Looking at learning more about options. This one has been recommended,
has anybody paid for this set of dvd's? Is it worth spending the
money? When I look at the optionsuniversity it just look like sales
pitch after sales pitch, just like all the other websites I've look
at. Just wondering if this one is different. Thanks
i sort of wrote this for a newbie - - upon reading your post, you were asking about learning MORE about options, so please excuse me as this is intended for a beginner - or somebody that would like a straightforward sequence of lessons that will provide a well-rounded understanding of fundamental options concepts and strategies.
if you want to learn how to trade options, you really have to prepare for some active thinking and figuring stuff out. I find a book is a wonderful way to learn your fundamentals. You can tote it around with you, read it at the breakfast table, read it in bed, read it while you are waiting at the doctor's office, etc! You can go slow, read the same things over and over and over til they start to make sense... I think cds are less convenient.
I can recommend a great beginner-level book "The Options Workbook" but Anthony J. Saliba. Very well presented. Very accessible. Very straightforward. No ulterior motive such as pimping any software, newsletter or autotrade programs, etc.
I have tried to learn with Natenberg's OPTION VOLATILITY AND PRICING and that is very challenging for a beginner! (for me anyways!) I have read some Trester, (not my cup of tea) and a bit of McMillan, a bit of Najarian and a bit of Charles Cottle. I can clearly say start with the Options Workbook!
Also, check out thinkorswim. open up a paper trading account with them, and watch their archived weds chats (flash videos) give it plenty of time.
Or you can just dive in with a big wad of cash and spare yourself a long drawn out agonizing experience.
just kidding but not really.
best wishes!
greg
ps. a shout out to gwptrader who recommended the saliba book to me! a++!
Looking at learning more about options. This one has been recommended,
has anybody paid for this set of dvd's? Is it worth spending the
money? When I look at the optionsuniversity it just look like sales
pitch after sales pitch, just like all the other websites I've look
at. Just wondering if this one is different. Thanks
Subject: [TheOptionClub.com] The Options Mastery Series
Looking at learning more about options. This one has been recommended, has anybody paid for this set of dvd's? Is it worth spending the money? When I look at the optionsuniversity it just look like sales pitch after sales pitch, just like all the other websites I've look at. Just wondering if this one is different. Thanks
As you are already seeing from the replies to your question, people have differing ideas about how best to study option fundamentals.
The reality is that no one has any secret knowledge about options and there are multiple resources from which you can learn. There are some who will tell you to "spend no money to learn about options and just use the free resources available on the Internet..." Others will suggest reading a collection of good text books. Some will suggest various seminars or home study courses.
All of the above avenues to learning have merit. They also have distinct drawbacks.
Options Mastery (http://www.optionsmasterycourse.com/mastery) is an excellent home study course and it is competitively priced. When I first started learning about options, I started by reading books about options trading and invariably found myself reading the wrong books and not really understanding what it was that I needed to know about options. I spent about $3,000 on a weekend seminar, which provided a lot of information but did not cover some important aspects of options such as pricing theory (i.e., the greeks). Nonetheless, that $3,000 seminar got me off to a good start.
I am very familiar with the Options Mastery course, because I happen to own a copy myself. I also provided some input to OU when the 2007 edition was being put together. The reason I am a fan of Options Mastery is because the course covers everything that
you need to learn in order to have a solid foundation with regard to
what options are, how they work, and how they can be used. The cost is
about half of what I paid for my introduction to options and if I had
wanted to cover the same material the seminar provider would have put
me through their "advanced" course at a cost of an additional $3,000.
That's a total of $6,000 to learn what Options Mastery teaches.
You can go the "free" route and visit various websites. In addition to TheOptionClub.com (http://support.theoptionclub.com/), the Options Industry Council (http://www.888options.com/) and the CBOE (http://www.cboe.com/) have excellent content on their sites. That free content will only take you so far and once you move away from reputable sites you will find all sorts of misinformation, so you have to be cautious about what information you rely upon. Nonetheless, there is a growing amount of information available from the ISE, ThinkOrSwim, and other outlets that is worth your time.
There are several very good text books. The onces I typically recommend are Options As A Strategic Investment by Larry McMillan (expect to pay $50 to $80), Option Volatility And Pricing by Sheldon Natenberg ($40 to $65), and The Options Trader Handbook by Jabour & Budwick ($50 to $85). All three books are available at discount in our bookstore. (http://www.theoptionclub.com/bookstore.html) Obviously, there are many, many other books and I encourage you to read more than just the three I've mentioned.
The reality is that regardless of whether you take advantage of Options Mastery or not, you will still want to read the books and take advantage of what's out there on the Internet. So, why, or why not, Options Mastery?
The benefit of a course like Options Mastery is that it provides you with a complete and structured curriculum. Without a course like this you will approach your studies in an ad hoc fashion. It takes some time and effort to figure out what it is you need to learn. Can you do it? Certainly! The question is whether you will do it...
Some people, and I'm one of them, need some organization and direction. Without it I tend to make slow progress and will get distracted, not always knowing what the next step is. A seminar is nice because you sit there and the presenter delivers the curriculum to you. Options Mastery is nice because after Disc 1, you go onto Disc 2.... It's just a question of sitting through and working through the material.
It is worth mentioning that Options University also offers a live version of the Options Mastery course. The live version is delivered through a web conferencing platform, but it puts you into a virtual class with Ron Ianieri who will work with you and the other students until you "get it." They literally don't tell you when the classes end because they don't end until you've learned the material. Obviously, that costs more than the home study version but there are some people who need that extra guidance and assurance.
My advice is to start with the free information on the websites I've mentioned above. This will "get your feet wet" and should give you an idea about whether this is something you want to pursue. If not, it's cost you nothing but your time. If so, you can then take the next step and invest some money into your education.
Once you know that you want to really pursue options, you can jump in with both feet and take the Options Mastery live or home study course.
If cost is a factor or you're just uncomfortable "jumping in with both feet," invest a couple hundred bucks on the books. Work through them and if you're having difficulty synthesizing the material then consider whether an organized curriculum is a better route.
Actually, there is another choice. For about the same money you would pay for the books you could also pick up Options University's Options 101 and Advanced home study courses. (http://www.optionsmasterycourse.com/advanced) They are not as comprehensive as the Options Mastery course, but the content is solid and when purchased together should cost less than half of what you'll pay for the Mastery course.
Options are complex and trading options profitably is a skill that must be learned. Investing a couple thousand bucks in education is a very, very small price to pay. You will lose more money in the market learning lessons, so if you can avoid having the market teaching you just one or two lessons by studying the Options Mastery program it will prove to be a worthwhile investment.
Your choices in terms of education are expanding, so if it feels like there are a lot of choices out there...there are!
The bottom line with Options Mastery is that if you are considering buying it, you need not be concerned about its quality. It is a well conceived course and there are many satisfied Options Mastery students out there.
Christopher Smith TheOptionClub.com
--- In OptionClub@yahoogroups.com, "richardboulet795" <richardboulet795@...> wrote: > > Looking at learning more about options. This one has been recommended, > has anybody paid for this set of dvd's? Is it worth spending the > money? When I look at the optionsuniversity it just look like sales > pitch after sales pitch, just like all the other websites I've look > at. Just wondering if this one is different. Thanks >
I agree 100% with everything that Christopher said (thanks for being
so thorough, Christopher!) I too purchased the OptionsMastery computer
CD (VCD) series and the structured curriculum fit MY own style of
learning the best. It is VERY well taught (by Ron Ianieri) and
exceptionally thorough. I have also taken alot from the free online
resources that Christopher mentioned. I also have an acct at
thinkorswim and their archived chats are very helpful. I would also
add that I too highly recommend "The Options Workbook" by Anthony J.
Saliba - very solid. Take your time and you'll decide what mix of
products and/or services best meet your learning style/preference.