Kirk Du Plessis

Founder

About

Kirk is a Founder of Option Alpha. I love my wife, our 3 kids, my company, old cars, and anything finance.

Education

BS in Finance, University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce

References

2018 Inc 500 (#215)
2019 Inc 5000 (#723)
Tradier Options Summit in Partnership with CBOE
Chat With Traders
Investor's Business Daily
Yahoo Finance
Benzinga Fintech Awards
TradeStation

Experience

Options
Technical analysis‍
Fundamental Analysis
Understanding company financials
Economic indicators and their impact on stocks
Technical Analysis
Candlestick pattern analysis
Options fundamentals (calls, puts, writing options, etc.)
Options pricing models (Black-Scholes model, etc.)
Option strategies (spreads, straddles, condors, etc.)
Greeks in options trading (Delta, Theta, Gamma, Vega)
Risk management in options
Expiration cycles and assignment risk
Automated Trading
Algorithmic trading strategies
Building trading bots
Backtesting strategies
Market order types (limit orders, stop orders, etc.)
Bull and bear markets strategies
Understanding stock splits, dividends, and buybacks
Diversification strategies
Asset allocation models
Rebalancing techniques
Risk-return optimization
Psychology of Trading
Overcoming cognitive biases (confirmation bias, overconfidence, etc.)
Hedging strategies
Leverage and margin requirements
Trading Platforms & Tools
Order execution and slippage
Data feeds and market access

Research Insights

Is the “Golden Bull Market” Finally Ending?

20 years of data suggests this bull market may not be over yet, and the positive momentum could continue into the new year.

Autotrading Is Here: The Doors Are Open

We are sending invites to traders on the Waitlist! Share the news, get to the front of the line, and start autotrading!

Platform Updates

New Decisions to Check Bot Trade History & Active Orders

Four new decision recipes help you reference a bot’s trade history and active orders. Find out what this means for you and your bots!

Platform Updates

Bot & Position Tags: Where Precision Meets Flexibility

Now you can create, add, and remove bot and position tags to take your automations to a whole new level.

Bot Inspiration

Building an RSI Swing Trading Bot with Credit Spreads

Discover how to automate a popular swing trading strategy that opens bullish and bearish credit spreads based on RSI value.

Platform Updates

We Just Introduced Bot Warnings for Smoother Autotrading

Bot errors are divided into two categories to help you identify soft and fatal errors and troubleshoot their impact on your portfolio.

Platform Updates

4 New Updates to Make Autotrading Easier

Check out these new updates that are all about improving your experience.

Platform Updates

Introducing Automation "Switches"

Bot switches make your automations more flexible by allowing you to turn parts of an automation on or off.

Platform Updates

Import Your Positions from Your Brokerage Account to Option Alpha

You can now import positions from your brokerage account into Option Alpha for your bots to manage!

Automated Trading

3 Smart Ways to Use SmartStops

SmartStops are not your traditional trailing stop. SmartStops are a proprietary feature that can change the way you exit positions. Learn how SmartStops can be a game-changer for your portfolio.

Option Alpha Announces Tradier Integration

Tradier is now available for live trading access! Plus, when you connect your account, you'll enjoy exclusive pricing on all trades.

Platform Updates

All Your Automations Are Now Saved to Your Library

The automations library now gives you more organization and customization in your portfolio.

Automated Trading

Create Your Own Custom In-App Notifications

Create and customize in-app notifications to alert you of specific market and bot activity in real-time.

Using Folders for Organizing and Grouping Bot Automations

We’ve made it incredibly easy for you to group all your automations inside your library. Discover how folders will help you organize your portfolio.

Research Insights

5-Year SPY Put Credit Spread Backtest

Using our Backtester, we explored the historical performance of SPY put credit spreads to help determine the entry and exit criteria that best fit your trading objectives.

Automated Trading

The Power of Reusable Automations Across Multiple Bots

Reusable automations are a powerful tool that enables you to use a single automation across multiple bots simultaneously.

Option Alpha Announces TradeStation Integration

TradeStation is now available for live trading access! Plus, when you connect your account, you'll enjoy exclusive pricing on all trades.

Bot Inspiration

Automated Trading Using Multiple Moving Averages

Automate your trend following strategy with these two decision recipes that reference multiple moving averages when filtering opportunities.

Automated Trading

Leveraging the Power of Bots to Scan for Trading Opportunities

Leverage the power of bots to automate your strategies, scan for trading opportunities based on multiple market conditions, and open new positions when your criteria are met.

Research Insights

Tail Risk Pricing Post-Pandemic

VIX and SPX tail risk pricing is astronomically high compared to before the pandemic. What has happened to the price of downside protection? Find out here.

Automated Trading

Share Bot Automations Just as Easily as Bot Templates

Collaborating on your trading strategy has never been easier. You can now share automations in the Community, save an automation to your library, modify its decisions, and instantly add it to a bot of your choice.

Bot Inspiration

How to Automatically Avoid Trading When Markets are in a Downtrend

Do you want to avoid trading when certain stocks are in a downtrend? Use a simple moving average decision recipe to filter for new position opportunities.

Test Automations Directly Inside the Automation Editor

Test your bot’s automations directly inside the automation editor to see how your logic performs in live market conditions.

Platform Updates

Choose Your Path with these Automation Editor Improvements

The Automation Editor just got a lot better. Now you can customize your automations with improved “choose your path” flexibility.

Platform Updates

Strike Price Selection Enhancements Released

Learn how the strike price selection process is enhanced with our new platform update. It’s never been easier to choose the right contract!

Platform Updates

Use Bot-Level Decisions for Added Flexibility

New bot-level decisions give you more capital and position flexibility when building bots.

Platform Updates

Scanner and Monitor Ordering Released

New scanner and monitor automation ordering gives you even more customization options for your bots. Check it out!

Strategic Thinking

Portfolio Hedging Strategy with VIX Options

See how this VIX hedging strategy performed during the Pandemic Crash and learn how portfolio hedging can protect against black swan events.

Research Insights

Bid-Ask Spread Anomalies: 5 Questions Answered

We answer five key research questions about bid-ask spread volatility and explain how these answers can threaten or inform your trading decisions.

Platform Updates

Order Controls Released

Order controls got a major upgrade in our latest platform update. Keep reading to learn about all the new improvements!

Platform Updates

SmartPricing Released

SmartPricing is Option Alpha’s proprietary technology that uses timed intervals to dynamically adjust pricing to optimize your entries and exits.

Platform Updates

Bot Template Versioning Released

The new bot template versioning update keeps your freshest ideas in the spotlight.

Research Insights

Bid-Ask Spread Expectations

What is the "personality" of your favorite ticker? Do you know what the bid-ask spread of the specific underlyings you trade should resemble? Learn about bid-ask spread expectations here.

Strategic Thinking

Have You Peaked?

Are you getting better at investing? Find out how to challenge your status quo and improve your investment process.

Research Insights

Bid-Ask Spread Anomalies: Risk and Opportunity

Learn how bid-ask spread anomalies bring unique risks and opportunities in options trading with this SPY case study.

Research Insights

Bid-Ask Spread Volatility Explained

This case study examines the intraday price volatility of a TLT iron condor to illustrate the forces at play beyond the options Greeks affecting a position's bid-ask spread.

Automated Trading

Automated Trading Decisions Based on a Symbol's Price Change

Do you manually check a stock's price movement before placing an order? Use this simple but powerful decision recipe to reference a symbol’s price change when making automated trading decisions inside a bot.

Automated Trading

Automated Trading Using AND/OR Decision Criteria

Do you use multiple multiple indicators when evaluating new trading opportunities? Learn how to use And/Or decision criteria to group recipes in an automation.

Grouping and Nesting Decisions for More Powerful Automations

Do you evaluate more than one set of market conditions before entering a new trade? This video shows how grouping and nesting decisions create flexible bots with dynamic automations.

Automated Trading

Managing Multiple Strategy Types with Monitor Automations

Does your portfolio have multiple strategy types? Learn how to use monitor automations to manage different positions inside a bot.

When to Group Decisions Together and When to Separate Them into Multiple Steps

Learn when you should use and/or functionality to group multiple decisions together, and when you should separate and analyze individual criteria before moving through an automation.

Bot Inspiration

How to Setup Your Bot Automations to be Incredibly Flexible

You don’t need to continuously enter the same information over and over across multiple automations. Learn how to use custom inputs to add flexibility and efficiency to any bot.

Strategic Thinking

Automated Does Not Mean Unattended

Misconceptions surround automated trading, and automation does not bring with it a guaranteed edge. What are the real benefits of automation, and what does automation mean for you?

Automated Trading

Automatically Exit Your Option Trades Before Expiration

If you want to avoid expiration, automations can use a decision recipe to automatically exit an options position a defined number of days before expiration if no exit criteria have been met.

Automated Trading

Combining Multiple Moving Averages to Trend Follow with Bots

Use bots to identify trending stocks and automate the trade entry process using multiple moving averages.

Automated Trading

Using Bots to Automate Profit Targets and Stop Losses

Stop using manual trade orders. Start automating your profit targets and stop-loss exits with this simple decision recipe.

Bot Inspiration

How to Add a Global VIX Filter to the Beginning of an Automation

Let your bot scan the market for high volatility before entering new positions. Add a global VIX filter to any automation to quickly check if market volatility is above a defined level.

Digging for New Stock and Options Trading Ideas

Finding new trading ideas is hard work. Here is a list of five simple and helpful tips to help you identify options trading opportunities.

Strategic Thinking

Short Options Contract: Exercised or Assigned?

Many traders are concerned about their short options contracts near expiration. Here is a guide to better understand the probability of your short option being assigned.

Strategic Thinking

Deep-in-the-Money ETF Options Strategy

Check out this deep-in-the-money ETF options trading strategy.

10 Reasons Why Options Trading Liquidity is Vital

Option liquidity is one of the most important factors to weigh when looking for new trading opportunities. Here is a detailed list of why option liquidity is vital to your trading.

19 Famous Quotes from Great Investors

There is still a lot that can be learned from historical investors and traders. Here is a list of 19 great quotes from famous investors.

Strategic Thinking

When to Hold a Position Before You Cut Losses

When should you hold a position and when should you cut losses? Learn to control your emotions and exit trades before they become big losers that blow up your account.

Strategic Thinking

Figure Out How Many Options Contracts to Trade

It's fairly easy to blow up your trading account. Too often, traders (both advanced and beginner) allocate way too much to a single trade. Here is a simple formula to determine how many options contracts you should trade.

TD Ameritrade Commission Negotiation: How I Did It

Every year I contact my broker to negotiate lower commission rates for my options trading. I’ve done this consistently every year, and each time I have successfully secured a savings.

Why You Should Never Look at Stock Charts Again

We need to remember that we are trading in a random marketplace. Just because charts are easy to read and look visually appealing, doesn’t make them future predictors of stock movement. You may never need to look at a stock chart again.

Top 5 Ways to Reduce Your Options Trading Commissions

If you want to trade options, you're going to have to pay commissions. Like any other business, trading has costs. But there are ways to reduce the cost of commissions and boost your overall returns.

Strategic Thinking

4 Ways You Can Trade Weekly Options in Your Portfolio

In addition to the variety of monthly contracts available, many underlying stocks now offer weekly options. These weekly options can be employed in various trading strategies to manage both the theta and delta risk associated with options expiration. Here are four ways to trade weekly options in your portfolio.

What to Know About Proper Position Sizing when Trading

Position sizing is subjective -- what may be right for one trader might be too much for another. But you should have some risk management in place, so I put together this very quick guide on proper position sizing.

Strategic Thinking

4 Rules for Generating Profits During Market Declines

Covered calls can help generate income and mitigate losses when the market declines Protective puts can help protect against adverse market moves. Here are four rules to help you in a bear market.

14 Characteristics of Highly Successful Option Traders

There are many lists out there detailing what makes people successful in life. If we want to become successful option traders, these 14 specific characteristics are needed to succeed.

Strategic Thinking

How to Profit from Volatility Skew Trading Strategies

Here is a trading strategy to take advantage of volatility skew in options pricing.

Strategic Thinking

Options Technically Don't Expire on the Third Friday

If you've always thought that options expire on the third Friday of every month you need to read this. What most people don't know is that overnight trading can dramatically effect your positions.

14 Stages of Investor Emotions & Trading Psychology

Markets have defined and specific cycles. This is because investors and traders are emotional – whether we choose to be or not. Learn the 14 stages of investor emotions and trading psychology.

Strategic Thinking

Straddle Option Strategy: Profiting from Big Moves

Learn how to profit from big moves with the long straddle option strategy.

Strategic Thinking

Options Volume Trading Strategy: How to Profit

Under the right conditions, high options volume can tip you off to some potentially explosive moves in individual stocks. Of course this doesn’t always happen, but when you see high volume you need to know what to do next.

How Much Money Do You Need to Trade Options

Use these tools to determine how much money you need to allocate to your options trading portfolio.

Strategic Thinking

Using Diagonal Spreads for Long Term Investing Plus Monthly Cash Flow

Diagonal spreads are an excellent way to invest long-term with options while producing monthly cash flow. Many traders actually don’t know much about how powerful and flexible these spreads can be for successful trading.

Why Most People Fail Miserably at Options Trading (And How to Avoid it)

The truth is, most people who trade options fail miserably and lose money each year. But if you’re reading this, I think that you could be one of the people who prosper from options trading.

Strategic Thinking

When Should You Buy Back the Short Leg on a Credit Spread?

Do you know when you should buy back the short leg of a credit spread? It's important to remember that options trading is about controlling your risk and removing trades that show too much risk without enough profit potential. If you can do this consistently, you'll be well on your way to better returns.

Trading Psychology – 5 Tips to Help Control Your Emotions

Here at Option Alpha, we have outlined some ground rules to help keep emotions in check during the good and the bad trades. If you implement these 5 trading psychology rules you will be well on your way to more consistent trades.

Strategic Thinking

The Three Best Option Strategies for Earnings

Here is everything you need to know for trading options around earnings, including what strategies to consider and how to analyze market data to help you make the best decisions.

Strategic Thinking

Here’s a Quick Way to Hedge Credit Spread Option Strategies

Here is a quick and easy hedging strategy to help you adjust a credit spread that is showing a loss.

Strategic Thinking

How to Set Up a Broken-Wing Butterfly Option Strategy

A broken-wing butterfly is similar to the long butterfly in structure, with slight variations. Learn how to set up a broken-wing butterfly option strategy.

10 Golden Rules for Trading Success Regardless of What You Trade

There are some basic principles and rules that will make you successful trading, regardless of what you trade. These 10 golden rules are interchangeable for stock traders, option traders, future traders, and even forex traders.

Problems Getting Your Option Order Filled? Try These 3 Quick Adjustments

It can be frustrating when your order isn't filled. Fortunately, there are a few strategies to improve your chances of quicker execution. Try these three tips and adjustments.

Strategic Thinking

Mastering the 4 Different Types of Option Orders

Master the four different option order types. Learn to use limit and market orders to open and close positions.

Strategic Thinking

3 Option Strategies to Use During Low Volatility Markets

Option sellers prefer high volatility. But it is important to consistently enter trades in all market conditions. Here are three options strategies to use during low volatility markets.

What Can I Realistically Make My First Year Trading Stocks and Options?

There is no standard dollar amount for what you can make in your first year trading because there are so many factors, such as your risk tolerance, account size, and the types of trades you want to make. Here is what you can realistically expect to make your first year trading options.

Strategic Thinking

Naked Option Selling: The Stupid Myth of "Unlimited Losses"

Naked option selling is misunderstood and often gets a bad reputation from the investment community. While there are risks involved with trading naked options, here is an opportunity to educate yourself about selling options.

19 Top Places to Get Real-Time Stock Market Quotes and News

There are a lot of resources for real-time stock market quotes and news. Here is a list of the most reliable sources for market information.

12 Can’t Fail Steps on How to Place Your First Option Trade Tomorrow

Placing your first options trade is not as hard as it may seem. There's no reason to be intimidated and you'll never learn until you do it, so let's walk through the process step by step.

How Can I Exit a Vertical Option Spread Without Getting Creamed?

If you have a vertical option spread that you need to exit but you don't want to get creamed closing the position, here are some helpful tips so you can safely look for the exit doors without watching your profits evaporate.

Strategic Thinking

What Your Mother Didn’t Tell You About Trading Iron Condors

Learn everything you need to know about iron condors (especially the secrets nobody tells you). Here is the essential information to help you set up the strategy and what to do if the position moves against you.

Strategic Thinking

4 Must Know Options Expiration Day Traps to Avoid

Here are our Top 4 MUST-KNOW traps to avoid on options expiration day. Plus, some advice for managing tricky positions.

Strategic Thinking

How Can a Call Option Decline in Value When a Stock Rises?

Confused about why your call option has declined in value even though the stock has gone up? Understanding the factors that influence options pricing is critical.

Strategic Thinking

13 Stock Chart Patterns that You Can’t Afford to Forget

Stock chart patterns play an important role in technical analysis and can be a powerful asset for all traders. Learning to recognize patterns will help you profit from breakouts and reversals. Here are 13 stock chart patterns you must know.

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