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Rockwell Trading's Options 101 course is a great introduction to options trading that nearly any trader can benefit from. Although it may be a little basic for a truly expert options or swing trader, it's a risk-free investment as the course consists of free on-demand videos hosted by company founder Markus Heitkoetter himself. The whole thing can be breezed through in a few hours, but the material packs enough punch to truly improve your trading game and give you the lingo, eye, and know-how to execute more winning trades. We recommend it for beginners to upper-intermediate traders.
Pros:
- Lots of high-level trading philosophy and tips from veteran traders
- No specific broker or trading execution platform required
- Access anywhere, anytime with fully web-based platform (no CDs or DVDs)
- Teaches a wide variety of trading skills that apply to any financial market
- Great for any investor or trader; no experience required
- Only requires 2-3 hours to complete
Cons:
- Leans heavily on the PowerX Optimizer software
- Some advanced traders may find the information a bit redundant
- Somewhat elevated learning curve
Interested in making improvements to your options trading game? Or maybe you’re a complete beginner—scratching your head in confusion at terms like put, call, and strike price—and you’re looking to learn the basic steps involved in becoming a successful options trader?
Well, these days, trading gurus and self-proclaimed geniuses are a dime a dozen, many of whom are happy to take your money in exchange for elementary trading advice that offers little to no real benefit for your skills.
This got us wondering whether Options 101, the new options trading course offered by Markus Heitkoetter and the team at Rockwell Trading, is truly worth the money.
To investigate, we signed up for the course and completed it over the course of a fairly rigorous weekend. Like every investment product we’ve reviewed, we treated this course with a skeptical yet open mind. At the end of the weekend, we came to a conclusion that, well, might surprise you.
Read on to find out whether Rockwell Trading’s Options 101 course is worth your time and money as a beginner or novice stock trader.
Who Is Options 101 For?
Options 101 is designed to introduce options trading to investors and traders that are either just starting or who have some knowledge of options. Seasoned or expert options traders will find the course material limited.
However, for those looking to understand the fundamental concepts and the mechanisms by which options are priced and traded, this Options 101 course can put you on the right track. Options can be extremely complicated; it depends on what level you want to get to.
But for retail traders and investors, Markus Heitkoetter has identified what you really need to know and the important concepts and terminology. Together, all the videos take you through the learning process, from A to Z.
You learn the terminology and mechanics of options trading and then you also get to go through some examples of how options trading works, and how to benefit from them.
Options 101 Overview
So, what do we get exactly with Markus Heitkoetter and Rockwell Trading’s Options 101 course? Let’s outline the course and then cover the main points in each topic. Finally, we’ll go through our thoughts on the value of the material in didactical and practical terms.
Course Materials
The course is supplied entirely online with a series of short videos explaining all the terminology and concepts that make up options trading. Some people may not like the fact that the course is based solely on video.
However, I find that watching and listening are easier than reading a lengthy book. You can also stop and start the video as you need, and jot things down if you need to.
Options 101 – Course Subjects
The course work is split into 16 short videos of between 30 seconds and 6 minutes. As you can see from the screenshots, all the main terminology that is introduced is highlighted in bold colors to assist with comprehending the main points and takeaways of each video section.
Course Topics: Video Length
Introductory Trading Videos
- 3 Things You Need to Know About Options [30 sec]
- Strike Price & the Expiration [30 sec]
- What Is a Call Option? [5 min]
- What Is a Put Option? [2 min]
Intermediate Trading Videos
- Buying & Selling Options [2 min]
- Options Summary – Markus Trading [2 min]
- 4 Options Strategies – Markus Trading [1 min]
Trading Strategies in Practice Videos
- Call Options Trading Strategy – Scenario #1 [3 min]
- Call Options Trading Strategy – Scenario #2 [3 min]
- Put Options Trading Strategy – Scenario #1 [3 min]
- Put Options Trading Strategy – Scenario #2 [2 min]
Advanced & Holistic Trading Videos
- When to Buy & When to Sell in Trading [2 min]
- Options Trading Benefits [1 min]
- Want to Trade Options Together? [2 min]
- The Perfect Strategy for These Markets [2 min]
- When We Trade Together [6 min]
3 Things You Need to Know
Here Markus introduces 3 key points of terminology in options trading. This video is short but allows you to get acquainted with the terminology. If things aren’t clear from this video alone, not to worry, the terminology is covered various times in the following videos.
Strike Price & Expiration
In this video, Markus goes into greater detail about the first two concepts introduced in point 1 of the previous video. Again, the video is very short and defines the terminologies concisely. The video simply defines strike price and expirations.
What Is a Call Option?
This video is a little longer and goes into greater detail about what a call option is, and how the strike price affects the value of the call. As well as the effect time has on the value of the call option as we approach the expiration date.
These concepts may sound complicated, but Markus does a very good job at explaining them in detail, and by using numerical examples. He introduces the concept of premium, and why options cost money even when the strike price is far away from the current market price.
What Is a Put Option?
Here Markus makes good use of the previous video on call options to go into greater detail about put options. The video is straight to the point and goes through a numerical example to understand the concepts thoroughly.
Buying & Selling Options
Markus goes through what it means to buy or sell put and call options. He explains your exposure to potential profit and loss with each of the possibilities: Long/short call option and long/short put option. Again, he uses some practical examples to make it easier.
Options Summary – Markus Trading
Here Markus gives us a summary of what has been explained so far, and invites us to stop right here and go back again if we haven’t thoroughly understood everything. Clearly, the material covered so far is basic but extremely important. Markus doesn’t want anyone progressing on the course if everything is not crystal clear as things will only get more complicated.
4 Options Strategies – Markus Trading
In this video, Markus outlines the 4 strategies for options, when you buy or sell calls and when you want to buy or sell puts. It’s only one minute long and serves as an introduction to what is coming next.
Call Options Trading Strategy – Scenario #1
Here Markus explains the call options strategy and what the cash flows are for buyers and sellers. He then goes through the scenario of the price of a stock rising and what it means for both the call option buyer and the seller.
Call Options Trading Strategy – Scenario #2
In scenario #2 of the call options trading strategy, Markus explains what happens with the profit and loss of both the buyer and seller of a call option when the price of a stock does not rise as expected.
Put Options Trading Strategy – Scenario #1
In put options trading strategy scenario #1, Markus explains how to use put options in a similar manner he did with call options. He goes through what it means to buy and sell puts, and the use of premiums, as he did in the videos for the call option trading strategy.
He also explains what would happen to buyers and sellers if the price of the stock goes up, and the profit and loss each party experiences with a put option trade.
Put Options Trading Strategy – Scenario #2
This video goes through the details for buyers and sellers involved in a put option trade. He goes over the concept of option premiums. And discusses what happens to profit and loss to the buyers and sellers of a put option when the stock price does not rise.
When to Buy & When to Sell in Trading
Would you like to know when you should buy options and when you should sell options? Well, Options 101 has the answer, and it’s explained in a concise and easy to grasp way. Like Marcus says “I could explain all the Black and Scholes model but that wouldn’t really help you.
Markus does a really good job at cutting out all the noise involved in the Black and Scholes options model, the definition of volatility, delta, and so on. Instead, he explains exactly what you need to know and why. Having had several years of experience as an options inter-dealer broker I can definitely back him up on that logic.
Options Trading Benefits
Do you know what the benefits are from trading options? Markus explains 4 reasons that make trading options beneficial. He also puts the message across again, that not fully understanding options while trading them is a recipe for disaster.
Want to Trade Options Together?
Markus invites you to participate in a one-on-one class to go through some options trading strategies in full detail. He also explains a little more about why you should be selling or buying options right now. And then, he also invites you to trade the options strategies with him live.
This seems like the best type of trading mentorship you can possibly get, with one-on-one attention and live trading. However, he fails to mention that selling options is also very risky, as there is no upside limit. Having said that, this sort of warning does appear in other literature on his website or in his book.
The Perfect Strategy for These Markets
Markus highlights his options trading results from one of several accounts he uses to trade. This 2-minute video seems more like a disclaimer and a declaration of what is possible once you master his trading strategies.
When We Trade Together
Here Markus goes through the requirements you will need to trade options using his strategy when you hook up to trade with him and his team. He also makes the case for why you will need to meet those requirements.
The final part of the video is an introduction to Rockwell Trading’s Theta Kings course. Which at the time was at a discount due to the pandemic restrictions. The video goes into more depth about the contents of their options selling course. For a review of Rockwell’s other courses, we recommend reading our review of Rockwell Trading platform, including their signature PowerX Optimizer software. Other products offered by Rockwell include Markus’ free daily trading eBook.
Final Evaluation
Markus has created a streamlined crash course for options trading. All the videos get straight to the point, are concise, and give practical examples. Many options courses want to teach you the Greeks, with leans on algebraic terminology that can sometimes be tricky to wrap your head around. You may have heard of them, and it probably sounded very complicated.
From a purely mathematical perspective, it is kind of complicated, but needlessly so. Markus has realized that to take advantage of the power of options you don’t need to know Greek.
Options are a trading instrument that has been around for centuries. In fact, the first record of options trading dates back to the 4th century B.C. In the 17th century, Dutch merchants and farmers used call and put options in the tulip business to hedge their risks, from which an ensuing secondary market grew with many participants from all walks of life.
The reason why I mention the history of options is that until only recently, all options trading was done in a similar fashion as the one described by Markus. In the past, recent and remote, options trading was based on its utility. Sellers and buyers of a product, asset, or commodity have a natural need to hedge their exposure without needlessly overcomplicating things. In this way, understanding and trading options is easier than you might think.
Options trading is simple and straightforward, and the Options 101 course captures the points you need to know in a series of short videos. In about 45 minutes, you get a full crash course on understanding and trading stock options. As the course is relatively short, it makes it easier to go back and start again when you haven’t understood something completely.
Whether you’re a total beginner, or a novice who needs to brush up on your skills, we recommend that you give Rockwell’s Options 101 course a try. You’ll be given all the tools you need to trade options, without getting bogged down in overcomplicated tactics and formulations that, if applied poorly, can cost you money.
Rockwell Trading's Options 101 course is a great introduction to options trading that nearly any trader can benefit from. Although it may be a little basic for a truly expert options or swing trader, it's a risk-free investment as the course consists of free on-demand videos hosted by company founder Markus Heitkoetter himself. The whole thing can be breezed through in a few hours, but the material packs enough punch to truly improve your trading game and give you the lingo, eye, and know-how to execute more winning trades. We recommend it for beginners to upper-intermediate traders. User Rating
