How to trade options ameritrade

How to trade options ameritrade US: 800-669-3900 | International: 800-368-3668. Call a Client Services representative at 800-669-3900. First time log-in, account opened with a paper application. If you opened an account with a paper application, use your account number and PIN when you first log in. We included your account number in your Welcome Kit, and we mailed your PIN to you separately. Once you log in, you can set up a UserID and password. You'll use these to log in going forward. It's easier to log in when you link your accounts. To link accounts, log in. Go to Client Services > My Profile > Link Accounts. Some account types may be restricted from linking. For more information, log in and go to. Client Services > Help > Managing Your Account > General Information > How do I link my accounts? Trouble logging in? Here are a couple of things you can try. Is your computer storing information (auto-complete)? If so, please delete the stored information and re-enter it yourself. Since using auto-complete may pose a security risk, you may wish to consider turning it off.

Have you changed your security settings–in particular, your cookie acceptance–recently? To use this site, you must set your browser to accept cookies. You can choose to accept all cookies, or set your browser to alert you every time a cookie is offered and accept them on a case-by-case basis. To accept cookies, follow the directions for your browser. Market volatility, volume and system availability may delay account access and trade executions. Every experience has a learning. curve—we do everything we. can to shorten yours. To be able to earn you have to learn. It's a fact. Education is a must in trading. But how you get educated?

That's your call. Ditch the old-school way of learning and take a more interactive approach. There's a lot of data out there. Our streaming videos and educational resources make sure you only see what you want to see—and leave the annoying commercial interruptions behind. The market doesn’t sleep. Neither should your info stream. Get live CNBC newsfeeds from the U. S., Europe, and Asia to stay up to date on what’s happening around the clock, from around the world. The name really says it all. Futures Now, the first multiplatform show devoted to futures trading, has pro traders delivering insights and research about what’s happening in the futures markets today. thinkorswim Learning Center. Traders, meet the thinkorswim Learning Center—your new best friend. This extensive archive of tutorials, how-tos, and more will be your go-to for help with the many features and functions of thinkorswim. Cold, hard cash for the trades of your choice? It’s yours.

In paper money, of course. One of the most robust paper trading platforms available, paperMoney gives you a virtual margin account and a virtual IRA, each funded with $100,000. So you can test out strategies before putting real money on the line. 14. 14 The paperMoney application is for educational purposes only. Successful virtual trading does not guarantee successful investing of actual funds. "Manual." Just the sound of the word may make you cringe. But this isn’t the kind of manual that will make your brain hurt. It’s more of a digestible, quick-start platform guide—with a sense of humor. Get to know what the pros know. When you subscribe to our affiliate advisory newsletter service TradeWise, that is. Shadow experienced former Chicago Board of Options Exchange ® (CBOE) floor traders to get recommendations for opening, adjusting, and closing option trades based on your strategies. 15. 15 TradeWise Advisors, Inc. and TD Ameritrade, Inc. are separate but affiliated firms.

Advisory services are provided exclusively by TradeWise Advisors, Inc. and brokerage services are provided exclusively by TD Ameritrade, Inc. A subscription to TradeWise Advisors will include a monthly fee. Please contact an Option Specialist for more information, including eligibility requirements. You don’t have to enter the world of trading alone. Get a third-party advisory service on your side. Receive recommendations, learn different strategies, and even have trades placed on your behalf automatically. 16. SEC Risk Disclosure on Auto Trading 16 Autotrade is a service of TD Ameritrade, Inc., available to select TD Ameritrade accounts. Please contact TD Ameritrade for more information, including eligibility requirements. Dive into live, daily Swim Lessons at 11:30 a. m. ET to learn all the ins and outs of thinkorswim from former traders and platform experts. Or take the thinkorswim Plunge every day at 1:30 p. m. ET for platform demos and individual shows geared toward the Trade, Charts, and Analyze tabs. For all the newbies, dip your toes into our Wading Pool webcasts every Monday at 4:30 p. m. ET to start off with the basics. What do you get when you mix cool trading tips, option know-hows, and clever photography?

A good reason to take a coffee break. Let’s just say our award-winning thinkMoney isn’t your grandma’s magazine. Traders aren't always trying to one-up each other. Sometimes, they can help each other, too. Share strategies, ideas, and more in one of our chat rooms. ShadowTrader TM Lounge. Your own personal market technician at your beck and call? Oh yeah. Get free, lively third-party commentary and analysis on sector trends, individual stocks, and more—whenever you want it. 17. 17 ShadowTrader Technologies and TD Ameritrade, Inc. are separate, unaffiliated firms.

TD Ameritrade does not endorse the content presented in the ShadowTrader lounge. Feel like showing off your latest and greatest coded creation? thinkScript Lounge is the place to be. Learn, question, and share ideas with fellow scripters who know how to speak your language. Don't hold out on your trader buddies. When you find an iron condor or vertical spread that worked for you, shout it from the rooftops—or share it by posting to the online forum, myTrade. 18. 18 myTrade is a service of myTrade, Inc., a separate but affiliated firm. TD Ameritrade is not responsible for the services of myTrade, or content shared through the service. The marketplace is full of rumors. It's hard to figure out what's true or just more Wall Street gossip. But our live, third-party squawks let you hear everything straight from the trading floor, to help you determine what to act on. Filtering out the noise.

It’s harder than it seems. But Benzinga Squawk gives only the most timely info on commodity and futures markets. So you know what’s worth reading and what to kick to the curb. 19. 19 Benzinga is a trademark of Benzinga, LLC. Wonder what really goes on in the futures pit? Hear it for yourself. Tune in to Marketcast for live S&P 500 ® Futures commentary straight from the floor of the CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade). Global FX News & Chat. Finally. A chat room exclusive to forex traders. Hear and comment on a live audio squawk that's solely dedicated to news and info that’s moving the global currency markets. How to trade options ameritrade TD Ameritrade is one of the largest and most well-known online discount brokerages in the world.

Back in 2009, TD Ameritrade acquired a smaller, yet very popular, online brokerage called thinkorswim for a tidy sum of $606 million. Acquiring thinkorswim, which catered mostly to active options and futures traders, was probably one of the smartest moves TD ever made. To get straight to the point, there is only one reason why traders like to trade options at TD Ameritrade…the thinkorswim platform. The platform is downloadable for both Windows and OSX and it is so good that traders, for a long time, had no problem paying TD Ameritrade’s ridiculous price of $9.99 per option trade plus $0.75 per contract. To stay more competitive, TD recently slashed its benchmark commission rate making it an even more appealing choice for active options traders. Options Trading with TD Ameritrade (thinkorswim) in a Nutshell. To put things in perspective, in 2016, TD Ameritrade reported net operating income of just over $1.3 billion. There are over 100 branches in more than 33 states in America, and TD Ameritrade employs more than 6,000 full-time employees. In terms of funded client accounts, there are over 7.3 million, and the net assets TD holds are just over $882 billion! Needless to say, TD Ameritrade is a popular choice among retail investors and traders and the firm is not going anywhere. But what makes it so popular? Writers at The Options Bro have a couple of theories as to TD’s insane popularity, but we mostly seem to agree a large part of it comes from thinkorswim. Although almost all options brokers in 2017 offer stellar mobile and desktop trading platforms, thinkorswim is one of the highest rated platforms of all-time in the Google Play and Apple App stores. It’s fast, easy to use, robust, and capable of analyzing and trading tons of options strategies.

It truly is the cream of the crop. Active Trader (30+ trdsqtr) Rate: $1.50 per contract* Regular Trader Rate: $6.95 + $0.75contract. Futures and Futures Options: $2.25 per contract. Outgoing Domestic Wire Transfer: $25.00. *Although TD Ameritrade’s commissions and fees are not the lowest in the industry by a long shot, they are negotiable. One of the traders at The Options Bro has managed to successfully reduce the futures rate to $1.85 per contract by trading 300 contracts in one month. Similarly, if you frequently trade single lot options, you can ask the trade desk to change your commission structure to charge $1.50 per contract with no ticket charge. The $19.99 fee for option assignment and exercise is something nobody seems to understand. Why is it so high? Several other options brokers offer assignment for $4.95. Several brokers off it for free. This $20 charge to let options positions expire in-the-money is ridiculous and costly.

However, option writers will LOVE the fact that any short options contracts with a value of $0.05 or less can be closed out for free! No commission charge! Outgoing wire transfers are FREE at TD Ameritrade for all APEX accounts. To qualify as an APEX client, the total account value must be over $100,000, or 5 or more trades need to be per month in a three month period. Basically, what this means is, if you’re an active options trader, you get an unlimited amount of free wire transfers with TD Ameritrade. Pretty nifty if that’s how you pay yourself every week. What can we say? thinkorswim is probably the best piece of free retail options trading software to ever be created – seriously. Professional options traders will see many similarities between the thinkorswim platform and the Silexx Obsidian platform, which is a favorite among market makers and derivative-based hedge funds. The thinkorswim platform has everything from advanced charts, options chains that load quickly, detailed position management tools, in depth analytics, a market calendar, and customizable watchlists. One of the best aspects of thinkorswim is that it is fully compatible with PCs and Macs, not to mention it’s completely free!

Of course, standard things like font size, color, etc. are all customizable. Option chains on thinkorswim are a thing of beauty. You can customize each column with bidask prices, last traded prices, mark, volume, open interest…the list goes on. We have never experienced any delays in loading data that is typical with some option chains when scrolling up or down rapidly. thinkorswim is lightning fast. Charting with TD Ameritrade is top-notch. You can choose from hundreds of different technical analysis patterns and studies andor apply basic things like Bollinger Bands and moving averages. As part of our annual review and constant testing, we loaded over all 500 components of the S&P 500 on the thinkorswim watchlist. The result? The watchlist produced real-time quotes and market depth data for every symbol. If there’s one certainty, it’s that thinkorswim platform loads data quick. Watchlists are great because you can keep track of your current account positions as well as sort stock, futures, indices, and even individual options contracts by various metrics. In addition to advanced analytics and “what-if” testing, thinkorswim offers “thinkback” which is a sophisticated tool to backtest your options trading strategies with years of historical market data. Perhaps one of the more underrated of the thinkorswim platform is the ability to quickly find futures symbols, and therefore futures options symbols, very quickly.

Some brokers like OptionsXpress have the absolute worst symbol finding feature you could possibly imagine. With thinkorswim, you can also see the tick size, tick value, and initial margin requirement all from one easy place in the platform! It’s so simple and easy! Except for some of the options analytics tools, the mobile version of thinkorswim has everything that the desktop version has. It has more than everything you need to trade on the fly and manage your positions. Multi-leg options orders are not a problem. We have relied on the mobile version hundreds of times while we’re waiting at airports, perched at coffee shops, or merely walking down the street. We also use it for market alerts. For the active options trader who has dozens and sometimes hundreds of positions on, it’s incredibly soothing to be able to monitor and potentially close any positions at anytime. The mobile watchlist functions exactly like the desktop watchlist.

Level II trading data is free at TD Ameritrade for all futures and equities and their respective options. Plus, there is a useful streaming market news feature on both the desktop and mobile platforms that is free of charge. There are no minimum trading requirements to receive real-time quotes and trading data. Futures Options Trading with TD Ameritrade. The following futures products all have tradable options with TD Ameritrade: -British Pound Sterling. -E-Mini NASDAQ 100. -Light Sweet Crude Oil Natural Gas. Options Trading Capabilities. A lot of traders have reported difficulty with approval for uncovered options trading with TD Ameritrade. Although it seems to be a matter of checking the right boxes and having a “high” income, chances are if you apply for an account you may not be approved for uncovered options right away.

It usually only takes an email to customer service to remedy this. Once you’re approved, TD Ameritrade offers uncovered options trading with reasonable capital requirements. TD Ameritrade offers 247 support over the phone. Additionally, they offer excellent live-chat support via the mobile and desktop platforms. Once you start a support request, someone will typically answer within 1-10 minutes. As they saying goes, you get what you pay for. That’s the case with TD Ameritrade. Pro-level options trading software that is equivalent of thinkorswim costs close to $200 per month, i. e. Silexx Obsidian. Great trading technology and outstanding customer service come at a price, and that price is a $19.99 option exerciseassignment fee and $6.95 + $0.75contract option trades. Although commissions with TD are negotiable, their rates are much higher than several other discount brokerages.

If you’re a super active options trader, commissions add up really fast. At the end of the day, you really have to ask yourself if advanced trading technology is worth paying more money in commissions. If that answer is yes, then TD is great. It’s also worth noting that although TD Ameritrade has an API program, it does not currently support futures trading. Therefore, it’s possible to connect third-party trading applications to TD’s servers and receive their data, but you wouldn’t be able to receive any futures data. But there’s sort of no reason to do this since thinkorswim is such a terrific trading platform. Founded in 1982, TradeStation is one of the longest operating online discount brokerages in the world. It’s now owned by. Ally invest is one of the newest players in the options broker realm. Having acquired TradeKing for $275 million in. Access the TD Ameritrade client login by clicking the “Log In to TD Ameritrade Account” button below. If you are. If you ask any diehard options trader what the best broker is for options trading, you’ll likely get a variety. Options. Call, email 247 or visit a branch. Trade commission–free for 60 days.

Options. Manage your options method with a leader in options trading. Whether you're an equity trader new to options trading or a seasoned veteran, TD Ameritrade can help you pursue options trading strategies with powerful trading platforms, idea generation resources, and the education and support you need. Advantages of Options Trading. Opportunity to speculate using the power of leverage. This allows for strong potential returns, but can also result in significant losses. Hedge your position with potential to lock in a profit in the underlying security, or to help minimize potential downside risk. Why Trade Options at TD Ameritrade. No Platform Fees or Trade Minimums Get the kind of value you deserve with TD Ameritrade. Enjoy no subscription or access fees to use our trading platforms, plus there are no trade minimums. Explore our straightforward pricing. Opportunity-Seizing Trading Platforms Quickly take advantage of opportunities with Trade Architect, and the advanced thinkorswim ® trading platform with elite tools. Get in the Know With a TD Ameritrade account you'll have access to social and support tools, like interactive chat with other traders, live audio feeds from futures pits, and live, in-platform Swim Lessons. A Powerful Options Trading Duet: Technology and Idea Generation.

With TD Ameritrade, you gain access to the sophisticated thinkorswim platform and a variety of research tools to help you generate options trading ideas and sharpen your strategies. Use the Platform from the Broker Named Among the "Best for Options Traders" by Barron's in their 2017 Online Broker Ranking. Execute a wide range of options trading strategies with speed and ease Quickly enter complex options trades Train yourself without risking funds with paperMoney ® View implied volatility of an option chain with at-a-glance volatility graphs. Idea-Generating Research Tools. Professional-level Tools. Premium trend tracking and data-mining tools empower you to identify trading opportunities. Screen for stocks meeting your criteria using fundamental, technical, and option-related data. Feature-rich charting packages give you ammunition for new ideas. Get a bird's-eye view of every major currency market all on one platform. Learn about options strategies and access customizable components for streaming, charting and more. Advanced Mobile Trading. Access the most advanced trading features from anywhere on your mobile device. Check the background of TD Ameritrade on FINRA's BrokerCheck. Trade commission-free for 60 days plus get up to $600* Offer Details.

#1 for Long-Term Investing. Third-party research and tools are obtained from companies not affiliated with TD Ameritrade, and are provided for informational purposes only. While the information is deemed reliable, TD Ameritrade does not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose, and makes no warranties with respect to the results to be obtained from its use. Market volatility, volume and system availability may delay account access and trade executions. Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors as the special risks inherent to options trading may expose investors to potentially rapid and substantial losses. Options trading privileges subject to TD Ameritrade review and approval. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before investing in options. Spreads, Straddles, and other multiple-leg option strategies can entail substantial transaction costs, including multiple commissions, which may impact any potential return. These are advanced option strategies and often involve greater risk, and more complex risk, than basic options trades. Access to real-time market data is conditioned on acceptance of the exchange agreements.

Professional access differs and subscription fees may apply. See our commission and brokerage fees for details. *TD Ameritrade does not charge platform, maintenance, or inactivity fees. Commissions, service fees, and exception fees still apply. Please review our commission schedule and rates and fees schedule for details. Past performance of a security or method does not guarantee future results or success. TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA SIPC. This is not an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where we are not authorized to do business. TD Ameritrade is a trademark jointly owned by TD Ameritrade IP Company, Inc. and The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

© 2017 TD Ameritrade. Discover how to trade options in a speculative market. Learn the basics and explore potential new opportunities on how to trade options. The options market provides a wide array of choices for the trader. Like many derivatives, options also give you plenty of leverage, allowing you to speculate with less capital. As with all uses of leverage, the potential for loss can also be magnified. Explore the information and resources below to learn how to trade options. If you have questions along the way, contact a specialist for help. Understanding the Basics. A long option is a contract that gives the buyer the right to buy or sell the underlying security or commodity at a specific date and price. There is no obligation to buy or sell in the contract, but simply the right to &ldquoexercise&rdquo the contract, if the buyer decides to do so. An option that gives you the right to buy is called a &ldquocall,&rdquo whereas a contract that gives you the right to sell is called a "put." Conversely, a short option is a contract that obligates the seller to either buy or sell the underlying security at a specific price, through a specific date. When the buyer of a long option exercises the contract, the seller of a short option is "assigned", and is obligated to act. To make this clearer, let&rsquos use a real world analogy&hellip Let&rsquos say you&rsquore shopping for an antique grandfather clock and find the perfect one at the right price: $3,000.

But you won&rsquot have the cash for another three months. You talk to the owner and he agrees to sell it at that price in three months with a specific expiration date, but you have to pay $100 for him to agree to the contract. After three months, you have the money and buy the clock at that price. But maybe it&rsquos discovered that the clock was owned by Theodore Roosevelt, which makes it worth $10,000. You have the right to exercise your option and buy it for $3,000, netting you a profit of $6,900 (minus transaction costs). On the other hand, let&rsquos say it&rsquos discovered that&rsquos it&rsquos not an antique at all, but a knock-off worth only $500. You&rsquore under no obligation to exercise your option and buy it at $3,000, so you can opt not to buy it at all and simply let the contract expire. Although you&rsquore still out the $100, at least you&rsquore not stuck with a clock worth a fraction of what you paid for it. From the option seller's perspective, in the first scenario he gets the $100, but is later forced to sell the clock at less than true market value. In the second scenario, he keeps the clock, and the $100 you paid in premium. If you understand this concept as it applies to securities and commodities, you can see how advantageous it might be to trade options.

For a relatively small amount of capital, you can enter into options contracts that give you the right to buy or sell investments at a set price at a future date, no matter what the price of the underlying security is today. Some things to consider before trading options: Leverage : Control a large investment with a relatively small amount of money. This allows for strong potential returns, but you should be aware that it can also result in significant losses. Flexibility: Options allow you to speculate in the market in a variety of ways, and use a number of creative strategies. There are a wide variety of option contracts available to trade for many underlying securities, such as stocks, indexes, and even futures contracts. Hedging: If you have an existing position in a commodity or stock, you can use option contracts to lock in unrealized gains or minimize a loss with less initial capital. Setting Up an Account. You can trade and invest in options at TD Ameritrade with several account types. You will also need to apply for, and be approved for, margin and option privileges in your account. Choosing a Trading Platform. With a TD Ameritrade account, you&rsquoll have access to options trading on our web platform, as well as on our two more comprehensive platforms: Trade Architect, and thinkorswim. Trade Architect is ideal for those traders first starting with options. It features fundamental tools, such as P&L charts, option method chain filters, and other tools that can give you ideas and the ability to test your method. The thinkorswim platform is for more advanced options traders.

It features elite tools and lets you monitor the options market, plan your method, and implement it in one convenient, easy-to-use, integrated place. Also, if you plan on participating in complex options trades that feature three or four &ldquolegs,&rdquo or sides of a trade, thinkorswim may be right for you. In addition, TD Ameritrade has mobile trading technology, allowing you to not only monitor and manage your options, but trade contracts right from your smartphone, mobile device, or iPad. Developing a Trading method. Like any type of trading, it&rsquos important to develop and stick to a method that works. Traders tend to build a method based on either technical or fundamental analysis. Technical analysis is focused on statistics generated by market activity, such as past prices, volume, and many other variables. Charting and other similar technologies are used. Fundamental analysis focuses on measuring an investment&rsquos value based on economic, financial, and Federal Reserve data. Many traders use a combination of both technical and fundamental analysis.

Whether you use technical or fundamental analysis, or a hybrid of both, there are three core variables that drive options pricing to keep in mind as you develop a method: Price of the underlying security or commodity. Time to expiration. Implied volatility based on market influences and future outlook. With both Trade Architect and thinkorswim, you&rsquoll have tools to help you analyze these variables and more. You&rsquoll also find plenty of third-party fundamental research and commentary, as well as many idea generation tools. You can even &ldquopaper trade&rdquo and practice your method without risking capital. In addition, you can explore a variety of tools to help you formulate an options trading method that works for you. You can also contact a TD Ameritrade Options Specialist anytime via chat, by phone 866-839-1100 or by email 247. Building Your Skills. Whether you&rsquore new to investing, or an experienced trader exploring options, the skills you need to profit from options trading should be continually developed. You&rsquoll find Trade Architect, is a great way to start.

For veteran traders, thinkorswim, has a nearly endless amount of features and capabilities that will help build your knowledge and options trading skills. What Your Financial Services Firm Should Be. See what sets us apart from the rest with our top 6 reasons to choose TD Ameritrade . Compare TD Ameritrade to other leading financial services firms. Best for Long-Term Investing. For five years in a row, we ranked #1 for Long-Term Investing in Barron's 2017 Online Broker Survey. Check the background of TD Ameritrade on FINRA's BrokerCheck. Trade commission-free for 60 days plus get up to $600* Offer Details. #1 for Long-Term Investing. Market volatility, volume and system availability may delay account access and trade executions. Educational resources are provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or advice. Options are not suitable for all investors as the special risks inherent to options trading may expose investors to potentially rapid and substantial losses. Options trading subject to TD Ameritrade review and approval. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before investing in options.

Past performance of a security or method does not guarantee future results or success. TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA SIPC. This is not an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where we are not authorized to do business. TD Ameritrade is a trademark jointly owned by TD Ameritrade IP Company, Inc. and The Toronto-Dominion Bank. © 2017 TD Ameritrade. Trading Futures in an IRA? Getting Oriented to the Retirement Future. Most investors use basic investment products to invest in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds make up a large percentage of IRA holdings, but some curious investors ask, “What else can be traded in an IRA?” One answer for more sophisticated investors might be futures. Futures in an IRA can provide qualified account owners with access to markets and asset classes not traditionally traded.

Futures can deliver a variety of choices: energy markets (crude oil), interest rates (bonds), metals (gold and silver), agriculture (soybeans and corn), equities (E-mini S&P 500), and foreign currency (euro, yen, pound)—they can all be accessed via futures contracts. Trading these products via futures contracts can help diversify a portfolio and give an investor certain advantages. For example, did you know that futures contracts provide virtually 24-hour access to trading markets? Some of the most active futures contracts provide deep liquidity. What you need to know before you can begin trading futures in an IRA: The Future Is Different. The potential benefits of trading futures in an IRA might be clear. However, it’s important to understand the differences and intricacies of the futures markets versus more traditional securities. The biggest difference between stocks and futures is the finite life of a futures contract. A stock can be purchased, placed in an account, and held for the long term. In contrast, a futures contract is a much more attentive trade at some point, the futures contract will expire and cease to exist. (Learn more about futures settlement.

) The futures contract can be closed or rolled to the next expiration cycle using a spread method to extend duration, which is a common practice among futures traders. The next difference is the tick value. A tick represents the minimum price movement of a futures contract. Again, futures are a more attentive trade and one reason is because futures contracts have different tick values and tick sizes. Good news! All the tick sizes and values can be easily found on the futures tab within the thinkorswim® platform. Although it may seem confusing at first glance, the values will become second nature as you expand your futures trading knowledge and experience over time. Finally, futures contract symbols are formatted differently than other symbols. The forward slash () identifies the product as a futures contract. For example, CL represents crude oil futures.

If you forget that forward slash, you’ll get CL (Colgate-Palmolive) instead of crude oil, so it’s important to remember your slashes. The two letters after the forward slash identify the futures product the third value identifies its expiration month and finally, the numbers represent the expiration year. So, for example, ESM6 stands for the E-mini S&P 500 Index futures contract that expires in June 2016 (see figure 1). FIGURE 1: E-MINI S&P 500 INDEX FUTURES. This chart displays the E-mini S&P 500 Index Futures contract (ESM6) that expires in June 2016. Chart source: thinkorswim® by TD Ameritrade. Data source: CME. Not a recommendation. For illustrative purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. If you’re a TD Ameritrade client, you can log in to the thinkorswim platform and ask questions about futures in Swim Lessons every business day from 10:30 a. m. to 12:00 p. m. CT. Come join me and Scott Connor as we educate clients daily on options and futures trading. Swim Lessons: Take the Plunge.

Learn from the platform experts. Daily Swim Lessons SM on the thinkorswim® platform are available in three time slots. The information presented is for informational and educational purposes only. Content presented is not an investment recommendation or advice and should not be relied upon in making the decision to buy or sell a security or pursue a particular investment method. Estate Planning At Any Age: It's Not Just for the Wealthy. You may be relatively young and not feel particularly rich, but that doesn't mean you should ignore estate planning. 9 Ways to Try to Start the New Year on the Right Financial Foot. As the calendar ticks down to the end of 2017, it’s time to take measure of your financial status, your goal-tending, and the tax hit you might be facing. The tax . Gold for best print magazine overall. Financial Communications Society.

Best Content-Driven Website. for Ticker Tape. Content Marketing Awards. Ticker Tape offers fresh insights about investment strategies for investors—whether they’re tracking an individual stock or watching a major market index, such as the S&P 500 (SPX), the Dow 30 (DJX), or the Nasdaq 100 (NDX). We dig deep into diverse topics, including options trading, bond futures, retirement investing, 529 college savings plans, stock market volatility, investor research tools, and more. Examples using real symbols are provided for illustrative and educational use only and are not a recommendation or solicitation to purchase or sell any specific security. Futures accounts are not protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Futures and futures options trading services provided by TD Ameritrade Futures & Forex LLC. Trading privileges subject to review and approval. Not all clients will qualify. Market volatility, volume, and system availability may delay account access and trade executions.

Past performance of a security or method does not guarantee future results or success. Options are not suitable for all investors as the special risks inherent to options trading may expose investors to potentially rapid and substantial losses. Options trading subject to TD Ameritrade review and approval. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before investing in options. Supporting documentation for any claims, comparisons, statistics, or other technical data will be supplied upon request. The information is not intended to be investment advice or construed as a recommendation or endorsement of any particular investment or investment method, and is for illustrative purposes only. Be sure to understand all risks involved with each method, including commission costs, before attempting to place any trade. Clients must consider all relevant risk factors, including their own personal financial situations, before trading. TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRASIPC. TD Ameritrade is a trademark jointly owned by TD Ameritrade IP Company, Inc. and The Toronto-Dominion Bank. © 2017 TD Ameritrade. TD Ameritrade Review 2017.

TD Ameritrade is a one-stop discount stock broker for every kind of investor. Shopping for mutual funds to put in your first IRA? Want to buy or sell stocks, or trade options and futures and commodities on an amped-up investing platform? TD’s got you covered. Standout features include its $0 minimum balance requirement, extensive — and free — research and choice of three trading platforms. Active traders may be turned off by the $6.95 trade commission for stocks and ETFs. But for most it’s a small price to pay for everything else TD Ameritrade offers. NerdWallet's rating: 5.0 5. Commissions: $6.95 per trade Account minimum: $0 Promotion: $100 to $600 cash bonus, depending on account size. TD Ameritrade is best for: Beginner investors. Advanced traders. Investors who want portfolio-building advice.

TD Ameritrade at a glance. Where TD Ameritrade shines. Account minimum: TD Ameritrade’s $0 account minimum for IRAs and taxable brokerage accounts makes it easy for anyone to start investing — and it’s much lower than the $500 to $2,500 many brokerages require. Customers who want to trade options or trade on margin are required by industry regulations to maintain a $2,000 minimum account balance. But unlike some deep discount brokers, TD doesn’t use its low minimum as an excuse to charge account inactivity fees or limit access to research and tools. Curated investment selection: TD Ameritrade handily earned all five of its stars in this category with its full selection of investment products, including more than 100 commission-free ETFs and nearly 4,000 no-transaction-fee mutual funds, as well as futures and forex. Choice is good, but TD’s level of curation is even more valuable, particularly for investors who prefer guidance in building a portfolio. Morningstar, a highly respected — and independent — investment research firm, powers much of the mutual fund selection process. It compiles a quarterly Premier List of top-pick no-transaction-fee mutual funds in 45 fund categories exclusively for TD Ameritrade clients. And TD’s 100-plus commission-free ETFs cover a mix of equity funds, bond funds, international funds and commodity funds, all with reasonable expense ratios. Free research: If you prefer to roll up your sleeves and dive into the data yourself, TD Ameritrade offers streaming CNBC news analysis from S&P Capital IQ, Market Edge and Credit Suisse market heat maps and real-time streaming quotes. And it’s all completely free for customers using any of TD’s trading platforms. The brokerage also has a social community called myTrade and offers access to trading specialists via phone or at one of its branches, making it easy to bat around ideas with other investors and get input from pros. Trading platforms: TD Ameritrade offers three trading platforms: Web Platform: This is the on-ramp platform for new investors.

It’s also a good choice for those who just want to keep things simple. It lets investors select a skill level — rookie to scholar — and highlights education and fundamental research. Users also receive help assembling a properly balanced portfolio of stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and bonds based on pre-built or customized asset allocation models. Trade Architect: A step up in sophistication, Trade Architect’s trading tools, research and real-time features — including news, quotes and market heat maps — are designed for active and options investors. The web-based platform offers customized charting, 30 stock and option screeners, and option trading tools such as probability analysis, profitloss graphs and target zone tools. (See our full review of TD Ameritrade’s Trade Architect.) Thinkorswim: Thinkorswim is a trading platform for serious stock, ETF, options, futures and forex traders. It has all of Trade Architect’s bells and whistles, as well as advanced trading capabilities, a robust lineup of technical analysis tools and studies, customizable screeners, backtesting capabilities and the ability to test strategies with a mock paper trading account. (See our full review of TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim.) Where TD Ameritrade falls short. Trade commissions: Previously our biggest knock against TD Ameritrade was its trading costs. But that changed in March when it lowered its commission rate for stocks and ETFs (and base rate for options) from $9.99 to $6.95. Around the same time Fidelity and Charles Schwab also slashed commissions.

They lowered theirs to $4.95, which means TD Ameritrade is still pricier than its peers. Free access to TD’s premium research, data, analysis and multiple trading platforms makes paying a premium, albeit a less steep one than before, worthwhile for many investors. Broker-assisted trades: Similarly, TD Ameritrade’s $44.99 broker-assisted trades are more expensive than most firms’, which often cost between $25 and $35. Customers can slash $10 off the cost if they forgo human help and place a trade via TD’s interactive voice response phone system. ETF short-term trading fees: Investors must hold any of TD Ameritrade’s 100-plus commission-free ETFs for at least 30 days. Anything less and the broker will levy a $19.99 short-term trading fee. Many other brokers charge this fee, but TD Ameritrade’s is on the high side. For example, Fidelity charges $7.95 and E-Trade charges $15.99-$19.99, depending on quarterly account activity. And like most brokers, TD Ameritrade charges a short-term redemption fee ($49.99) on almost all mutual funds if traded within 90 days or less. TD Ameritrade covers all of the bases and does it very well. Investors can receive portfolio-building guidance, a thorough education in investing, access to high-quality research, trading tools, a wide selection of commission-free ETFs and no-transaction-fee mutual funds, and the choice of three platforms all under one roof. That these features are all free — and the broker has a $0 minimum deposit requirement and has lowered its trading commissions — helped TD earn some of the highest marks in our discount broker reviews.

Dayana Yochim is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: dyochim@nerdwallet. com. Twitter: @dayanayochim. Updated March 3, 2017. Best Online Advisors. Recent Broker Reviews. Recent Online Advisor Reviews. Disclaimer: NerdWallet has entered into referral and advertising arrangements with certain broker-dealers under which we receive compensation (in the form of flat fees per qualifying action) when you click on links to our partner broker-dealers andor submit an application or get approved for a brokerage account. At times, we may receive incentives (such as an increase in the flat fee) depending on how many users click on links to the broker-dealer and complete a qualifying action. Trading is our passion.

We're 100% focused on creating the most advanced trading experience for you. See for yourself with commission-free trades for 60 days and up to $600.* Open new account. thinkorswim is an advanced platform—and so much more. It's your entry into a holistic trading experience brought to you by TD Ameritrade. All backed by constant innovation, all to help keep you on top of the market. With cream-of-the-crop tools and resources, you can place trades from your desktop. Get notifications on your mobile devices. Interact with traders in chat rooms. Even flip through thinkMoney ® magazine for cool trading tips and more. thinkorswim by TD Ameritrade keeps you connected to the trading world so that you can spot potential trading opportunities—and act on them like never before. After all, there's a reason why StockBrokers.

com ranked us #1 for Platforms & Tools. 1. 1 TD Ameritrade was ranked #1 overall out of 15 online brokers evaluated in the StockBrokers. com Online Broker Review 2015. TD Ameritrade was rated #1 overall and was also rated #1 or Best in Class (within top 5) in several categories including "Platform & Tools " (4th year in a row). Read full article. Sync the platform across devices. Your customized trading platform moves seamlessly across devices—sync charts, alerts, watch lists, order queues, and more. Get in-app chat and sharing. Connect with our trading specialists while in the app by sending live texts and sharing your screen for immediate assistance. Customize and share alerts.

Set notifications with parameters like price movements and technical indicators. Then pounce on an opportunity with one tap, right from the alert. Gather insights from social sentiment. Visualize the social media sentiment of stocks over time with this new charting feature that displays data in graphical form. It's yet another data point to make more informed decisions. Get more bang for your buck. Get all the bells and whistles of a pro-level platform—without the pro-level pricing headaches. No data fees. No hidden fees. No surprises. It's a value any trader can appreciate. But the truth is, there will still be a few things to pay for, like commissions and option contract fees. Most firms that don't charge a platform fee give you a low-end platform experience.

With thinkorswim, you get the best of both worlds. An award-winning trading platform built by traders for traders — without any additional charge. Want NASDAQ Level II Quotes ® ? Access to futures and forex market data? Others might say it's going to cost you. But TD Ameritrade says here it is—on thinkorswim—free of charge. Instead of a penny for your thoughts, how about a nickel for a commission-free trade? If you choose to close out the short side of an option position that's trading for five cents or less—the commission is on us. And so are the contract fees for all single-legged short backs. TD Ameritrade to open trading on bitcoin futures. TD Ameritrade is planning to offer clients access to Cboe's bitcoin futures contract on Monday. div > div. group > p:first-child"> The company is one of the top three retail brokerages, according to capital markets research and consulting firm Tabb. In order to be eligible to trade the futures, clients must have a minimum balance of $25,000, according to the brokerage. The margin requirement will also be 1½ times what the Cboe requires, TD said.

TD Ameritrade will not initially support CME's bitcoin futures, which are set to launch this coming Sunday. On Sunday, Chicago-based Cboe Global Markets became the first established exchange to offer bitcoin futures. Many see the launch of the derivatives contract as a first step towards establishing cryptocurrencies as a legitimate asset class, paving the way toward an exchange-traded fund. Interactive Brokers said it handled just over half of the Cboe bitcoin futures trading volume on the first trading day, which saw the highest daily volume so far at 4,127 contracts in total across the products expiring in January, February and March. Interactive Brokers said Friday that it plans to let customers bet on and against the CME contract. How to trade options ameritrade TD Ameritrade is one of the largest and most well-known online discount brokerages in the world. Back in 2009, TD Ameritrade acquired a smaller, yet very popular, online brokerage called thinkorswim for a tidy sum of $606 million. Acquiring thinkorswim, which catered mostly to active options and futures traders, was probably one of the smartest moves TD ever made. To get straight to the point, there is only one reason why traders like to trade options at TD Ameritrade…the thinkorswim platform. The platform is downloadable for both Windows and OSX and it is so good that traders, for a long time, had no problem paying TD Ameritrade’s ridiculous price of $9.99 per option trade plus $0.75 per contract. To stay more competitive, TD recently slashed its benchmark commission rate making it an even more appealing choice for active options traders. Options Trading with TD Ameritrade (thinkorswim) in a Nutshell.

To put things in perspective, in 2016, TD Ameritrade reported net operating income of just over $1.3 billion. There are over 100 branches in more than 33 states in America, and TD Ameritrade employs more than 6,000 full-time employees. In terms of funded client accounts, there are over 7.3 million, and the net assets TD holds are just over $882 billion! Needless to say, TD Ameritrade is a popular choice among retail investors and traders and the firm is not going anywhere. But what makes it so popular? Writers at The Options Bro have a couple of theories as to TD’s insane popularity, but we mostly seem to agree a large part of it comes from thinkorswim. Although almost all options brokers in 2017 offer stellar mobile and desktop trading platforms, thinkorswim is one of the highest rated platforms of all-time in the Google Play and Apple App stores. It’s fast, easy to use, robust, and capable of analyzing and trading tons of options strategies. It truly is the cream of the crop. Active Trader (30+ trdsqtr) Rate: $1.50 per contract* Regular Trader Rate: $6.95 + $0.75contract. Futures and Futures Options: $2.25 per contract. Outgoing Domestic Wire Transfer: $25.00. *Although TD Ameritrade’s commissions and fees are not the lowest in the industry by a long shot, they are negotiable.

One of the traders at The Options Bro has managed to successfully reduce the futures rate to $1.85 per contract by trading 300 contracts in one month. Similarly, if you frequently trade single lot options, you can ask the trade desk to change your commission structure to charge $1.50 per contract with no ticket charge. The $19.99 fee for option assignment and exercise is something nobody seems to understand. Why is it so high? Several other options brokers offer assignment for $4.95. Several brokers off it for free. This $20 charge to let options positions expire in-the-money is ridiculous and costly. However, option writers will LOVE the fact that any short options contracts with a value of $0.05 or less can be closed out for free! No commission charge! Outgoing wire transfers are FREE at TD Ameritrade for all APEX accounts. To qualify as an APEX client, the total account value must be over $100,000, or 5 or more trades need to be per month in a three month period. Basically, what this means is, if you’re an active options trader, you get an unlimited amount of free wire transfers with TD Ameritrade. Pretty nifty if that’s how you pay yourself every week. What can we say? thinkorswim is probably the best piece of free retail options trading software to ever be created – seriously.

Professional options traders will see many similarities between the thinkorswim platform and the Silexx Obsidian platform, which is a favorite among market makers and derivative-based hedge funds. The thinkorswim platform has everything from advanced charts, options chains that load quickly, detailed position management tools, in depth analytics, a market calendar, and customizable watchlists. One of the best aspects of thinkorswim is that it is fully compatible with PCs and Macs, not to mention it’s completely free! Of course, standard things like font size, color, etc. are all customizable. Option chains on thinkorswim are a thing of beauty. You can customize each column with bidask prices, last traded prices, mark, volume, open interest…the list goes on. We have never experienced any delays in loading data that is typical with some option chains when scrolling up or down rapidly. thinkorswim is lightning fast. Charting with TD Ameritrade is top-notch. You can choose from hundreds of different technical analysis patterns and studies andor apply basic things like Bollinger Bands and moving averages. As part of our annual review and constant testing, we loaded over all 500 components of the S&P 500 on the thinkorswim watchlist. The result? The watchlist produced real-time quotes and market depth data for every symbol.

If there’s one certainty, it’s that thinkorswim platform loads data quick. Watchlists are great because you can keep track of your current account positions as well as sort stock, futures, indices, and even individual options contracts by various metrics. In addition to advanced analytics and “what-if” testing, thinkorswim offers “thinkback” which is a sophisticated tool to backtest your options trading strategies with years of historical market data. Perhaps one of the more underrated of the thinkorswim platform is the ability to quickly find futures symbols, and therefore futures options symbols, very quickly. Some brokers like OptionsXpress have the absolute worst symbol finding feature you could possibly imagine. With thinkorswim, you can also see the tick size, tick value, and initial margin requirement all from one easy place in the platform! It’s so simple and easy! Except for some of the options analytics tools, the mobile version of thinkorswim has everything that the desktop version has. It has more than everything you need to trade on the fly and manage your positions. Multi-leg options orders are not a problem. We have relied on the mobile version hundreds of times while we’re waiting at airports, perched at coffee shops, or merely walking down the street. We also use it for market alerts. For the active options trader who has dozens and sometimes hundreds of positions on, it’s incredibly soothing to be able to monitor and potentially close any positions at anytime.

The mobile watchlist functions exactly like the desktop watchlist. Level II trading data is free at TD Ameritrade for all futures and equities and their respective options. Plus, there is a useful streaming market news feature on both the desktop and mobile platforms that is free of charge. There are no minimum trading requirements to receive real-time quotes and trading data. Futures Options Trading with TD Ameritrade. The following futures products all have tradable options with TD Ameritrade: -British Pound Sterling. -E-Mini NASDAQ 100. -Light Sweet Crude Oil Natural Gas. Options Trading Capabilities. A lot of traders have reported difficulty with approval for uncovered options trading with TD Ameritrade. Although it seems to be a matter of checking the right boxes and having a “high” income, chances are if you apply for an account you may not be approved for uncovered options right away. It usually only takes an email to customer service to remedy this. Once you’re approved, TD Ameritrade offers uncovered options trading with reasonable capital requirements.

TD Ameritrade offers 247 support over the phone. Additionally, they offer excellent live-chat support via the mobile and desktop platforms. Once you start a support request, someone will typically answer within 1-10 minutes. As they saying goes, you get what you pay for. That’s the case with TD Ameritrade. Pro-level options trading software that is equivalent of thinkorswim costs close to $200 per month, i. e. Silexx Obsidian. Great trading technology and outstanding customer service come at a price, and that price is a $19.99 option exerciseassignment fee and $6.95 + $0.75contract option trades. Although commissions with TD are negotiable, their rates are much higher than several other discount brokerages. If you’re a super active options trader, commissions add up really fast. At the end of the day, you really have to ask yourself if advanced trading technology is worth paying more money in commissions.

If that answer is yes, then TD is great. It’s also worth noting that although TD Ameritrade has an API program, it does not currently support futures trading. Therefore, it’s possible to connect third-party trading applications to TD’s servers and receive their data, but you wouldn’t be able to receive any futures data. But there’s sort of no reason to do this since thinkorswim is such a terrific trading platform. Founded in 1982, TradeStation is one of the longest operating online discount brokerages in the world. It’s now owned by. Ally invest is one of the newest players in the options broker realm. Having acquired TradeKing for $275 million in. Access the TD Ameritrade client login by clicking the “Log In to TD Ameritrade Account” button below. If you are. If you ask any diehard options trader what the best broker is for options trading, you’ll likely get a variety.