When might an investor consider trading more than one option? In this month's Wide World of Options podcast, host Mark Benzaquen welcomes OIC Instructor and option's veteran Ken Keating as they break down the fundamentals of vertical spread trading and share practical insight In determining various objectives of spread trading, as well as the potential risks and rewards inherent to spreads. Topics of discussion will include both debit and credit spreads as well as special risks all spread traders should familiarize themselves with.

Not every stock purchase will turn out to be a winner and, some investors may turn to options when looking for protection in turbulent times. Join OIC instructor Mark Benzaquen as he takes a deep-dive into the protective put and options collar strategies which can be used to potentially mitigate risk associated with stock holdings

Investors may look to options to potentially generate income through a variety of strategies. Two common strategies are the covered call and the cash-secured put, both of which use short options in the hopes of capturing premium for income. Join OIC instructors Mark Benzaquen and Roma Colwell as they discuss the setup and potential pitfalls of these two strategies during the next episode of Wide World of Options.

When it comes to options pricing, accurately forecasting how prices might react to changes in the marketplace can be as difficult as say, learning a new language. Fortunately, this OIC® Wide World of Options podcast can help you translate. Join host Mark Benzaquen as he welcomes colleague and long-time options professional Mat Cashman for a talk about the theoretical option metrics known as The Greeks. Mark and Mat will guide you through the Greeks and explain how they can help measure risk.

Knowing how to value a call or put is necessary to understand options. But to take that understanding to the next level, investors should also have a firm grasp on the concept of volatility and how it may affect options pricing. In this Wide World of Options episode, host Mark Benzaquen welcomes OIC® instructor Ken Keating for a discussion on the primary inputs used to determine options pricing as well as one of pricing's key components, implied volatility.

If your New Year's Resolutions include learning about options, OIC's Wide World of Options podcast has you covered. Get started by learning basic terminology and fundamental concepts necessary to begin your journey. Led by 25-year options veteran and OIC instructor, Mark Benzaquen, the first OIC podcast of the year will explain the basic concepts of buying and selling, the differences between calls and puts, the processes of exercise and assignment, and so much more!

This episode was previously released on August 23, 2019.

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Join host Ed Modla and Mark Benzaquen, Manager of the OCC Investor Services team, as they discuss the collar strategy and the many ways that it can be used for downside protection. Then, Ed will take a look back at the launch of the options industry in the 1970s and its evolution to present-day.

While a merger between two companies might affect its shareholders, what effect might it have on buyers and seller of options? Mergers, along with other corporate actions such as stock splits and special dividends, have become fairly commonplace in today's investing landscape and as their impact is far-reaching, it is incumbent upon options investors to have a clear understanding of how these corporate actions might affect and impact their portfolios. Join long-time options industry professional and OIC instructor Mark Benzaquen as he details various corporate actions and explains how they may affect options.

When you're buying or selling options, you should be aware of how a stock's dividend can impact an option's price--and your account. Join seasoned option professionals Mark Benzaquen and Mat Cashman as they discuss how dividends impact options pricing, the risk of early exercise, and the treatment of special dividends and adjusted contracts.

Talking points:

• A recap on option pricing
• The impact of dividends on option prices
• Early exercise and assignment risk
• What happens when a dividend is reduced or eliminated?
• Special dividends and options adjustments

How does trading options on a single stock differ from trading a basket of 500 or even 2,000? Is it just settlement style and exercise/ assignment limitations – or are there other market nuances investors should be aware of? Join seasoned options pros Mark Benzaquen and Roma Colwell as they discuss the differences (and similarities) of trading index options versus their single-stock counterparts. Topics to be addressed include:

• Cash-settlement vs. physical delivery
• AM vs. PM settlement
• European vs. American-style exercise
• Using index options for portfolio protection