I’m going bigger and bolder: a New Year’s course sale starting January 1, plus the launch of my new Alert Service with Optiverse training built in.
Options education for retirees, pre-retirees, and anyone building a second income stream
Whether you're a long-term investor who wants to protect what you own or a shorter-term trader focused on income, there's a structured path from your first option to multi-leg trades. No day trading. No hype.
Standalone course, take it anytime: The AI-Powered Wheel. No other course needed. The most common first options trade, for brokerage accounts and IRAs.
30+ years trading the markets. 10+ years teaching options. 750+ free videos on YouTube. Rated 4.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
One free lesson for each course, each with a free resource to take you further. Lessons 1 to 4 follow the four-step path and are best watched in order.
Calls, puts, what they cost, and a first look at the covered call. Free by email: The 3-Step Trade Entry Navigator. Liquidity, your outlook and volatility: the three checks before every trade, then a defined-risk trade that fits.
Email me the Navigator · Full course: Options Trading for Beginners
Your first multi-leg structure: set it neutral or tilt it toward a move, and see which markets it fits. Free by email: The Butterfly & Condor Field Guide. Four defined-risk structures side by side, plus the pre-trade checklist Steve uses.
Email me the field guide · Full course: Butterflies & Condors
How a calendar earns from time passing, and why volatility matters as much as price. Free by email: The Time Spread Setup Checklist. The six steps Steve works through before every calendar or diagonal, on one page.
Email me the checklist · Full course: Calendars & Diagonals
How a butterfly and a diagonal work together in one position, and when the combination fits. Free by email: The Flyagonal Map. Steve's signature trade on one page: the two structures inside it and how they fit together.
Email me the map · Full course: The Flyagonal
Standalone, take it anytime. How to turn a screenshot of the stocks you already own into a ranked list of covered-call candidates, in ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. Free by email: The AI Covered Call Prompt. The prompt itself, ready to paste into the AI you already use.
Email me the prompt and video · Full course: The AI-Powered Wheel
The AI-Powered Wheel doesn't build on the other courses, and they don't build on it. If you own stocks or have an IRA and want income from them, you can start here, or add it at any point along the path.
The Weekly Options Trader: Steve's weekend market analysis: what moved, and what he's watching for the week ahead. The Theta Lab: options tips, tricks and tools, one practical idea at a time. Subscribers are also the first to hear about free live sessions and special offers. Free. Unsubscribe any time. Get both newsletters
See the approach in real markets: Steve's trades, explained on video. See how the Alert Service works
Options Income Academy teaches options strategies like the Flyagonal and the Wheel, and how to use AI inside a real trading process, from choosing covered calls with the AI-Powered Wheel to connecting AI with Optiverse, the options trading platform. AI supports the decision-making. You stay in control of the trade.
The four-step path takes you from your first option to combining structures, each course preparing you for the next. The AI-Powered Wheel stands apart: it needs no other course, so you can take it first, last or alongside the path. If you own stocks or have a retirement account, it's a practical place to begin.
Every structure has markets it likes and markets it doesn't. The path teaches several, one at a time, so you can match the trade to the market. Each course also stands on its own.
The language of options and the Greeks, single-leg calls and puts, vertical spreads, a first look at butterflies, condors and calendars, and how to protect a portfolio you already own. 10+ hours, video course. $1,495. View course
Defined-risk structures you can set neutral or tilt toward an up or down market. Balanced and broken-wing butterflies, iron and broken-wing condors, and how to adjust when the market moves. 10+ hours, video course. $1,495. View course
Trading time itself. How time spreads respond to time, volatility and price, how to adjust them, and how to handle earnings. 9+ hours, video course. $1,495. View course
How a butterfly and a diagonal work together in one position. Three variations, which one to use in which market conditions, and a detailed PDF guide to all three. 14+ hours, video course. $2,495. View course
Not a step on the path, and not needed for it. Take it first, last or alongside any step. Earn premium on the stocks you own, with AI doing the homework.
If you have an investment or retirement account you'd like to draw cash flow from, this is where to start. You sell covered calls on stock you own and cash-secured puts on stock you'd like to own, then roll between them. It's the simplest options strategy to learn, and usually the first one brokers approve. Every position is backed by shares or cash you already hold, so there's no leverage. AI does the stock screening, entries and roll analysis, using prompts you run in ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. It’s a practical first step into using AI in your financial life.
$495 one time. Lifetime access, including every new lesson. The AI-Powered Wheel
You still carry the risk of owning the stock. The course shows how to manage it. Check your broker's IRA options rules.
Not ready to buy? Try it free: The AI Covered Call Prompt and How-To Video. The prompt turns a screenshot of the stocks you already own into a ranked list of covered-call candidates. The video shows you how to use it in ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. Get the free AI prompt and video
Steve trades the structures he teaches across every course, from Wheel trades to the Flyagonal, and explains each move on video, recorded on his screen in Optiverse, the options platform he trades in. Around the alerts, you learn the concepts behind the trades and how to use Optiverse yourself. A teaching tool, not a signal service.
Every structure has conditions it likes and conditions it doesn't. You watch Steve match the trade to the market as it happens, across Wheel trades, vertical spreads, butterflies and condors, calendars and diagonals, and the Flyagonal.
$795 per quarter. Best after Step 1, or with equivalent experience. See how the Alert Service works
Replay any of them from entry to exit. Most openings, adjustments and closings have a video, and trades since 2025 also have a summary P&L page. The archive is a world of learning on its own.
All five courses, plus bonuses. Everything from your first options trade to combining structures, plus earning premium on the stocks you already own.
$4,995. $8,420 if bought separately. See the five-course path
*Optiverse's 7-day trial plus 30 extra days with Steve's code, for new Optiverse customers.
Pick the line that sounds most like you.
Your instructor. Steve has traded for more than 30 years and taught options for more than 10. He's the educator behind OptionStrat's YouTube channel, which he grew from about 3,500 to more than 20,000 subscribers. He helped launch Option Alpha, beta-tested Option Trader's Assistant and taught for Aeromir, and he has taught live classes for trading education companies. He is under contract with Optiverse, the platform he trades in, as a beta tester, launch partner and affiliate, and earns a commission when you subscribe with his code. You never pay more than buying direct from Optiverse.
In 2023 he started his own channel, Options Income Academy, and has grown it from zero to more than 5,000 subscribers with over 750 free videos.
He's at the same stage of life as many of his students, and he teaches the way he trades: defined positions, plain talk about risk, no hype.
30+ years of active trading. 10+ years teaching options. Creator of the Flyagonal. Aeromir instructor.
Steve's partner links give you special pricing on Optiverse, Option Trader's Assistant and OptionStrat (Steve may earn a commission through these links). Steve has also worked with Option Alpha.
4.4 on Trustpilot. Read all reviews
“A true battle tested trader, not just another internet guru.” Justin, Trustpilot
“The curriculum is deliberately sequenced, and that matters. Each course builds on the last, closing gaps you did not even realize you had.” Randall, Trustpilot
“The Flyagonal is quite an amazing strategy and since Steve is the pioneer on this, this is the best place to learn about it.” Jaishankar K., Flyagonal course student
“I'm honestly amazed that he creates a video for each alert explaining each trade—it's a total game-changer.” Maria Isabel, Alert Service member
“Steve's teaching style is relaxed yet thorough.” Paul, course student
“Excellent service, thank you! I am still in awe that you post a video for each trade and adjustment.” Mike L., Alert Service member
“Steve doesn't just give you the trade setup, he walks through why and how to make the trade.” @ghostrider5074, YouTube
“Of all the courses that I have taken in the past this ranks along with the very best.” David, course student
“These trades really inspire me. I know each time more about adjusting a trade. Thank you for explaining why you make a certain choice!” Antoon, Alert Service member
“Thank you Steve, I'm really enjoying your BWB Course and Alert Service. I've learned more than I have in the last 40 years.” Jerry, Butterflies course student
“Your courses and quality of materials are excellent. It's truly enlightening how you have used OptionStrat to explain the Greeks.” Alfredo F., course student
“The courses are well structured, and Steve answers every question quickly.” Burak B., course student
“After completing two Deep Dive courses, I was amazed by how immediately actionable the material was.” Jens, options trader
“It's rare to find an academy where the lead is this accessible and dedicated.” Umesh, Trustpilot
“It's undeniably one of the most outstanding training programs I've ever come across.” Martin V., Calendars & Diagonals course student
“I am so glad I joined. Your course is beyond thorough. Excellent product, thank you.” @leblancm, Beginners course student
“Steve, I'm sure enjoying the butterfly teaching you've sent me. You're an excellent teacher.” Bill, Butterflies course student
“I highly recommend his Flyagonal to help you establish a framework from which you can work with immediately.” HB, options trader
“One of the best decisions I have made. I love trading the Flyagonal. Thank you.” Matt B., options trader
Testimonials are from actual students and members, are unpaid, and reflect individual experiences.
Start with Options Trading for Beginners or the AI-Powered Wheel. Both are built for people starting out. Beginners teaches how options work, including how to hedge a portfolio, and leads into the four-step path. The Wheel puts options to work on stocks you already own. Want to see how Steve teaches first? Start with the free lessons.
Most people in your situation start with the AI-Powered Wheel. It's built for exactly that. You sell covered calls on stock you already own, and cash-secured puts on stock you'd like to own. Instead of placing buy and sell orders and waiting, you get paid to place them: the call premium pays you for agreeing to sell at a price you choose, and the put premium pays you for agreeing to buy at a price you choose. It works in most IRAs with basic options approval. From there, the path continues in order: Options Trading for Beginners (the Greeks, spreads, and hedging the portfolio you own); Butterflies & Condors (defined-risk structures, set neutral, bullish or bearish); Calendars & Diagonals (trading time, volatility and direction); The Flyagonal (combining the best aspects of butterflies, calendars and diagonals into a single trade). Spreads usually need a higher options approval level in an IRA, so check with your broker before moving past the Wheel.
No. Every course stands on its own. Use Find your starting point above. If you already know butterflies, calendars and diagonals, you can go straight to Step 4, the Flyagonal.
No. Most trades on the path are held from a day to a few weeks, and Wheel positions usually use options 30 to 45 days out. Checking once or twice a day is usually enough.
Yes. Every course has a free starting point: a free lesson for each step on the path, and the free AI Covered Call Prompt for the Wheel. There are also 750+ free videos on YouTube, so you can see exactly how Steve teaches before you decide. Because you get full access the moment you enroll, course sales are final.
Options can be risky when they're misused. The path focuses on defined-risk trades, where you know your maximum loss before you enter. While you're learning, that maximum can be as small as $50 to $100 per trade. Options can also do the opposite job: protection. One of their oldest uses, and still a common one, is as insurance on a stock portfolio, and once you know how, you can use them to protect a retirement account. Options Trading for Beginners covers hedging a portfolio you already own. Options still aren't right for every investor, and that decision is yours.
No course can promise that, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What the courses do is teach how these structures work, how to size and manage risk, and how to judge when a trade fits the market. If you'd like to watch Steve trade these structures in real markets, winners and losers, the Alert Service posts each entry, adjustment and exit with a video.
It's a teaching tool. Every entry, adjustment and exit comes with a video explaining the reasoning, and the goal is for you to make these decisions on your own. See how the Alert Service works.
Start with the free lessons. Move on to the courses when you're ready. Options traders sell time for a living. Don't let more of yours go by before you learn how.
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Options Income Academy provides education only and does not give investment advice. Steve Ganz is not a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer. Options trading involves risk of loss, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Options are not suitable for all investors; before trading, read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Testimonials reflect individual experiences, are not paid, and do not indicate future performance or success.
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