Strategy Recommender

Find your best options strategy

Tell us your outlook and we'll rank 16 strategies by chance of profit, return potential, and fit to your conditions.

πŸ§ͺ Demo Mode: Sample data for 12 popular tickers. Add your Finnhub API key for live data on any ticker.

1Tell us about the trade

Type a ticker to auto-fill price, volatility, and earnings date.
AAPL TSLA NVDA SPY QQQ MU AMD META GLD SLV
Auto-set when ticker loads.

Quick Decision Framework

The four variables that drive strategy selection.

Market Outlook

Bullish: Long calls, sell puts, bull spreads.
Bearish: Long puts, sell calls, bear spreads.
Neutral: Iron condors, butterflies, calendars.

Implied Volatility

High IV (rank > 50): Sell premium. Iron condors, credit spreads.
Low IV (rank < 30): Buy premium. Long calls/puts, debit spreads.

Time to Expiration

Sellers: 30–45 DTE for theta sweet spot.
Buyers: 60–120 DTE to reduce theta drag.

Win Rate vs R/R

High win rate strategies (sellers) have poor R/R. High R/R strategies (buyers) have low win rates. Both work β€” discipline matters more than choice.

Bias
Role
Level
Bullish β€” profits when stock rises
Bearish β€” profits when stock falls
Neutral β€” profits in a range or from time decay

Buyer Strategies β€” Pay Premium, Limited Risk

Pay debit upfront. Maximum loss is the premium paid. Need a directional move within a defined timeframe to win.

Seller Strategies β€” Collect Premium, Defined or Open Risk

Collect credit upfront. Time decay and volatility contraction work in your favor. Risk often exceeds reward β€” selection and sizing matter most.

Position Sizer & Risk Calculator

Determine appropriate position size based on account size, risk tolerance, and trade specifics.

Trade Inputs

Standard rule: 1–2% per trade. Sellers can go lower (0.5–1%).

πŸ‘οΈ IV Watchlist

Track volatility on your tickers over time. Snapshots auto-save when you refresh. Note: IV Rank is a realized-volatility proxy β€” true implied volatility coming soon.

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Your watchlist is empty

Add tickers above to start tracking IV Rank over time. The system will snapshot readings on every refresh so you can spot when options become cheap or expensive on names you care about.

πŸ† Quality Scanner

Grade any ticker on long-term quality: moat, profitability (ROIC), balance sheet (Net Debt/EBITDA), growth (5y revenue CAGR), and valuation. Same engine as the Portfolio Command scorecard.

πŸ” Scan ticker:
Cached 24h β€” re-scans are free until cache expires. Cache shared with Portfolio Command.
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Research any ticker before you trade

Enter a ticker above to grade it on 5 long-term quality criteria. If it scores well, add it to your IV Watchlist or jump straight into the Recommender.