Tom is one of the more experienced traders in the Option Alpha Community. He has been trading stocks (and eventually options) for over 35 years. Tom discovered Option Alpha in late 2020 and was “very impressed.”

“I’m an engineer. I believe in systems and processes. Bots are disciplined; they follow the rules. I like that.”

Tom’s computer programming background gives him an appreciation of the autotrading platform’s technology, and he sees the impact its functionality can have on traders.

“I quickly realized, ‘This is it. This is going to be a dream.’ I bought in right away.”

“This technology is well worth the investment”

Tom echoes the sentiment of many bot traders when he says he’s surprised at how easy it is to automate his trading with Option Alpha.

“The best thing is how simple bots are. The platform is so stable and easy to use.”

As someone who trades a similar strategy across multiple tickers, Tom likes how efficiently bots scan market data and let him reuse a strategy’s framework.

“I’m able to put in multiple criteria for the bot to check. It’s so quick. I can change inputs, copy, and clone so fast in the platform. Once I set up a recipe, I don’t have to worry about it. I can easily use it in different bots, and it’s good to go.”

Tom especially enjoys the flexibility of bot-level inputs.

“When I saw bot inputs, that was the holy grail.” There are so many uses for bot inputs; Tom uses them to determine his trade bias. “They’re like a failsafe for the bots.”

“Oh, and bot buttons. I love the buttons!” Tom uses buttons to instantly run automations. 

“I used to have an order list three pages long with targets and stop-losses”

Tom is a big fan of the platform’s streamlined order process now that he can set up his exit orders in a monitor automation.

“A big advantage is order organization. I used to have an order list three pages long. I don’t want to look through all that. Now the bots automate all the orders from the start.”

Plus, the organization tools make it easy to keep track of his bots.

“Changing icons and colors lets me look at a list of thirty bots and quickly identify what bots are doing based on my custom icons. I can see everything at a glance.”

It’s helping his performance, too.

“I exit trades better. I don’t get hurt by wide bid-ask spreads anymore because orders aren’t getting filled at inopportune times.”

“Because of Option Alpha, I have time to do things I enjoy”

Tom is now able to allocate a fraction of his time to his trading. He checks and modifies his bots at night, but he’s confident enough in the technology to be away from the screens all day while the bots manage his portfolio.

“The bots give me more time.  All my time used to be spent in a 10’x12’ room tracking all my positions. I was glued to the screen 12 hours a day, five days a week. Now, because of Option Alpha, I actually have time to do things I enjoy. I’m playing golf and tennis four days a week!”

Tom also notes that the platform is continually improving. “You surprise me with how many new things you put out all the time.”

After almost 40 years in the industry, Tom believes autotrading is the future.

“You’re changing people’s lives. You’re changing the world.”