Put
Options
Would you drive a car without insurance? Would you even think of owning a home without
insurance? Most people buy insurance to protect their investments from loss. One never wants
to collect on a policy, but buying insurance is prudent, regardless. Options like insurance policies
can be used to limit risk.

Professionals believe that the only way one can safely be in the market for the long haul is by
being hedged. Put options can be used as an insurance policy to protect stock or mutual fund
holdings. As a good rule of thumb, when you buy stock or mutual funds, you should buy puts.
Buying puts to hedge a stock position is referred to by the professionals as “married puts.” You
will learn at TheoTrade how to hedge a mutual fund by using index options. A mutual fund is a
basket of stocks, as is an index. You should buy enough puts to cover your long stock position.
(Remember, one put contract gives the holder the right to sell 100 shares of the underlying stock
at the strike price before the expiration date.) By purchasing puts, you minimize the potential
loss on a stock or mutual fund, should it decline in price.

For Example: You buy or own 1,000 shares of XYZ at $31 and ten 30 strike puts, one month from
expiration at $1. By purchasing the put, you have increased your investment in XYZ to $32.
(TheoTrade philosophy: If the stock is not worth $32 with protection, it is not worth paying $31
without. You are buying XYZ because you think the stock is going up. If you don’t believe the stock
or mutual fund will go up by at least the cost of the put in the time remaining until expiration, it’s
not worth owning!)

Buying puts for protection is obviously a bullish strategy. If you thought a stock was going down,
why own it. However, you don’t mind paying insurance for something you feel will continue to
go up in value. Therefore, it is important to understand that buying married puts is not a cure for
poor performing stocks. If you own a stock that is not going up, why do you continue to own it?

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Sell it and buy one you are confident will go up along with a married put, in case you’re wrong!
With married puts, you should be confident that the stock will increase in price and also be willing
to give up a little upside profit to offset your downside risk protection. By purchasing puts, you
set the maximum loss on the stock at the put strike price less the cost of the put. In our example,
you are guaranteed $29 for the stock (the put strike of 30, less the $1 premium paid for the put)
even if it goes to zero prior to expiration.

The advantage of buying puts over stop-loss orders:

Stop-loss orders are poor protection against sudden downturns in a stock. Bad news, poor
earnings, political problems and many other factors can cause a stock to gap down. In our
example, should the stock gap down from 31 to 20, a 30 stop loss order would sell the stock near
20 not at 30 since the stock never hit a price between 30 and 20. If you have a 30 stop order once
the stock hits 30 or below, the stock is immediately sold at the market price. If you had a “stop
limit order” at 30, you wouldn’t be sold until the stock goes back to 30. However, the stock could
continue to drop. Stop and stop limit orders, therefore, provide very little protection. But, if you
own the 30 strike put, you have the right to sell the stock at 30 any time prior to the option’s
expiration. A stop-loss order can also force an untimely sale. When a stock price reaches the stop,
it is sold automatically thereby eliminating the chance of participating in upward movements
should the stock turn around. Owning the puts allows the holder to ride out these downturns.

The options of the married-put holder: Should your stock decline in price, you have two options
as a married put holder:

1. You can exercise your right to sell the stock at the put strike price.

2. You can sell the put option and keep the stock and then re-hedge the position with
another put. You will then own the stock at the current price, but the sale of the put
option will give you the difference between the put strike price and the current price of
the stock, plus any remaining time value in the put. The following table will show you the
value of the put option at expiration based on various stock prices. Notice that if you keep
the stock, you will own the stock at the current price plus have cash equal to the intrinsic

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value of the option. Adding the two together, your net loss in this example will never be
more than $2, no matter how low the stock goes.

Profit or loss on XYZ stock bought for $31 with 30 strike put purchased for $1 for a total
investment of $32.

Stock Price + 30 Put Value - Cost = Net Gain/Loss

$40 $0 $32 $8
$35 $0 $32 $3
$32 $0 $32 $0
$28 $2 $32 -$2
$20 $10 $32 -$2
$15 $15 $32 -$2
$5 $25 $32 -$2
$0 $30 $32 -$2

Maximum Loss: The difference between the price you paid for the stock less the strike price of
the put, plus the cost of the put and commission.

When you buy a put, you are buying the right to sell the stock at the strike price less the cost of
the put. If your stock declines, you can sell the put and buy a lower strike price put for the next
month. If the stock moves up, you can lock in profits by purchasing a higher strike put.

At TheoTrade, you will learn specific criteria on what strike price put and expiration month to
purchase to properly hedge your stocks or mutual funds. Then you will learn specific criteria for
re-hedging the position to lock in profits should the stock or mutual fund increase in price or
minimize losses should the stock or mutual fund drop in price. TheoTrade emphasizes “Trade
Criteria” and is worth the investment in our course materials.

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Using Options to Benefit from Price

Movements (Speculating)
Traders can use options to benefit from price movements in underlying stocks without the
expense or risk of owning or shorting stock.

Suppose ABC is trading at $98, and you buy one 100 strike price call for a premium of $4. Since
one call is an option to buy 100 shares, your total investment would be $400 (4 x 100). If the stock
were to go to $105 prior to expiration, the 100 call would be worth at least $5 per share, or $500
per contract. Selling the call would result in a $100 profit, earning 25% return on a $400
investment. By comparison, the stock owner would have realized only $700 on a $9,800
investment. This is only a 7% return for the same movement in the stock. The stock owner could
lose up to $98 per share for a total of $9,800 should the stock decline in value! The call holder’s
loss is limited to $4 per share, or $400 for one contract, regardless of how far the stock declines.

Risk-Reward Analysis of Options versus

Stocks
Buy 100 shares ABC @ $98 = $9,800 or

Buy 1 ABC $100 call @ $4 = $400

The stock drops to $80:

The stock owner loses 18% or $1,800

The option owner loses 100% or $400

The stock goes to $105:

The stock owner gains 7% or $700

The option owner gains 25% or $100

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Trading with Spreads

Although options can be purchased naked for speculation, TheoTrade believes that most trades
should be hedged. Rather than being naked long or short an option, TheoTrade prefers to lower
your risk by using a combination of options in one position. These “spreads,” as they are called,
can be used to establish lower-risk trades. A Vertical Spread, for example, is created by
simultaneously buying one option and selling another option of the same stock at a different
strike price.

Suppose, in our previous example with ABC stock at $98, three-and-a-half weeks from expiration
you buy ten near-month 100 calls for $4 and simultaneously sell ten near-month 105 calls at
$2.25. You now have the ABC 100-105 a Vertical Call Spread for a net cost of $1.75, or $1,750 for
ten spreads.

Buy (Open) 100-105 Vertical Call Spread with Stock at $98:

Buy 100 call for -4.00 - 10(4 x 100) = -4,000
Sell 105 call at 2.25 10(2.25 x 100) = 2,250
Cost of Spread -1.75 - 10(1.75 x 100) = -1,750

Value of 100-105 Call Spread at Expiration with Stock at $105:

Sell 100 call for 5 - 10(5 x 100) = 5,000
Buy 105 call at - 0 10(0 x 100) = - 0
Sale of Spread 5 10(5 x 100) = 5,000
Less Spread cost - 1.75 - 10(1.75 x 100) = -1,750
Gross Profit 3.25 10(3 x 100) = 3,250

You now own the right to buy the stock for $100 and have sold someone else the right to buy the
stock for $105. If the stock is close to or above $105 at expiration, you could be required to sell
the stock for $105. However, you could exercise your right to buy the stock for $100, thus
receiving $5 per share, for a total of $5,000 on the ten spreads.

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Alternatively, you might also receive close to $5,000 by simply selling the spread at or near
expiration. When you subtract the $1,750 you paid for the spread, you are left with a $3,250
profit. That is a 185% return for a 7% move in the stock! In addition, you have limited your risk to
only $1.75 per share, or $1,750 for ten spreads, plus commissions.

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Stock and ATM Option

Equivalents and Related
Risks.
The following compares 4 bullish and 4 bearish positions and the associated risk with each
position. You should note the risk of owning stock and selling stock or options short in comparison
to the limited risk of spreads and buying options.

Bullish Positions

Trade Buy Stock @ Sell 100 Put Buy 100 Buy 100-105 Call
Type 100 @3 Call @ 3 Spread for 1.50

Risk/share $100 $97 $3 $1.50

Stock Break Even 100 97 103 101.50

Max Profit/share Unlimited $3 Unlimited $3.50

TheoTrade will cover a number of stock and option combination strategies designed to limit
risk and increase profit potential in bullish, bearish, volatile or neutral markets including:

▪ Straddles
▪ Strangles
▪ Vertical Bull Call Spreads
▪ Vertical Bear Call Spreads
▪ Vertical Bear Put Spreads
▪ Vertical Bull Put Spreads
▪ Iron Condors
▪ Calendar Bull Call Spreads
▪ Calendar Neutral Call Spreads

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▪ Calendar Bear Put Spreads

▪ Calendar Neutral Put Spreads
▪ Hedging Stock with Married Puts
▪ Hedging a Mutual Fund or Portfolio
▪ Collars
▪ Writing Covered Calls
▪ Hedging a Short Sale
▪ Locking in Stock Prices
▪ Locking in Stock Profits
▪ Using Options to Buy Stock
▪ Using Options to Sell Stock

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Stock Market Terminology.

The following are some of the most common terms used in trading that will be used throughout
this manual and Theotrade course materials. Your familiarity with these terms will be helpful.

▪ Bull/Bullish: Moving up.

▪ Bear/Bearish: Moving down.
▪ Bid: The highest price a buyer is willing to pay for a stock or option.
▪ Ask: The lowest price a seller is willing to sell a stock or option.
▪ Price Spread: The difference between the bid and ask. For example, if the bid price is 2.50
and the ask price is 2.75, the price spread is .25.
▪ Market Order: An order to buy or sell at the current market price.
▪ Limit Order: An order to buy or sell at a specified price limit.
▪ Day Order: A buy or sell order that is good only for the day and if not filled, canceled.
Typically, buy or sell orders are considered day orders unless otherwise specified.
▪ GTC: An order that is “Good Till Canceled.”
▪ Stop Order: An order used to limit loss. When a stock reaches the specified “stop” price,
the stock is sold at the market price.
▪ Stop Limit Order: An order also used to limit loss, except the stock will be sold at the limit
price.
▪ OCO Order: One Order Cancels Other.
▪ Opening Transaction: The original order placed with a broker to buy or sell.
▪ Closing Transaction: An order that closes the transaction by selling something bought or
buying back something sold.
▪ Offset: The action of selling something originally bought to open a transaction or buying
back something originally sold to open a transaction.
▪ Long: Own or bought stocks or options.
▪ Short: Sold stocks or options.
▪ Write: To sell an option. The seller is called the “writer.”
▪ Selling Short: Selling a stock without owning it.

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▪ Naked: A position when the option seller or buyer doesn’t own the underlying stock or
another option on the same stock.
▪ Covered: A position when the option seller or buyer owns the underlying stock or another
option on the same stock.
▪ Call: An option that gives someone the right to buy a stock.
▪ Put: An option that gives someone the right to sell a stock.

The following will describe the difference between going long and selling short:

LONG SHORT
Buy Opening Transaction Sell
Sell (offset) Closing Transaction Buy (offset)

Long refers to a position where one buys a stock or an option as an opening transaction. He is
now long that particular stock or option. He offsets or closes this long position by selling the stock
or option. Think of being long as an auto dealer who buys a car with the intention of one day
selling it at a profit. He is now long a car. He will eventually offset this long position by selling the
car.

Short refers to a position where one sells a stock or an option that he does not own. The sell is
the opening transaction. He is now short that particular stock or option. He offsets or closes this
short position by buying the stock or option. An auto dealer who receives payment (or a deposit)
for a car that he doesn’t have in stock is now short a car. He has sold the car and hopes to buy
one at a lower price than he has sold it for to fulfill the order. He will later offset his short position
by buying the car and delivering it.

Technically speaking, when a stock is sold short, the broker has already delivered the stock to the
buyer. The short seller now owes the stock to his broker. The money received for the stock
remains in his margin account and cannot be withdrawn until the stock is bought to replace the
stock the broker has loaned. The risk is that the stock goes up. If so, the short seller must bring
in more money (a margin call) so that there is enough to buy the stock at its current price. As long
as there is enough money in the account to buy the stock at its current price, one can remain
short indefinitely.

“Naked long” refers to a position where one is long (buy to open) with no protection. For
example, the risk in being naked long stock is that you could lose all of your investment. When
you buy a protective put you are now “hedged.” Without fire insurance on your home, you are

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naked, no protection. However, if you buy a fire insurance policy, you are now protected against
loss.

“Naked short” refers to having a short position (sell to open) without protection. If you are naked
short stock your risk is unlimited, as the stock has no limit as to how high it can go. When you
buy a protective call, you are now hedged. The call limits the price you would have to pay for the
stock.

TheoTrade Continued Education

Our first recommendation would be to shut off all the noise. While Don Kaufman was at TD
Ameritrade they would run studies on the hundreds of thousands of the most active accounts.
They found out what works and what doesn't work. If you're subscribed to any other service,
cancel immediately. Stop giving them money to entertain you and then turn around to use your
money to fund their own trading accounts. I know it's brutally honest, but sadly, the so-called
trading education community is nothing but salesmen. TheoTrade has an all-inclusive
membership meaning you have access to all our educators, indicators and scanners. We don't
have eight different subscriptions, and you'll never find us selling some fancy indicator.
TheoTrade is all you need so save your money for trading. :-)

We know there are a lot of services out there. The Internet has made it so that anyone with an
Internet connection and some sales ability can throw up a website to convince people they're
traders (or anything else). The truth is, many of these so-called experts are just showmen. They
show you only their winning trades; they put on both sides of a trade and show you only the
trades that worked, or they take screenshots at only the most convenient times. Don Kaufman is
the only one out there with 15 years in the brokerage industry who led the entire education team
in a $20 billion firm. He was the guy this firm sent out to train fund managers and professional
investors, and he can train you too!

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TheoTrade and TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim® Software

Prior to TheoTrade, Don Kaufman spent the previous 15 years of his career working for, trading
on, and building features for thinkorswim® If you want to learn the nuances of the thinkorswim®
trading application, well that is precisely what we are going to do. Watch the most revealing 90-
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During this free online seminar you will learn:

* Charting - Discover how to build custom charts and tools for your trading needs. Sure, anyone
can build a chart and place a study on a chart, but can you do it with one click? I can, and I’ll
show you how to use this feature! Load dozens of charts and studies simultaneously with 1
click.

* Scanning technology - Learn to harness the power of the thinkorswim® scanning. When you
are ready to step up your trading game, allow me to introduce you to thinkorswim’s scanning
capabilities. Whatever you are looking for on a chart or in options, the thinkorswim® scanner
can find it in under one second.

* Advanced Order Types. Just when you thought you knew how to build an advanced trade,
well, I can show you how to build complex orders within seconds and use the right tools in an
attempt to better your execution prices on all your trades.

* Trading on thinkorswim® - Insight to a little known Option Analytical Tool found on TOS. You
have played with probability of touching; now learn what it’s all about!

* Analyze Tab - The Analyze tab, feared by those who do not know of its strengths and revered
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is no return. You will learn more about options and analytics than you bargained for!

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TheoTrade’s Revolutionary Indicators

Yes, we share all of our indicators at TheoTrade. All indicators are based on free market data.
The ability to develop cool bells and whistles is a commodity. Never pay good money for an
indicator. Let me put it to you this way. Brokerage firms that are worth tens of billions of dollars
want you to trade more; right? If there was a study, indicator or scanner out there that made
you a better trader, don’t you think these firms would pay top dollar for them and make them
available to you? Of course they would! Therefore, save your money for trading!

The dirty secret in the investment education world is there are many unscrupulous people who
will put on both sides of a trade based on a magical indicator and then only show you the
winning trade and then sell you the magical indicator to fund their own trading account. Don’t
fall victim to this!

Every traders’ dream is to pick the top and bottom of the stock market. With these indicators
you finally can! Without these indicators, you might as well be gambling with your money. If
you want to gamble, go to Las Vegas. If you want to learn how to pick tops and bottoms, watch
this free online seminar. The indicator is available for free for thinkorswim® users. The indicator
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TheoTraders are NOT gamblers! That's why I'm making our TheoTrade indicators available to
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TheoTrade Commitment to You

Our commitment to you is to create the single most supportive environment for your
investment and trading education, bar none. Your success in the financial markets is our
highest priority. If you have a question, a concern, or even a random thought, contact us.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 1-800-256-8876

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