Free trading journal: P&L tracking, options chains, payoff diagrams, and AI insights. Synced to your broker in one click.
We’ve been writing about options Writing about options since 2007.
Long enough to have been wrong about plenty, and to have written the corrections. We’re not here to tell you what to trade. We’re here to explain how options actually work — in plain English — so you can find your own opportunities and understand the risk before you take it.Long enough to have been wrong, and to have written the corrections. We explain how options actually work — in plain English — so you can weigh the risk before you take it.
What this site is.
Options are one of the most flexible and versatile instruments in the market. You can make real profits with them, you don’t need a huge amount of capital to start, and — done properly — you can control your risk with a precision most other instruments don’t offer. The catch is that options are also more complex than buying and selling stock, and a lot of people stay away simply because no one has explained them clearly.
That’s the whole reason OptionsTrading.org exists. We’re a dedicated, comprehensive guide to options trading — not a little corner of a general investing site, but a resource built around this one subject and everything connected to it. Our aim isn’t to tell you which trades to make. It’s to give you everything you need to understand the market and find your own opportunities.
A few principles have stayed constant since 2007:
Accurate and current
Much of what we cover is timeless, but we update the site as the market and the products change.
Easy to navigate
The site is structured so a complete beginner can work through it in a logical order, from first principles to live trading.
Plain English
Some of these topics are genuinely complex. We explain them in everyday language and define the terms as we go, rather than hiding behind jargon.
No trade alerts
You learn to read the chain yourself.
No hype
Options are a tool, not a lifestyle.
No jargon walls
Explained in everyday language.
No urgency games
No timers. You go at your pace.
The four no’s.
Boring to put in writing. Necessary because so much of this corner of the internet does the opposite.
No trade alerts
We don't text you trades or tell you what to buy. You learn to read the chain yourself — that's the whole point.
No hype
No "crushing it," no Lambos, no green-candle screenshots. Options are a tool, not a lifestyle.
No jargon walls
Some of this is genuinely complex. We still explain it in everyday language, and define the terms as we go.
No urgency games
No countdown timers, no "limited seats." The lessons sit there. You go at your pace.
What the site covers.
We’ve split the subject into sections you can work through in order — or jump straight to the part you need.
Introduction to Options Trading
For complete beginners: what options contracts are, how they work, the advantages, the risks, and the key terms and phrases.
Read more →Basics of the Options Market
The different contract types, order types, and trading styles, plus spreads and how options compare with other instruments.
Read more →Getting Started
The practical steps once you have the fundamentals down — for readers getting ready to place their first trades.
Read more →Improving Your Skills
Advanced terms, tools, and concepts for traders who want to deepen their knowledge.
Read more →Brokers
How to choose a broker that fits you, with our picks across different categories.
Read more →Options Trading Strategies
Our biggest section: how the most commonly used strategies work, and how to choose one for the conditions you're in.
Read more →How we got here.
A free guide, in plain English
OptionsTrading.org starts as a free resource for people who wanted to understand options without the noise. No email gate, no upsell.
A writer joins, and the library grows
We bring on a dedicated writer to add to the site, and the coverage keeps expanding — across strategy, spreads, risk, and volatility.
OptionsPro launches
A free trading journal — P&L tracking, options chains, payoff diagrams, and AI insights — built to sit alongside the lessons.
Still free. Still plain English.
400+ articles, a 288-term glossary, and four contributors keeping it current.
The people who trade, teach, and write about options here — and argue about whether a paragraph is actually earning its place. Meet the full masthead on our authors page.
Evan Caldwell
Evan Caldwell is a respected financial educator and trader with a passion for helping others achieve financial independence.
Samantha Hale
Samantha Hale is a financial analyst and options trader with a specialization in risk management and portfolio optimization.
Matt Marino
Matt Marino is an options education writer at OptionsTrading.org who specializes in turning complex, technical subjects into clear, beginner-friendly explanations.
Leon Moyer
Leon has been trading since 2018. Before options, he spent years in stocks, futures, forex, and crypto, learning each market mostly by putting his own money on the line and paying attention to what…
The desk.
Evan Caldwell
Evan Caldwell is a respected financial educator and trader with a passion for helping others achieve financial independence.
View profile →Samantha Hale
Samantha Hale is a financial analyst and options trader with a specialization in risk management and portfolio optimization.
View profile →Matt Marino
Matt Marino is an options education writer at OptionsTrading.org who specializes in turning complex, technical subjects into clear, beginner-friendly explanations.
View profile →Leon Moyer
Leon has been trading since 2018. Before options, he spent years in stocks, futures, forex, and crypto, learning each market mostly by putting his own money on the line and paying attention to what…
View profile →Contact.
Questions about the site, or feedback on anything you’ve read? Email us at support@optionstrading.org.