Start Free. Learn the Foundations Before You Risk a Dollar.
No payment, no pressure. Just the groundwork every consistent options trader needs, taught plainly, at your own pace, inside the Allies Trading platform.
Free account. No credit card. Your progress is tracked as you go.
Why Start Here
Most trading education skips straight to strategies. We start with the foundation instead, because a strategy without a foundation is just a guess with better vocabulary.
Options trading has its own language, and most of it sounds more complicated than it is. This course exists to give you that language in plain English, so you can read a chain, understand what you actually own, and know why a trade behaves the way it does before you ever place one.
This isn't a signals feed, and it never will be. You're learning how to think, not what to copy. That's the whole point of starting here before the VWAP Workshop or full membership. Risk, discipline, and a clear framework come first. Everything else builds on top of that.
What You'll Learn
Six foundational topics, each self-contained. Real questions new options traders run into, answered in plain language.
Why Most Options Traders Lose Money
What premium is actually made of, the three headwinds working against a single-option buyer, and the reframe that changes every trade from here forward.
Reading the Options Chain Like a Pro
The 30-second scan, judging liquidity, and pulling the expected move straight off the chain without any special tools.
Moneyness, Exercise, and Assignment
ITM, ATM, and OTM as the professional vocabulary, what each side of a contract owes, and taking the fear out of assignment.
Delta, the Most Useful Number on the Chain
Delta as price sensitivity, probability, and share-equivalence: the one number professionals check first.
Gamma, Why Options Accelerate
Why options suddenly speed up near the strike and near expiration, and how dealer hedging quietly moves the stocks you trade.
Theta, the Rent You Pay or Collect
Time decay in plain English, why it accelerates near expiration, and thinking of theta as real dollars per day.
How It Works
Create a free account
No payment required. You'll have access the same day.
Work through the lessons
Short, focused topics. Go at your own pace, in any order that makes sense to you.
Decide your next step
Some traders stop here. Others move on to the VWAP Workshop or full membership when they're ready.
Who This Is For
Brand new to options and want a real foundation instead of a YouTube rabbit hole? This is built for you. Already trade but want cleaner structure, less noise, and language you can trust? This is built for you too. Either way, you don't need permission to start. You just need somewhere honest to begin.
What Comes After This
The free course is the first step, not the whole plan. There's no obligation to go further, but here's where it leads if you do.
Free Beginner Course
You're here. Foundations, at no cost.
$37 VWAP Workshop
A focused, practical framework for reading trend and location, plus a 30-minute consultation with Michael. See the workshop →
Allies Trading Membership
The full platform: strategies, portfolio tools, trade alerts, community, and coaching. See what's included →
“You don't need another strategy. You need a plan you can follow on a bad day. That starts with understanding what you're actually trading.” Michael Shafer, PhD
Questions
Is this actually free?
Yes. No payment or card is required to create an account or work through the course.
Do I need any trading experience first?
No. This is built for someone starting from zero. If you already trade, you can move through it quickly and use it as a refresher on the parts you're less sure of.
How long does it take?
Each topic is short and self-contained, so you can finish one in a single sitting and come back for the next whenever you have time.
Am I required to buy anything afterward?
No. The free course stands on its own. The VWAP Workshop and full membership are there if and when you want to go further.
Trading involves risk, including the loss of capital. This course provides general education, not individualized financial advice, and nothing in it is a recommendation to buy or sell any security. See our full Trading Risk Disclosure for details.