Learn — Options & Risk Guides

Plain-English guides to options strategies, implied volatility, the Greeks and selling premium — from beginner basics to the exact setups TickerRisk scans for. Filter or jump by topic on the left, and scan any ticker from the box above as you read.

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New to options? Read these first.

What Is Options Trading? A Simple ExplanationA plain-English introduction to options trading for complete beginners — calls, puts, strikes, premiums and expiry — explained with a simple house analogy.3 min read Options Trading Strategies Explained (Beginner's Guide)A plain-English guide to the main options trading strategies — income, directional and volatility plays — with when to use each, the risk profiles, and worked examples.2 min read IV Rank Explained: Are Options Cheap or Expensive Right Now?IV Rank scores a stock's implied volatility from 0 to 100 against its own past year — telling you instantly whether its options are cheap or expensive. Learn to read it, how it differs from IV Percentile, and the IV Rank level traders sell premium at.3 min read

Income strategies — selling premium

Get paid upfront for taking on risk. This is the core of what TickerRisk is built for.

The Wheel Strategy, Explained Step by StepThe Wheel is a repeatable options income strategy: sell cash-secured puts, get assigned, then sell covered calls. Here's how it works, a worked example, and the real risks.2 min read What Is a Cash-Secured Put?A cash-secured put pays you a premium to agree to buy a stock at a lower price. Worked example with return math, what happens at expiry, when it goes wrong, and how to pick strike and expiry.6 min read How to Avoid Earnings When Selling PutsTo avoid earnings when selling puts, pick an expiry that ends before the first session after the report. Five checks, with a worked example.6 min read Covered Call, ExplainedA covered call earns income on shares you already own by selling a call against them. Here's how it works, max profit, the trade-off, and when to use it.1 min read Credit Spreads, ExplainedCredit spreads let you collect premium with a capped, defined risk. Here's how bull put and bear call spreads work, with max profit, max loss and breakeven.1 min read Iron Condor ExplainedAn iron condor is a defined-risk, neutral options strategy that profits when a stock goes nowhere. See the four-leg setup with a worked example — max profit, max loss and both breakevens.1 min read Cash-Secured Put vs Covered CallCash-secured puts and covered calls feel different but have nearly identical payoffs. Learn the real difference, the shared risk, and which to use when.2 min read How to Pick Stocks for the WheelThe wheel only works on the right stocks. A practical checklist: quality you'd own, rich-enough premium, liquid options, and no hidden earnings or catalyst risk.2 min read

Tools & comparisons

Which screener to use for which job — including honest notes on where other tools beat ours.

Market Chameleon vs OptionStrat vs ORATS vs Unusual WhalesA neutral feature-by-feature comparison of Market Chameleon, OptionStrat, ORATS, Unusual Whales and TickerRisk for volatility data, earnings moves, catalyst tracking, risk scoring, multi-stock comparison and watchlist monitoring — and which to use for which job.6 min read The Best Cash-Secured Put Screeners in 2026A straight comparison of the cash-secured put screeners worth using in 2026 — Barchart, Option Samurai, CoverEdge, Pineify, Market Chameleon and TickerRisk — which to pick for which job, and where each falls short.5 min read How to Check Catalyst Risk Before Selling OptionsHow to check whether a stock has a scheduled catalyst — earnings, an FDA decision, a court date or an SEC event — before you sell an option, and the free tools that surface each one.6 min read

Directional strategies — buying

Bet on a move, or protect shares you already own.

Buying Calls and Puts, ExplainedBuying a call or put is the simplest options trade — and where most beginners lose money. Here's how long calls and puts work, max profit and loss, and why timing and IV matter.2 min read Debit Spreads, ExplainedA debit spread is a cheaper, defined-risk way to bet on direction. Here's how bull call and bear put spreads work, with max profit, max loss and breakeven.2 min read Protective Put, ExplainedA protective put is insurance for shares you own — it caps your downside for the cost of a premium. Here's how it works, the cost trade-off, and when to use it.1 min read The Collar, ExplainedA collar protects a stock position cheaply by pairing a protective put with a covered call. Here's how it works, the trade-off, and when to use it.1 min read LEAPS, ExplainedLEAPS are options that expire more than a year out — used for long-term, leveraged stock bets with less time-decay pressure. Here's how they work and the risks.2 min read

Volatility & the Greeks

Why options are priced the way they are — and what moves them.

What Does IV Mean in Options? (Implied Volatility)IV stands for implied volatility — the market's forecast of how much a stock will move, and the single biggest driver of an option's price. Here's what it means, why it matters more than direction for sellers, and how to read it.2 min read What Is IV Crush?IV crush is the sudden drop in implied volatility right after an earnings report — it can make a long option lose money even when you guessed the direction correctly. Here's how it works and how to use it.2 min read Theta Decay ExplainedTheta is the rate an option loses value as time passes. Learn why time decay punishes buyers and pays sellers, and why it accelerates as expiry approaches.2 min read Options Delta ExplainedDelta measures how much an option moves with the stock — and for sellers it doubles as a rough probability of assignment. A plain-English guide for everyday traders.2 min read

Using TickerRisk

Turn the risk data into actual trades — straight from our scanners.

What Is Edge Score? Finding the Best Premium-Selling SetupsEdge Score combines IV Rank and risk into one number to surface the best premium-selling candidates. Here's what it measures, how to read it, and how to use it.2 min read How to Check Earnings Risk Before Selling OptionsA fat premium the week of earnings is a warning, not a gift. Here's how to spot earnings risk before you sell options, why IV crush cuts both ways, and how to check the calendar first.2 min read What IV Rank to Look For Before Selling PremiumHow high does IV Rank need to be to sell premium? A practical threshold guide — why IV Rank above 50 matters, when high IV Rank is a trap, and how to combine it with risk.2 min read How to Use the Wheel ScannerA step-by-step guide to TickerRisk's Wheel scanner — what each column means, how to set aggressiveness and quality gates, and how to read annualized return, assignment odds and the risk score.2 min read How to Find Cash-Secured Put CandidatesA practical workflow for finding cash-secured put candidates: the quality checklist (own-it conviction, IV Rank, risk score, liquidity, assignment odds) and the free scanner that does it.2 min read How to Use the Covered Call ScannerA guide to TickerRisk's covered-call scanner — choosing OTM/ATM/ITM moneyness, reading static vs if-called return, called-away odds and downside cushion on stocks you own.2 min read

TickerRisk provides risk scoring for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Options trading involves substantial risk of loss. Full disclaimer