Course Catalog

Joe Harwood from the OIC Help Desk reviews some basic options concepts and terminology. Without getting into complicated jargon and abstract concepts, he covers options' place in the financial markets, explains how they can be used in broad terms, and then slowly works into some of the first fundamental lessons.

OIC instructor Steve Meizinger of the International Securities Exchange presents a review of the basics of options and how they can be used as a part of your investment portfolio.

Created from the Options Basics webcast utilizing new technology and interactive elements, this podcast covers options basics and is presented by Bill Ryan, a member of our OIC Help Desk (1-888-OPTIONS). From the history of options to the basics of puts and calls, Bill Ryan engages you in a webcast unlike anything we've offered before.

OIC instructor Dan Passarelli, an industry professional, presents basic concepts for the beginning investor, noting the flexibility of options.

Dan Passarelli, an industry professional, discusses fundamental terms and the mechanics behind options. This podcast also contains examples for the beginning investor to test his or her knowledge.

Join OIC instructor Dan Passarelli as he defines covered calls, a popular options strategy to consider when "neutral to bullish" on a particular stock. Dan covers the strategies, alternatives, and potential outcomes of entering into this option strategy. He discusses when an investor would choose to enter into this type of position as well as the risks and benefits.

Join OIC instructor Dan Passarelli as he kicks off this ten part series for experienced investors with a review of options basics. He reacquaints you with buying and selling calls and puts, plus other fundamental concepts.

OIC instructor Steve Meizinger of the International Securities Exchange presents a review of the basics of options and how they can be used as a part of your investment portfolio.

In this podcast, OIC instructor Steve Meizinger of the International Securities Exchange introduces the Covered Call and why an investor who is neutral to slightly bullish on an underlying stock should consider using this popular options strategy.

OIC Instructor Al Brinkman provides an overview of important concepts and strategies that will help you to better understand how to enhance your portfolio through options.

In this podcast, OIC Instructor Al Brinkman continues his discussion about key terminology that every options trader should be familiar with whether you are experienced or just starting out in the options market.

In this first podcast of the Understanding and Trading Options Spread Strategies series, OIC Instructor Alan Grigoletto reviews essential options basics and discusses some of the mechanics that go into buying and selling options.

Host Joe Burgoyne speaks with Bill Ryan from OIC's Help Desk and Todd Rich, an OIC instructor, about what exactly is a covered call, how it can be used and how it compares to the collar strategy.

This podcast focuses on defining long and short calls and puts. OIC Instructor Aubree Greenspun and host Joe Burgoyne review terminology and discuss how these strategies compare and contrast with one another.

Host Joe Burgoyne responds to real-life inquires that come through OIC's Help Desk. This podcast will focus on what is the Options Disclosure Document and how an investor can find a broker.

In this podcast, host Joe Burgoyne, OIC Instructor Bo Nobel and Jeff Huddleston from the OIC Help Desk discuss ETFs – what they are, how they are constructed and what are the risks and benefits.

OIC Instructor Bo Nobel and Jeff Huddleston of the OIC Help Desk join host Joe Burgoyne in discussing how to get started in trading options - important first steps to take as well as what tools and resources are available to help investors to better understand options.

OIC Instructor Alan Grigoletto and Darren Tait of OIC's Investor Services Help Desk share their insight on what investors should consider when deciding if options is right for their portfolio. They'll discuss options as a risk management tool, ways it can be used to generate income as well as the risks and rewards of options trading.

Phil Gocke, Managing Director for OIC and Joe Harwood from OCC’s Investor Services speak with host Joe Burgoyne about the collar strategy. This podcast will discuss what the collar strategy entails, how it can be used, as well as the risks and rewards.

If you are considering trading options, this podcast will help you understand some important steps for your first trade and what every investor needs to know to get started. OIC Instructor Peter Lusk from CBOE joins host Joe Burgoyne for the first of this two-part series.

CBOE's Peter Lusk wrap up his discussion with OIC host Joe Burgoyne about what investors may experience when they start trading options. This podcast will focus on how investors can ready themselves against the unexpected and what is needed in planning an exit strategy.

Phil Gocke, Managing Director for OIC and Joe Harwood from OCC's Investor Services speak with Options Talk host Joe Burgoyne about how rumors in the marketplace can create speculation and uncertainty in a way that can impact options pricing.

This podcast will explore how technology has evolved within the options industry over the past few decades and how these advances have shaped the current marketplace. OIC Instructor Todd Wilemon from NYSE Arca and Dave Stuber from OCC’s Investor Services join host Joe Burgoyne in the discussion.

Join Darren Tait, a Senior Representative at the Options Industry Council, as he introduces options pricing. Learning how options are priced may help you make more knowledgeable investment decisions.

Bill Ryan, a Senior Representative for the Options Clearing Corporation, discusses where and what options exchanges are as well as some of the basic influences routinely driving the market up and down. He also explains what you might do to prepare to make a trade in terms of setting your expectations and the kind of strategies available that might suit those expectations.

In this podcast, Jeff Huddleston, a Senior Specialist at the OIC Help Desk, covers what brokerage firms are and what they do. He discusses the types of accounts you can use for equity options trading as well as provides a brief overview of the types of orders you might use and how your options orders are executed.

In this podcast, OIC instructor Dan Passarelli introduces buying calls as a directional, decidedly bullish strategy. He covers profit potential, maximum risk, primary benefits, and how the choice of a long call's strike price and expiration month can allow an investor to tailor both risk of loss and profit potential.

OIC instructor Dan Passarelli introduces buying puts as a directional, decidedly bearish strategy. He covers profit potential, maximum risk, primary benefits, and how the choice of a long put's strike price and expiration month can allow an investor to tailor both risk of loss and profit potential.

This podcast introduces LEAPS®, or long-term options. LEAPS® offer investors an alternative to stock ownership. While using LEAPS® does not ensure success, having a longer amount of time for your position to work is an attractive feature for many investors.

This podcast features a discussion about various concepts that can have a significant effect on pricing behavior and how terms such as implied volatility and delta can greatly impact how an option price responds in the marketplace.

This podcast is a review of essential strategies to consider when buying calls and how purchasing out-of-the-money, in-the-money and at-the money calls can impact your potential return. Also, find out about some advanced strategy selection concepts that will help you make sound decisions when purchasing calls

Presented by OIC instructor Steve Meizinger, who covers the formulas used for calculating rates of return when using options.

In this podcast, OIC instructor Steve Meizinger of the International Securities Exchange discusses common misconceptions about the Covered Call strategy. If you are an investor who is neutral to slightly bullish on an underlying stock, check out these podcasts today!

OIC Instructor Al Brinkman explains the ins and outs of call options, and then discusses the significance of premium and time value as it relates to option strategies"

This podcast discusses the reasons behind buying calls or puts and the differing approaches that may be taken by an options investor versus an options trader.

In this fifth installment of the series, you will learn about options pricing and some of the realistic expectations to consider when determining how an option will perform in the market

Learn how to better understand which options trading style works best for you with this new podcast series from OIC that covers both basic and advanced strategies, the Greeks and various trade-offs when it comes to risks and rewards.

Learn how to better understand which options trading style works best for you with this new podcast series from OIC that covers both basic and advanced strategies, the Greeks and various trade-offs when it comes to risks and rewards.

OIC Instructor Marty Kearney and Jeff Huddleston of the OIC Help Desk speak with host Joe Burgoyne about what investors need to understand about Early Exercise. Topics covered on the show include reasons why Early Exercise may happen and how it can impact American-style options versus European-style options.

Host Joe Burgoyne continues his conversation on Early Exercise with Jeff Huddleston of the OIC Help Desk and OIC Instructor Marty Kearney by discussing the early exercise of puts and the level of randomness that takes place in the early assignment process.

In this podcast host Joe Burgoyne, OIC Instructor Barry Nobel and Joe Harwood, Manager of the OIC Help Desk discuss order types – what they are and how they are used.

This podcast covers two core strategies that investors should be familiar with when trading options. Host Joe Burgoyne and OIC instructor Aubree Greenspun discuss how covered calls compare with writing puts and the potential risks and benefits of implementing each of these strategies.

In part one of this two part series, Jim Bittman of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and Darren Tait of OIC’s Help Desk explore the differences between American and European Style Options and discuss how dividends can be impacted by these types of options.

Host Joe Burgoyne continues his discussion on American and European Style Options by discussing the methodology in using these particular option styles and some of the strategies associated with each. Guests Darren Tait of the OIC Help Desk and Jim Bittman from the Chicago Board Options Exchange share their perspectives.

Host Joe Burgoyne and OIC Instructor Barry Nobel discuss what happens when option pricing appears to be too good to be true. This podcast will cover some possible reasons that pricing may appear differently than the models suggest and what potential risks investors should be aware of when coming across “too good to be true” scenarios.

In the second half of this two-part series, host Joe Burgoyne picks up his conversation with OIC Instructor Barry Nobel about “too good to be true” scenarios. Joe and Barry go over some specific examples of options pricing that falls into this category and review how corporate actions like mergers and takeovers can create unusual pricing scenarios.

OIC Instructor Barry Nobel joins host Joe Burgoyne in discussing Standard and Quarterly Options. This podcast will cover the differences between the two option types and how an investor can benefit from using them.

Host Joe Burgoyne responds to an investor who wants to know how open interest impacts their order and then he will discuss whether an investor can be long and short the exact same option at the same time.

Host Joe Burgoyne will discuss the intricacies of options trading in penny increments and whether or not options can be traded on any listed stock.

Host Joe Burgoyne will cover some important options terminology that every investor should know and then share how an investor would go about finding equity option position limits.

Host Joe Burgoyne will discuss one way to select the proper strike price when purchasing an option and then he'll respond to an investor who is wondering about why their option didn't move as much as the underlying stock.

Darren Tait of the OCC's Investor Services and Alan Grigoletto, OIC's Director of Education join host Joe Burgoyne in discussing various strategies an investor may want to consider during a bull market. This podcast will highlight the risk and rewards of buying calls, cash secured puts and vertical spreads.

This podcast will explore the historical development of the options industry including how the Greeks may have used options, what it was like trading prior to the existence of put options and how the industry has fared over the past four decades. OIC Managing Director Phil Gocke and Joe Harwood from OCC's Investor Services join host Joe Burgoyne in the discussion.

Host Joe Burgoyne will explain whether an investor can exercise their right to buy the stock at any time up to the expiration date and then he'll discuss whether an investor has to have cash or stock in their account to buy or sell the shares of stock that underlie an option when exercising a put or call.

OIC host Joe Burgoyne will explain whether a broker will "automatically" exercise an option if it expires in-the-money and then he'll discuss the assignment of a short call option that is in-the-money.

In this special four-part series on taxes and investing, host Joe Burgoyne speaks with options tax expert Bill Paul from Covington & Burling LLP. This podcast explores basic tax treatments of one-sided equity options such as long calls and short puts.

Host Joe Burgoyne and options tax expert Bill Paul from Covington & Burling LLP wrap up this four-part series on taxes and investing by focusing on the Qualified Covered Call (QCC). They will examine what QCC is, how it works and some special tax rules regarding the QCC that every investor should know.

Host Joe Burgoyne will answer a question from an investor who wants to know what will happen to the dividend if they are long an in-the-money call that goes ex-dividend and they have instructed their broker to exercise the call before close of the day. Joe will also discuss what takes place when an option has a European exercise style.

Host Joe Burgoyne will answer a question from an investor who wants to know what will happen to the dividend if they are long an in-the-money call that goes ex-dividend and they have instructed their broker to exercise the call before close of the day. Joe will also discuss what takes place when an option has a European exercise style.

Host Joe Burgoyne will answer a question from an investor who wants to know how the terms "deep-in-the-money" and "in-the-money" differ from one another. Next, Joe will discuss the correlation between options and Japanese candlesticks.

Options Talk host Joe Burgoyne answers a question from an investor who wants to exercise a long option position. Joe also speaks on the topic of Weekly Options – what they are and how to distinguish Weeklys from standard options.

Dan Passarelli, an industry professional, discusses options pricing, inluding delta and time decay. The podcast will introduce you to the key components of theoretical option pricing. Though their predictive value has limits, the key components of theoretical option pricing still offer an excellent tool for helping investors anticipate price movements and explain price relationships between options.

Instructor Steve Meizinger of the International Securities Exchange discusses calculating returns when selling puts using several different scenarios.

In part one of selling puts, Steve Meizinger discusses the risks and benefits as well as considerations involved in selling puts.

In part two of Selling Puts, Steve Meizinger covers the differences between put buyers and put sellers.

Instructor Steve Meizinger of the International Securities Exchange discusses calculating returns when selling puts using several different scenarios.

Do you have a bullish outlook on a particular option, but want to better understand which approach can help maximize your profit potential? Podcast #6 of the Advanced series, “Long Call versus Debit and Credit Spreads” discusses the different types of vertical spreads to consider when using a bullish strategy. You'll also learn about how long call and short put spreads compare and contrast with debit and credit spreads.

The first half of this two-part podcast compares income strategies for writing covered calls versus selling in-the-money and out-of-the money puts. Part two takes an in-depth look at what strategies to consider given certain market conditions. You’ll also learn about the potential benefits and pitfalls of using calendar spreads as an income strategy.

The first half of this two-part podcast compares income strategies for writing covered calls versus selling in-the-money and out-of-the money puts. Part two takes an in-depth look at what strategies to consider given certain market conditions. You’ll also learn about the potential benefits and pitfalls of using calendar spreads as an income strategy.

Join OIC Instructor Steve Meizinger of the International Securities Exchange in this on-demand podcast. Steve will discuss how LEAPS®— Long-Term Equity AnticiPation Securities—differ from regular, short-term equity options. He will cover the risks and benefits of writing short term calls against LEAPS®.

Join OIC Instructor Steve Meizinger of the International Securities Exchange in part two of this on-demand podcast. Steve explains the strategies that are available if the stock goes up, down, or even stays steady

OIC Instructor Al Brinkman concludes his discussion on options pricing models then delves into the topic of covered calls and corresponding income strategies.

This final podcast of the series explains the use of Static Return and the If-Called Return as a way to determine the potential return on a covered call strategy.

In this podcast, you will learn about what to consider when implementing a forecast and the role an investor needs to take in order to actively manage their options positions.

In this fourth podcast of the Developing a Trading Strategy series, OIC Instructor Steve Meizinger provides a basic introduction of the Greeks and explains how these risk gauges can help form expectations about how an option may perform in the market.

In this podcast, OIC Instructor Steve Meizinger concludes his discussion about the Greeks and highlights some of the risks and rewards that you should be aware of when formulating your plan for trading options.

OIC Instructor Steve Meizinger wraps up this final podcast in the Developing a Trading Strategy series by taking questions from the audience on topics such as trailing stops and mitigating gap risk.

This podcast discusses the impact that stock price changes and time can have in the market and how concepts such as delta and time decay can help set the tone for how an option performs.

In this third podcast of the Understanding and Trading Options Spread Strategies series, OIC Instructor Alan Grigoletto explains what a spread is and why it is important to your profit/loss potential.

This fourth podcast defines the Bull Call Spread and demonstrates how this strategy can be used to evaluate potential outcomes for a particular option.

OIC Instructor Alan Grigoletto introduces the Bear Call Spread and shows how this particular options strategy can be used within the marketplace.

This podcast gives an example of how the Bear Put Spread can be implemented into an options trading strategy and what distinguishes it from the Bear Call Spread.

In this podcast, OIC Instructor Alan Grigoletto concludes his discussion about various credit spreads strategies with an explanation of the Bull Put Spread.

This eighth podcast of the Understanding and Trading Options Spread Strategies series briefly outlines the similarities between debit and credit spreads.

This podcast discusses how changing volatility can impact options pricing and how vertical spreads can provide traders with an alternative to long and short options positions.

OIC Instructor Alan Grigoletto explains what a diagonal spread is and discusses how this strategy may work during the expiration of a short-term option.

In this podcast, the viewer will learn about the dynamics of straddles and strangles and how to implement these advanced strategies when trading options.

This last podcast in the series explains the relationship between stock and options spreads as well as special considerations when using spread strategies with stock purchases.

OIC Instructor Bill Ryan and Darren Tait from the OIC Help Desk join host Joe Burgoyne in explaining the complexities of using a straddle and whether you can profit or lose no matter which way the underlying moves.

In part two of this two part series, Host Joe Burgoyne wraps up his discussion with Darren Tait of OIC's Help Desk and OIC Instructor Bill Ryan with a discussion about how short straddles may impact your trading strategy.

Host Joe Burgoyne asks two industry experts, Darren Tait of the OIC Help Desk and OIC Instructor Bill Ryan to weigh in on what components go into determining options pricing.

OIC Instructor Peter Lusk and host Joe Burgoyne discuss when an investor may need to implement this strategy and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages that should be taken into consideration prior to using it.

Host Joe Burgoyne and OIC Instructor Peter Lusk define what this strategy is and why an investor might use this strategy for their position.

This podcast focuses on how options can be used to potentially increase income in an investor’s portfolio. Joe Harwood from the OIC Help Desk and OIC Instructor Barry Nobel share their perspectives with host Joe Burgoyne.

Understanding how to exit a position is just as important as deciding which strategy to use to enter one. Host Joe Burgoyne, along with OIC Instructor Marty Kearney and Jeff Huddleston from the OIC Help Desk, discuss the importance of having an exit strategy and factors to consider when developing your plan for getting out of a position.

OIC Instructor Barry Nobel and Joe Harwood, Manager of OIC’s Help Desk speak with host Joe Burgoyne about the differences between long and short strangles and what investors need to know about using this particular options strategy.

Host Joe Burgoyne discusses Long and Short Put Spreads with Jeff Huddleston of the OIC Help Desk and Marty Kearney, an OIC Instructor. This podcast will help investors learn about what exactly is a put spread and how it can be used.

Oftentimes, special circumstances arise that may change the complexion of trade and it’s important for investors to understand how these occurrences might impact their portfolio. OIC Instructor Barry Nobel and Joe Harwood of OIC’s Help Desk speak with host Joe Burgoyne about what are contract adjustments and what it can potential mean to investors.

OIC Instructor Todd Rich and host Joe Burgoyne review the ins and outs of the Backspreads strategy. Topics covered in this podcast include examples of call and put backspreads as well as a discussion about the risks and rewards of using this particular strategy.

OIC Instructor Aubree Greenspun and host Joe Burgoyne discuss what it means for a spread to be long and short and how these strategies works. This podcast also includes a discussion on vertical and ratio call spreads as well as the impact of volatility on these particular strategies.

The Greeks have a reputation for being an extremely complex topic to tackle for even the most experienced investor. However, in this podcast, host Joe Burgoyne and OIC Instructor Todd Rich aim to make it a little easier to digest by breaking down the terms into smaller segments, starting with Delta.

This podcast will cover a product that has garnered a great deal of attention since its release – Weekly options. OIC Instructor Bill Ryan and Joe Harwood from OIC’s Help Desk join host Joe Burgoyne in talking about Weekly options – what they are and what investors will need to keep in mind when trading them..

OIC Instructor Bill Ryan and Joe Harwood of OIC’s Help Desk sit down with host Joe Burgoyne to discuss open interest – how it is defined and how trades are impacted by it. Using a hypothetical, five-day scenario, the group will demonstrate how selling and buying too close can potentially reduce or eliminate open interest.

Joe Harwood of OIC’s Help Desk and OIC Instructor Bill Ryan, along with host Joe Burgoyne, set out to understand why some financial instruments move quickly while others don’t. Topics discussed during this podcast include the impact of volatility as well as supply and demand.

OIC Instructor Russell Rhoads and Bill Ryan of OIC’s Help Desk speak with host Joe Burgoyne about a couple of strategies that are good for investors to keep in their trading arsenal – Bull and Bear Spreads. The group will define what these spread strategies are and discuss a couple of examples that demonstrate how these spreads can work through to expiration.

In part two of the series on bull and bear spread strategies, host Joe Burgoyne concludes his conversation with Bill Ryan of OIC's Help Desk and OIC Instructor Russell Rhoads by explaining how implied volatility factors into bull and bear spreads. The podcast also covers the impact of early exercise and assignment as well as the benefits and risks of using these spread strategies.

OIC Instructor Bill Ryan and Joe Harwood of OIC's Help Desk sit down with host Joe Burgoyne to discuss debit and credit spreads - what they are and why an investor might want to use them. This podcast also includes a discussion on how these spreads can work with bear and bull spread strategies.

As with any trading strategy, there are always benefits and risks. Spreads are no exception. In this podcast featuring OIC Instructor Russell Rhoads and Bill Ryan from OIC's Help Desk, host Joe Burgoyne will discuss with our experts what the advantages and disadvantages are in using spreads and how an investor might want to consider executing a spread given the risks and rewards.

Host Joe Burgoyne dialogues with OIC Instructor Russell Rhoads and Bill Ryan of the OIC Help Desk about a trading strategy that every investor will find use in knowing how to implement - calendar spreads. This podcast will feature a discussion about how this particular strategy works and what investors need to know about the impact of volatility and other important factors such as early assignment and exercise.

OIC Instructor Russell Rhoads and Bill Ryan of the OIC Help Desk join host Joe Burgoyne in talking about Diagonal Spreads – what they are and how they work. This podcast will also cover how time decay and volatility can impact this advanced trading strategy.

OIC Instructor Barry Nobel and host Joe Burgoyne discuss some examples of worst case scenarios in trading and what investors need to consider in order to avoid similar pitfalls.

Host Joe Burgoyne will discuss how option contracts are adjusted for reverse stock splits and then he will answer a question from an investor who is wondering about disappearing options premium.

Host Joe Burgoyne discusses setting a stop-loss order on an options position then he will answer a question from an investor who wants to know whether it makes a difference what type of order is entered when the market is volatile.

OIC Instructor Bo Nobel and Jeff Huddleston from OIC's Investor Services Help Desk join host Joe Burgoyne in talking about the differences between buying calls and selling puts. Bo and Jeff will cover what these two strategies are, how each works as well as what ways they compare and contrast with one another.

Host Joe Burgoyne answers who sets the width between the bid-ask on options exchanges and then he will speak on the topic of liquidity - what is it and how you can find out more about it.

Darren Tait of the OIC's Investor Services Help Desk and Alan Grigoletto, an OIC Instructor join host Joe Burgoyne in discussing various strategies an investor may want to consider during a bear market. This podcast will cover the risk and rewards of buying calls, selling puts and spread strategies such as vertical bear and ratio spreads.

Darren Tait of the OIC Investor Services Help Desk and OIC Instructor Alan Grigoletto cover strategies an investor may want to consider when the market is neutral. They will discuss the ins and outs of various strategies such as the covered call, neutral calendar spread and short straddles and strangles.

This podcast will focus on a select group of listed options known as Section 1256 contracts that are taxed under special IRS tax rules. Options tax expert Bill Paul from Covington & Burling LLP and host Joe Burgoyne will explain the 60/40 treatment, the type of options that receive this special treatment, and the rationale behind it.

Tax attorney Bill Paul from Covington & Burling LLP joins host Joe Burgoyne to discussing tax straddle rules. Bill will explain, in layman's terms, rules for deferring losses, the impact on the holding period, and the capitalization of charges.

Phil Gocke, Managing Director for OIC and Joe Harwood from OCC's Investor Services speak with host Joe Burgoyne about two important strategies that utilizes options the buy-write and the covered call. This podcast will highlight the differences between the two strategies, how these strategies can be used and the potential risks and rewards.

In these final two podcasts of the Advanced series, you’ll find out about some alternatives to consider if an option position doesn’t work in your favor. Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of using strategies like putting on a collar, rolling up on a trade or creating a spread as a way to protect your investment.

In these final two podcasts of the Advanced series, you’ll find out about some alternatives to consider if an option position doesn’t work in your favor. Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of using strategies like putting on a collar, rolling up on a trade or creating a spread as a way to protect your investment.

Steve Meizinger explains the complexity of covered combinations, offering case studies and follow up planning in part one of Covered Combinations.

In part two of Covered Combinations, Steve Meizinger discusses the importance of understanding options and follow up planning to cut loss. In his closing summary, he covers the strategies and risks involved in harvesting premium.

OIC Instructor Peter Lusk and host Joe Burgoyne discuss the type of impact that volatility can have on earnings and how positions change when volatility moves.

Host Joe Burgoyne and Peter Lusk, an OIC instructor, continue their discussion on volatility by focusing on what happens when volatility collapses or explodes.

Host Joe Burgoyne speaks with Bill Ryan of OIC's Help Desk and OIC Instructor Todd Richabout what volatility is and how it works.

Host Joe Burgoyne continues his discussion with OIC Instructor Todd Rich and Bill Ryan of the OIC Help Desk about how these two types of volatility compare and contrast with one another.

The last of this three part series concludes with host Joe Burgoyne, OIC Instructor Todd Rich and Bill Ryan of the OIC Help Desk discussing what effects that Vega, one of the Greeks, can have on volatility.

Darren Tait of OIC's Help Desk and OIC Instructor Bill Ryan speak with host Joe Burgoyne about what this advanced trading strategy is and what to consider prior to using it in your trading arsenal.

Host Joe Burgoyne speaks to Jim Bittman of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and Darren Tait from the OIC Help Desk about the meaning of put call parity, how it works and what it does to keep the markets in line with one another.

Darren Tait of the OIC Help Desk, Jim Bittman of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and host Joe Burgoyne build upon last week’s discussion about put-call parity by delving into the topic of synthetic long stock. Topics covered in this podcast include what is synthetic long stock, what type of investor may consider buying it and why would an investor consider buying it.

OIC Instructor Todd Rich and host Joe Burgoyne continue their conversation about The Greeks with an explanation of Gamma, Theta and Rho and the impact of time on each of them.

The last of this three part series on The Greeks concludes with host Joe Burgoyne and OIC Instructor Todd Rich defining Vega and discussing the significant ways it can impact an option price.

Host Joe Burgoyne and OIC Instructor Aubree Greenspun explore strategies that deal specifically with volatility including calendar spreads and backspreads. This podcast also include a discussion on historical and implied volatility and important pointers for investors to keep in mind when implementing these types of spread strategies.

OIC Instructor Steve Meizinger and host Joe Burgoyne kick off the first of a three part series on Options Skew. While skew is an advanced trading concept, it is nonetheless important for investors to understand. In this podcast, Steve and Joe will cover what exactly is skew and the benefits that come from studying it.

Host Joe Burgoyne continues his discussion with OIC Instructor Steve Meizinger about the relationship between options skew and volatility. This podcast will also cover factors that investors need to keep in mind when it comes to these two concepts.

Host Joe Burgoyne wraps up this three part series with a conversation about the various types of options skews including options smile and smirk. OIC Instructor Steve Meizinger weighs in with his thoughts on what drives skew and which options strategies can be used with it.

Host Joe Burgoyne and OIC Instructor Peter Lusk discuss two important concepts that every investor should be familiar with – theta risk and volatility. Joe and Peter will cover what these two topics mean and how they interrelate with one another.

OIC Instructor Bo Nobel and Jeff Huddleston from the OIC Investor Services Help Desk discuss naked long and short options. They will discuss what it means to be naked in options trading, the risk-reward profile and how an investor may want to proceed when trading naked options.

OIC Instructor Steve Meizinger from ISE discusses horizontal and vertical skews with host Joe Burgoyne. This podcast will cover what these skews are and how they can impact an options position.

OIC Instructor Todd Wilemon from NYSE Arca and Dave Stuber from OCC’s Investor Services speak with host Joe Burgoyne about the intricacies of the Butterfly Spread. This podcast will cover what this strategy entails as well as the potential risks and rewards.

Dave Stuber from OCC Investor Services and OIC Instructor Todd Wilemon from NYSE Arca join host Joe Burgoyne in discussing LEAP Diagonal Spreads. This podcast will discuss the ins and outs of this strategy, how it can be used, as well as the benefits and risks.