Long-Only Options Approval Without Trading Experience?

B

BSH

Does anyone know which discount brokerages will approve you for long-only options trading if you understand options but don't have options trading experience yet?

I understand some brokerages will approve you for long-only trading if you have the financials and pass an options knowledge test.

I don't want to screw around writing covered calls for two years just to meet the approval criteria.
 
The only questions I was asked with BMO Investorline and IB was the standard "know your client" stuff.

  • Employment info
  • Yearly income
  • Number of years trading
  • Net worth
None of which they confirmed. Since you can't use margin to buy options a long option position is no more risky to the broker than covered calls - so they should approve your account for long-option positions regardless of actual option trading experience.



:)
 
They just ask you "do you know options?" "How many years have you traded options?" and you can put some numbers and you get approved. The broker will believe what you tell them and then it is your own responsibility not to screw up your account.
 
BSH said:
Thanks.

Do you have to go through Dough? Or does TD have its own options test that you can take?
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The only option test I've ever seen is for a customer portfolio margin account. You sound you are talking about a cash account with option approval. You get an option agreement that you must sign. If they ask questions about your trading experience it would be for their "know your customer" rule. (Like others have said here)
 
rmorse said:
The only option test I've ever seen is for a customer portfolio margin account. You sound you are talking about a cash account with option approval. You get an option agreement that you must sign. If they ask questions about your trading experience it would be for their "know your customer" rule. (Like others have said here)
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That was my question: are there any discount brokers that, for the purposes of option trading approval on a cash account, will allow you to take an options knowledge test to compensate for a lack of trading experience in your KYC answers?

I believe Dough is doing this; I thought there might be others.

Seems to me that an options knowledge test would hold up better in litigation than an unverified "number of years experience" to prove you knew what you were doing ...

I'm curious how the "2 years trading experience" requirement became almost universal across brokerages.

Did FINRA say that options traders had to have 2 years' worth of trading experience?
 
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