The Unlucky Investor's Guide to Options Trading

An approachable guide to sustainable options trading, minimal luck needed.

Traders who are successful long-term do not rely on luck, but rather their ability to adapt, strategize, and utilize available tools and information. Modern markets are becoming increasingly accessible to the average consumer, and the emergence of retail options trading is opening a world of opportunities for the individual investor. Options are highly versatile and complex financial instruments that were exclusive to industry professionals until recently. So where should beginners start?

The Unlucky Investor's Guide to Options Trading breaks down the science of options trading to suit interested traders from any background. Using statistics and historical options data, readers will develop an intuitive understanding of the potential risks and rewards of options contracts. From the basics of options trading to strategy construction and portfolio management, The Unlucky Investor's Guide to Options Trading guides readers through the world of options and teaches the crucial risk management techniques for sustainable investing.

About the Author

Julia Spina is a member of the research team and podcast co-host at tastytrade where she works as a financial educator and options strategist. Drawing from her background in physics and experience with signal processing and data analysis, Julia introduces viewers to topics in quantitative finance and their applications in options strategy development.

Prior to transitioning into finance, Julia worked as a regenerative medicine research scientist before attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015. At the University of Illinois, she earned bachelor's degrees in engineering physics (2017) and applied mathematics (2017) and a master’s in physics (2018). She spent four years as an experimental quantum information researcher throughout her graduate and undergraduate studies, investigating the effects of measurement in optical quantum systems and using single-photon sources to determine the lower limits of human vision and perception.