Settings & Data

Manage your appearance preferences and back up all your data — trades, watchlist, playbook progress, and (optionally) your API key.

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💾 Your Data
Everything below is stored locally in your browser. It survives page refreshes but is lost if you clear browser data or switch devices. Back up regularly.
📦 Full Backup & Restore
Download a single JSON file containing all your CSP Signal data. Restore on any device by uploading the file.
Cross-device sync coming later. Right now you back up manually — perfect for periodic snapshots. Firebase-backed automatic sync is planned for the subscriber tier so your data flows between devices without manual export.
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CSP Signal Pro

Unlock everything — Trade Log, Weekly + Monthly Playbooks, 10 advanced calculators, and the full watchlist scanner.

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The Wheel Trader's Edge

Sell smarter puts.
Run the full wheel.

Real-time CSP signals, AI-powered scoring, a trade log that tracks your wheel from first put to final call.

📡

Live CSP Signal Monitor

Real-time scoring on delta, IV, red-day signals, and earnings proximity. Powered by MarketData.app. Refreshes every 90 seconds.

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Trade Log & Analytics

Log every CSP and covered call. Track premium collected, P&L, win rate, and weekly income. Filter by week, ticker, or status.

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Weekly + Monthly Playbooks

Two step-by-step frameworks: Weekly for high-IV names (gamma-managed), Monthly for the 45 DTE / 21 DTE / 50%-profit wheel. Backed by tastytrade and CBOE PUT Index research.

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  • CSP Signal Monitor (3 tickers)
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  • Watchlist scanner
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Options Income · Live Signals

CSP Signal Monitor

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Not financial advice. CSP Signal provides educational tools and data for informational purposes only. Options trading involves substantial risk of loss. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before trading.
MarketData.app — Single API Key Free · Email Only

MarketData.app powers both the Weekly and Monthly Monitors — real-time stock quotes, historical prices (for HV & trend), and option chains with Greeks all in one API. Email-only signup, no personal info, no brokerage account, no credit card.

1. Sign up: dashboard.marketdata.app/signup — email & password only
2. After verification, your token is on the dashboard → API Tokens
3. Copy the token and paste it below
Or click try the AAPL demo first (no signup) to preview the data
Free vs paid tiers: Free = 100 credits/day (fine for on-demand chain lookups, no auto-refresh). Starter at $12/mo (annual) = 10,000 credits/day + real-time quotes + earnings data. Recommended for active use.
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SPY
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QQQ
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Market mood
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Best day
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Live signals
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Weekly timing guide
MON
⭐⭐
Good if red
TUE
⭐⭐⭐
Best day
WED
⭐⭐⭐
Great — 50% check
THU
Late — less theta
FRI
🚫
Close only
How signals work: Red day, 5-day trend, HV proxy, and ET timing score. Earnings auto-block within 7 days. Strike zone is estimated — always verify on E-Trade. Not financial advice.

Monthly Monitor — 45 DTE Wheel

Real option chain data from MarketData.app — designed for options traders with native delta and DTE filters built in.

Coming in Session 2: automated 0.20-0.30 delta strike selection per ticker · annualized yield ranking · signal cards · wheel-archetype watchlist scanner.

Chain Explorer — Single Ticker Deep Dive Advanced · ~10-15 credits

Fetches all strikes with |delta| between 0.10 and 0.40 at ~45 DTE (typically 6-12 strikes), then highlights the one closest to the 0.25 delta wheel target. Useful for inspecting the full delta curve on a specific ticker before trading.

📖 Understanding the Metrics — Options Glossary New to options? Start here
The wheel in one paragraph: You sell a put on a stock you'd be happy to own. If the stock stays above your strike, the put expires worthless and you keep the premium. If it drops below, you get assigned 100 shares at your strike — now you sell covered calls on those shares to keep collecting premium until they're called away. Rinse and repeat. Every metric below either helps you pick the right trade or measure how the trade is doing.
Delta (Δ)
A number from -1 to +1 with two meanings: (1) probability the option ends in-the-money — a -0.25 delta put has ~25% chance of assignment. (2) how much the option price moves when the stock moves $1.
Put with delta -0.25: 25% chance of assignment · rises $0.25 if stock drops $1.
Puts have negative delta. Calls have positive delta. Wheel target is 0.25 absolute.
Wheel Targets
0.20-0.30Sweet spot — solid premium, ~70-80% win rate
0.30-0.40More premium, higher assignment risk
>0.40Aggressive — expect assignment often
Strike
The price at which the option can be exercised. For a put you sold at $85 strike: if the stock closes below $85 at expiration you get assigned 100 shares at $85 each. Above $85 → put expires worthless, keep the premium.
Sold HOOD $85 put · HOOD closes at $82 at expiration → you buy 100 HOOD at $85 each ($8,500 out) · you already kept $180 premium → effective cost basis $83.20/share
Rule
CSPOnly pick strikes you'd be genuinely happy owning the stock at
CCOnly pick strikes above your cost basis (don't lock in a loss)
Premium (mid)
Cash you collect per share for selling the option, using the midpoint of bid/ask. Options are always in blocks of 100 shares per contract, so multiply by 100 to get dollars.
Bid $0.75 · Ask $0.85 · Mid = $0.80
1 contract × $0.80 × 100 shares = $80 in your account today
Tip
OrderStart your limit order at the mid, walk toward the bid if not filled in ~5 minutes
Yield %
Return-on-collateral for this single trade if it works out. Not enough to judge a trade on its own — a "small" yield over a short period can annualize into a great return.
Yield = Premium ÷ Strike × 100
$0.80 premium on $40 strike = 2.0% yield for this trade
Sounds small — but if it's a 40 DTE trade, that's 18%+ annualized
Annualized %
The most important metric for comparing trades across different expirations. Extrapolates a trade's yield to a full year so a 30 DTE trade and a 60 DTE trade can be compared apples-to-apples.
Annualized = Yield × (365 ÷ DTE)
2.0% yield on 40 DTE = 2.0 × (365/40) = 18.3% annualized
Wheel Benchmarks
<10%Skip — not worth the risk vs. T-bills (~4-5%)
10-15%OK trade, decent income
15-25%Strong wheel candidate
>25%Very high IV — verify the risk (earnings, catalyst, meme dynamics)
DTE (Days to Expiration)
Calendar days until the option expires. The single biggest factor in how theta (time decay) and gamma (delta acceleration) affect your trade.
Wheel Zones
30-45Optimal entry — best theta:gamma ratio
21-30Hold zone — check for 50% profit close
<21Force-close zone — gamma dominates, act on every position
>60Capital tied up too long, marginal extra credit
IV (Implied Volatility)
The market's forecast of how much the stock will move over the option's lifetime, expressed as an annualized standard deviation. HIGH IV = HIGH PREMIUM — you get paid more for selling puts when the market is anxious about a stock, but the anxiety exists for a reason.
40% IV on a $100 stock: market expects ~68% chance the stock ends the next year between $60 and $140
Rough Guide
<25%Blue chips — low premium, predictable
25-50%Sweet spot — meaningful premium, manageable
50-100%Speculative — big premium, wild moves (HOOD, HUT, UPST)
>100%Event-driven or crash — usually earnings/catalyst week
Volume
Number of contracts of this specific option (that exact strike + expiration) traded today. High volume means an active market — easier to enter and exit at fair prices.
Open Interest (OI)
Total contracts of this option currently outstanding across the whole market (not just today's trading). The best proxy for liquidity — high OI means tight bid/ask spreads.
Liquidity Rule of Thumb
<50Illiquid — may struggle to get a fair fill
50-500Decent
>500Very liquid
Quality Tier (color badge)
A first-pass filter based purely on annualized yield. Not the final word — a "Strong" trade on a name reporting earnings tomorrow is still a bad idea. Always cross-reference with IV level, earnings calendar, and your own conviction.
Signal Card Legend
Strong≥15% annualized — solid wheel candidate
OK10-15% — usable but not exciting
Weak<10% — probably skip
CSP (Cash-Secured Put)
Selling a put option with enough cash held aside to buy the shares if assigned. The entry half of the wheel. You collect premium in exchange for the obligation to buy the stock at the strike if it drops.
$85 strike × 100 shares = $8,500 cash locked as collateral per contract
CC (Covered Call)
Selling a call option against 100 shares you already own. The exit half of the wheel after assignment. You collect premium in exchange for the obligation to sell your shares at the strike if it rises.
Assigned 100 HOOD at $85 → sell $90 CC for $1.20 premium → if HOOD rises above $90, shares called away at $90 (you profit $5/share on shares + $1.20 premium)
Wheel Strategy · Universe Scanner

Wheel Screener

🎯 Wheel Universe Screener. Scans 50 curated wheel-friendly tickers across sectors — the same ~45 DTE monthly expiration your Cycle Position widget targets. Filter by yield, delta, IV, and liquidity to find the best CSP/CC setups for TODAY. All 50 tickers chosen because they're optionable, have real OI, and are stocks you might genuinely want to own if assigned.
💡 Recommended defaults for picking best CSPs: sort by Annualized ↓, keep Min OI ≥ 500 to avoid illiquid strikes with wide bid/ask spreads. Hover any column header for what it means.
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%
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0 tickers selected · Full scan: 0 credits

Ready to scan. Adjust filters above, then click 🎯 Scan Universe to fetch chains for every selected ticker.

Results are ranked by annualized yield by default. Click any column to re-sort.

CSP + Wheel Strategy

Options Trade Log

LAST 7 DAYS 0 trades
CSP + Wheel Strategy · Weekly Cadence

Weekly Playbook

Sunday-to-Friday cycle for high-IV names where the fat premium justifies the gamma risk. Not the base wheel strategy — use the Monthly playbook for that.

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⚠ Weeklies are gamma-heavy — use them selectively

Weekly options collect only 30-40% of a 45 DTE premium but carry disproportionate risk in the final 5 days. They only pay off on names with IV Rank > 50 where the premium truly compensates. On boring blue chips, weeklies are a bad trade. Use the archetypes in Phase 1 to filter your watchlist — everything else belongs on the Monthly playbook.

Phase 1 Tonight — Pre-flight ~15 min · Sunday
Confirm options approval level on E-Trade
Account → Account Settings → Options. You need Level 2 minimum to sell CSPs.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Gotcha

If you're at Level 1, the upgrade request takes 1–2 business days. Do this tonight — not Monday morning. You can't sell puts without it and there's no workaround.

Check your buying power and cash available
You need the full strike × 100 × contracts in cash to sell a CSP. E.g. $13 strike, 3 contracts = $3,900 minimum.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Gotcha

Buying power ≠ cash available. Pending settlements count against you. Check "Cash Available for Withdrawal" not just "Account Value."

Open CSP Signal Monitor and run this week's scan
Check delta, HV, 5-day trend, and earnings dates for your watchlist. Set your 3 active tickers.
Tap for tip
✓ Tip

Load CSP Signal Monitor now and check the scanner sidebar. It ranks your entire watchlist by score. Anything over 65/100 is worth watching for Monday.

Filter to HIGH-IV names only (IV Rank > 50, HV > 40%)
Weeklies are only worth the gamma risk on names paying real premium. Anything under IV Rank 50 goes on the Monthly playbook instead — you'll collect more per unit of risk out at 45 DTE.
Tap for archetypes
✓ High-IV weekly archetypes

These categories consistently print IVR > 50. Cross-reference against your watchlist tonight and shortlist 2-3 for Monday entry.

Crypto proxies$8–$60
Bitcoin miners and MSTR trade at 2-3x BTC beta. IV stays elevated regardless of macro. Be ready for 15%+ intraday moves.
ExamplesMARA · RIOT · CLSK · WULF · MSTR · CIFR
Nuclear / SMR$15–$60
Speculative energy transition names. Massive IV, thin liquidity in the wings — always trade the ATM strikes.
ExamplesOKLO · NNE · SMR · LEU · CEG · VST
Quantum computing$10–$40
Story stocks with genuine 40-80% weekly ranges. Only wheel these if you're OK owning shares — assignments will happen.
ExamplesIONQ · RGTI · QUBT · QBTS
Fintech / high-growth$15–$100
Consistent 40-60 IVR, decent liquidity, real businesses underneath. The most forgiving of the high-IV group if assigned.
ExamplesHOOD · SOFI · AFRM · UPST · COIN · NU
Meme / high-flyer$15–$80
Momentum names with elevated retail interest. IV crushes on the way up. Watch social sentiment; earnings weeks are especially wild.
ExamplesPLTR · CVNA · HIMS · RDDT · RKLB
Small-cap biotech$5–$50
Binary catalyst names — check FDA/PDUFA dates before every trade. A single trial readout can move the stock 50% overnight.
ExamplesHighly rotational — always check calendars first
Phase 2 Monday — Entry Day ~20 min · by 11am ET
Wait 15 minutes after market open before placing any order
The first 15 minutes have inflated bid/ask spreads due to overnight order imbalances. Let the market settle.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Gotcha

Market orders placed at open fill at terrible prices. The spread on a $0.30 option can be $0.10–0.15 wide in the first 15 minutes. Wait until 9:45–10:00am ET minimum.

Select strike at delta 0.15–0.20 — verify on the options chain
Use the estimated strike from the Signal Monitor as a starting point. Then open E-Trade options chain and find the exact delta.
Tap for tip
✓ Delta targeting

The monitor shows an estimated delta strike zone. Delta changes with every tick. Always verify the actual delta on E-Trade's options chain before placing the order. Target 0.15–0.20 for high-probability setups.

Place a limit order — never market order for options
Set your limit at the midpoint of the bid/ask. If no fill in 5 minutes, adjust up by $0.01–0.02.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Gotcha

Market orders for options are dangerous. Spreads are wide, and you'll almost always fill at the worst possible price. Always use limit orders. Start at the midpoint and be patient.

Log your trade in the Trade Log immediately after fill
Record ticker, strike, premium, delta, expiry. This is your official record for P&L tracking.
Tap for tip
✓ Log it now

Don't rely on memory or broker history. Log the trade in CSP Signal's Trade Log within 5 minutes of fill. Include your delta at open — this is crucial for later analysis of which setups actually win.

Phase 3 Mid-Week — Position Management ~5 min · Tue–Thu
Check position once per day — not more
Obsessive checking causes emotional decisions. One check mid-day (11am–1pm ET) is enough.
Tap for tip
✓ The rule

Check once. If the option is above 50% of original premium, hold. If below 50%, consider closing for profit. If at 2× original, evaluate rolling. Set alerts in your broker so you don't have to watch constantly.

Close at 50% profit — don't wait for expiration
If your $0.30 premium is now worth $0.15, buy it back. Free up capital for the next trade. This is the professional approach.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Warning

Holding to expiration for the last 50% of profit adds significant gamma risk for minimal reward. The last $15 of a $30 premium trade isn't worth the risk of a surprise move Friday morning. Close at 50% and move on.

Monitor for earnings — hard block if < 7 days out
If earnings are announced inside your DTE window, close the position immediately. Don't ride earnings as a put seller.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Hard rule — no earnings plays

The CSP Signal Monitor flags earnings automatically but dates can shift. Check directly on the company's investor relations page or E-Trade's earnings calendar. A surprise earnings date inside your window requires an immediate close regardless of P&L.

Phase 4 Thursday — Pre-Expiry Check ~10 min · EOD Thursday
Decide: close Thursday, hold to Friday, or roll
If the option is worth $0.05–0.10, closing Thursday eliminates Friday pin risk. Compare the cost-to-close vs risk.
Tap for tip
✓ The math

Closing at $0.05 costs $5 per contract to eliminate all pin risk on Friday. For 3 contracts, that's $15. Almost always worth it. The cost of being wrong on Friday is assignment on a position that moved against you overnight.

If position is at a loss — evaluate rolling now
Rolling means buying back your current put and immediately selling a new one at a lower strike or later expiry.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Rolling rules

Only roll if you still want to own the stock at the lower strike. Rolling for credit means the new premium > cost to close. If you can't roll for a net credit, consider taking the loss. Never roll a losing trade into a stock you wouldn't want to own at a lower price.

Phase 5 Friday — Expiration Day ~5 min · by noon
Close any open position worth less than $0.10 by noon
Buy to Close for pennies. Never let a short put ride into the final hour of expiration day.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Pin risk

"Pin risk" happens when a stock drifts to exactly your strike price in the last hour. You may get assigned on a technically expired option due to after-hours moves. A $0.05 option costs $5 to close per contract. Always close by noon Friday.

If assigned — do not panic, pivot to covered calls
Shares land at cost basis = strike − premium collected. Start the wheel: sell covered calls next Monday.
Tap for tip
✓ Assignment is not failure

Assignment just means Phase 2 of the wheel begins. You now own 100 shares per contract. Sell a covered call at or above your cost basis next Monday. Collect more premium. Repeat until shares are called away, then restart with a fresh CSP. The wheel is designed to profit even through assignment.

Update the trade log with final status and P&L
Mark as: Expired worthless / Closed at profit / Closed at loss / Assigned. Log exact P&L after fees.
Tap for tip
✓ Review before next Monday

Spend 5 minutes reviewing: Did you get filled at a good price? Was the delta where you expected? After 4–6 trades your Stats tab will start showing patterns — which tickers are working and what your real win rate is.

Reference Quick Cheat Sheet
Option shows this priceWhat it meansAction
Same as when you soldNo movement yetHold
50% of originalHalf profit bankedConsider closing
25% or less of originalNear max profitClose or hold to Friday
2× what you sold forTrade going against youEvaluate rolling
$0.01–0.05Essentially worthlessClose for $1–5, free capital
Hard Rules — Never Break

No earnings plays — ever
Max 50% of account per position
Delta max 0.25 at entry
Never sell puts on stocks you'd hate to own
Always limit orders — never market

Soft Rules — Strong Guidance

Close at 50% profit — don't be greedy
Sell on high IV days — after red days
Wait 15 min after open to place orders
Set limit at midpoint when placing
Sit out 1 week/month if uncertain

CSP + Wheel Strategy · Monthly Cadence

Monthly Playbook

The 30-45 DTE wheel framework backed by tastytrade research and the CBOE PUT Index. Sell at 45 DTE, close at 50% max profit or 21 DTE — whichever hits first. Better risk-adjusted returns than weeklies on ~90% of the market.

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The three rules that define this playbook
Entry
30-45 DTE, 20-30 delta. The sweet spot of theta decay per unit of gamma risk. 3rd Friday monthlies have the deepest liquidity.
Exit A
Close at 50% max profit. If the option's mark drops to half of what you sold it for, buy back. Redeploy capital. Don't hold for the last dollars.
Exit B
Force-close at 21 DTE. Whether at 50% or not — under 21 DTE gamma risk starts dominating theta. tastytrade backtests show this materially beats "hold to expiration."
Phase 1 Cycle Setup ~15 min · Day after last expiry
Review outcomes from the last cycle in your Trade Log Stats
Which names won? Which got assigned or close to it? What's your realized ROI and win rate? Note anything that surprised you.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Gotcha

If a name went ITM twice in a row, it doesn't belong on your wheel list anymore — the price range you thought was safe isn't. Drop it. This is the #1 mistake wheel traders make: they marry names because "the premium was good."

Rebalance capital allocation across positions
Target 5-8 concurrent positions on monthly. No single name > 20-25% of allocated capital. Use the CSP Wheel Capital calculator.
Tap for tip
✓ Tip

Monthly turnover is lower than weekly so you can hold more concurrent positions without becoming a full-time trader. 5-8 is the healthy target for a $50k+ account. Below $25k, stick to 3-4 positions and prioritize the lowest-collateral names.

Refresh watchlist — earnings, ex-div, and macro dates
Pull earnings dates for every candidate ticker. Check FOMC / CPI / jobs report calendar. Flag any candidate that has earnings inside your 30-45 DTE window.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Rule of thumb

Never sell a monthly CSP through earnings. If earnings are 20 days out, either pick a shorter expiry that closes BEFORE earnings, or a later one that opens AFTER. Selling right through earnings on a monthly is the fastest way to get assigned deep ITM.

Phase 2 Sell Puts — Entry ~20 min · Around 3rd Friday
Target the 30-45 DTE window (ideally 40-45)
Empirically the sweet spot: peak theta acceleration is still ahead of you, gamma risk is minimal, and you have room to manage. 3rd Friday monthlies have the deepest liquidity — always pick them over weeklies at similar DTE.
Tap for tip
✓ Why 45 not 30

Between 45 and 21 DTE you capture the fattest chunk of theta decay while gamma stays low. Below 30 DTE the risk-adjusted return per day starts eroding. Above 60 DTE your capital is tied up longer for marginal extra credit.

Pick 20-30 delta strikes (0.20-0.30)
0.20 delta ≈ 80% probability of expiring worthless. 0.30 ≈ 70%. Higher delta = more premium but more assignment risk. Pick based on how much you want to own the stock at that strike.
Tap for tip
✓ Delta-to-strike shortcut

Rough rule for standard stocks: 0.30 delta strike sits ~1 standard deviation below current price at your DTE. If the stock's HV30 is 40%, that's roughly 8-10% OTM for a 45 DTE trade. Use the CSP Monitor's delta column and sort — anything 0.20-0.30 on your watchlist is a candidate.

Verify premium meets minimum annualized yield
Target 15-25% annualized on collateral for monthly CSPs. Below 12%, walk away — the risk isn't compensated. Use the Premium Yield Calculator.
Tap for example
✓ Quick math

Example: $0.80 premium on a $30 strike, 45 DTE = ($0.80/$30) × (365/45) = 21.6% annualized. Solid. Example 2: $0.20 premium on the same setup = 5.4% annualized. Skip — you can beat that in T-bills with zero risk.

Enter as limit order at the mid, size positions equally
Never take the bid on entry. Start at the mid. If not filled in 5 min, walk down $0.05 at a time. Break capital into equal-sized positions so no single trade dominates your P&L.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Position sizing

If your max per position is $10k and you want 5 positions, that's $2k each. Pick strikes that match — a $50 strike burns $5,000 in collateral per contract, so 1 contract eats 2.5x your position size limit. Downsize the strike or skip the trade.

Import fills into the Trade Log same day
Import the E*TRADE CSV that evening or log manually. Always capture delta at open — you'll need it for post-mortem analysis.
Tap for tip
✓ Why delta at open matters

After 6-12 months you'll be able to answer: do my 0.25-delta trades win more than my 0.30s? Which ROI band delivers the best risk-adjusted return? None of this is answerable without a clean log. Import same day.

Phase 3 Weekly Check-in ~5 min · Every Friday
Run the 50%-max-profit close check on every open position
For each open trade: current mark ÷ opening premium. If the option is trading at ≤50% of what you sold it for, you've captured 50%+ of max profit — close it. Redeploy the capital.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Why not hold to expiration

The last 25% of theta requires holding through the highest-gamma portion of the trade. tastytrade's backtests across 15+ years show closing at 50% beats holding to expiration on both raw return and Sharpe ratio. You're not "leaving money on the table" — you're avoiding negative expected value.

Check earnings & macro dates against every open position
Anything hitting earnings inside its remaining window? Any macro event (FOMC / CPI) that could gap the market? Consider closing pre-catalyst even if not at 50%.
Tap for tip
✓ Catalyst hygiene

An unexpected earnings blowup on a name you sold puts on 30 days ago can erase multiple winning trades in one Friday. If earnings land inside your window and you're already at 30-40% profit, take it. The remaining 60-70% isn't worth the binary risk.

Flag positions that have breached 0.40 delta or 3-5% from strike
If a position is running against you (delta rising as the underlying drops toward your strike), decide EARLY: hold, roll, or accept assignment. Don't wait until 21 DTE to be forced into a decision.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ The wheel test

Ask yourself: if I got assigned this stock today at my strike, would I be comfortable owning it? If yes, do nothing — the wheel is working as designed. If no, the position never belonged in your portfolio. Close now for the loss and move on.

Phase 4 21 DTE Force-Close ~10 min · When triggered
At exactly 21 DTE, act on every remaining position — no exceptions
This is the hardest rule to follow because it feels wrong to close a winning trade "early." But by 21 DTE you've already captured 60-70% of the total theta. The remaining 30-40% requires holding through peak gamma risk.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ The "just $10 more" trap

You're up $50 on a trade at 21 DTE, the option is worth $0.10. "It'll probably expire worthless — why pay $10 to close?" Because that $10 gain requires you to hold through a potential 3-5x loss on a surprise Friday move. Take the $50, close the position, redeploy the capital into a fresh 45 DTE trade.

Choose one: CLOSE, ROLL, or ACCEPT assignment
CLOSE: buy back at market, redeploy capital immediately.
ROLL: buy back current + sell same or lower strike at next month for a NET CREDIT.
ACCEPT: hold to expiry ONLY if you're happy with assignment AND less than 5 DTE remain.
Tap for rules
⚠ Rolling rules

Only roll if (a) you still want to own the stock at the new strike, AND (b) you can roll for a NET CREDIT (new premium > cost to close old). If you can't roll for credit, don't roll — take the trade as-is and move on. Rolling losing trades for debits just delays the loss.

Update Trade Log — mark closed, rolled, or held to assignment
Import the CSV or update manually. Your Stats need accurate outcomes to be useful. Rolled trades should be tagged so you can see rolling frequency in your post-mortem.
Phase 5 Assignment — Start the Wheel ~15 min · Only if assigned
Confirm assignment overnight — verify shares in account
You'll get an email from E*TRADE. Log in Saturday morning and verify shares appear at your strike price. Compute your true cost basis: (strike − premium collected).
Tap for tip
✓ Cost basis math

Assigned NU at $12.50 strike, collected $0.20 premium? Cost basis = $12.30/share. Even if NU trades at $11 Monday morning, you're not down $1.50 — you're down $1.30, because the premium is real cash. Track this in the Trade Log's notes field.

Immediately sell a covered call — 30-45 DTE, 20-30 delta ABOVE cost basis
Start the second half of the wheel. Target a strike above your cost basis so if called away you profit on the shares AND keep the CC premium.
Tap for gotcha
⚠ Never sell CCs below cost basis "just for premium"

If your cost basis is $12.30 and you sell a $12 CC for $0.15 premium, you're locking in a guaranteed loss if called ($30 loss on shares vs. $15 CC premium = net -$15). Only sell CCs at or above cost basis unless you've explicitly decided to exit the position at a loss and want the extra $15.

If deeply underwater, stay assigned and wheel patiently
If the stock is way below cost basis (10%+ down), the ATM CC won't have decent premium and the above-cost CC is too far OTM. Sell low-delta (0.10-0.15) CCs monthly and wait for the price to recover. Or just hold shares. Time is on your side if the underlying business is sound.
Tap for tip
✓ Patience beats forcing

Some wheel positions take 3-6 months to work back to profitability. That's fine — you're collecting CC premium the whole time and the position is inside a diversified book. Don't rage-sell at a loss just because the position is "boring." The math still works.

Reference Monthly Wheel Watchlist — Archetypes $15–$150 · No checkboxes

Categories that work for the monthly wheel: enough IV to pay decent premium, deep options liquidity out to 45 DTE, and a business you'd genuinely be OK owning. Specific tickers rotate — use these archetypes to build your list. Cross-reference with earnings dates and current IV before every cycle.

Blue-chip financials$30–$80
Boring, liquid, dividend-paying. If assigned you collect quarterly dividends while wheeling out. The core of a defensive wheel book.
ExamplesBAC · C · WFC · KMI · SCHW · KEY · TFC
Dividend telecoms & utilities$15–$60
4-7% dividend yields cushion assignment. Slow-moving, low-drama. Premium is thinner but predictable — target 12-18% annualized rather than 20%+.
ExamplesVZ · T · KMI · O · MO · ABBV
Consumer staples$40–$100
Recession-resistant, low-beta names. IV rarely pops but reliably steady. Good for the "sleep well" portion of the book.
ExamplesKO · KHC · PEP · MO · KDP · CPB
Automakers & industrials$10–$100
Cyclical, decent IV, real cash flow. Ford at $10-12 is a classic monthly wheel — pennies of premium add up on 10-20 contracts of collateral.
ExamplesF · GM · CAT · DE · EMR · GE · LUV
Semiconductors (mid-cap)$50–$150
Enough IV to pay well, real businesses, deep options liquidity. Watch earnings calendars closely — the whole sector moves together.
ExamplesAMD · MU · ON · AMAT · MRVL · MPWR
Consumer discretionary / retail$25–$150
Solid IV, big options volume, cyclical exposure. Great for the growth portion of the wheel book. Skip through earnings weeks.
ExamplesDIS · TGT · SBUX · LULU · CROX · DKS
Fintech (established)$15–$100
Same names that work as weeklies also work as monthlies at lower delta. Slightly higher risk than blue chips but pay significantly more premium.
ExamplesHOOD · SOFI · PYPL · SQ · AFRM · COIN
Energy & MLPs$15–$100
Oil-linked names with 20-40% IV and often solid dividends. Watch WTI trend and OPEC dates. Refiners tend to move opposite E&Ps.
ExamplesKMI · EOG · MRO · XOM · VLO · PSX · OXY
Airlines & travel$15–$80
Elevated IV from macro sensitivity, cheap collateral per contract. Great capital efficiency but watch fuel prices and consumer sentiment reports.
ExamplesDAL · UAL · AAL · CCL · NCLH · RCL · MAR
Broad-market ETFs$50–$150
Cannot go to zero, always liquid, never surprised by earnings. The safest wheel candidates. Yield is modest but risk-adjusted returns are excellent.
ExamplesSPY · QQQ · IWM · XLE · XLF · SLV · GDX
Wheel Strategy Tools

Options Calculators

Quick calculators for wheel strategy traders. All 6 below are free. Pro users get 9 additional advanced calculators (coming with Phase 2).

Premium Yield Calculator FREE
Annualized return on your collateral for a CSP trade.
Annualized Yield
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CSP Cash Required FREE
How much cash you need to secure a put position.
Cash Required
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Delta → Probability of Profit FREE
Convert delta to approximate probability that the option expires worthless.
Probability of Profit
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Assignment Probability
Estimated chance you get assigned and shares are put to you.
Cost Basis After Assignment
Your effective share cost after a put gets assigned.
IV Rank Calculator
Is implied volatility high or low? Know before you sell.
Theta Decay Calculator
Estimate daily time decay on your short put position.
Wheel Position Size
How many contracts based on portfolio size and risk tolerance.
Wheel Capital Calculator
How many simultaneous CSP positions can you safely run?
Put Margin Estimator
Estimated broker margin requirement for a short put.
Wheel Expectancy Calculator
Expected return per wheel cycle based on your win rate and average P&L.
Covered Call vs Dividend
Compare annualized CC premium yield vs the stock's dividend yield.
10 more calculators in Pro
IV Rank, Theta Decay, Cost Basis, Wheel Expectancy and more.

Delete trade?

This will permanently remove the trade from your log. This cannot be undone.

E*TRADE Import Preview

Review what will be added to your trade log before committing.

How matching works: Buy-to-close, expiration, and assignment rows are matched to existing open positions by ticker + option type + strike + expiry. If no match is found the row is marked Skipped — usually because you haven't imported the opening trade yet, or the position was opened before you started tracking. Import older data first, then newer.