The Options Bench publishes free options calculators, guides and reference material for retail traders. This page explains who writes that content, how we check it, how we keep it current, and how we decide which brokers and tools to recommend - so you can judge how much to trust what you read here.
Who writes this
The content and calculators are built by Theo Chen, an active retail options trader of more than a decade who trades income strategies - covered calls, cash-secured puts, the wheel and spreads. The tools are the ones he wanted for his own trading. We write from real experience at the desk, not from a content brief. You can read more on the author page and the about page. We are not financial advisors, and nothing we publish is personal financial advice.
How the calculator math is tested
A calculator is only useful if its numbers are right, so every calculator on the site is covered by an automated test suite - currently more than 570 assertions that check each result against worked examples and known edge cases (in-the-money covered calls, zero-days-to-expiration, unequal iron-condor wings, assignment cost basis, and more). The full method behind each tool, including the formulas, is published openly on how we calculate. The tests run on every change before it goes live, so a formula can't quietly break.
How we research and write
Guides and explainers aim to answer the question a trader actually has before placing an order, in plain English, and to be honest about risk and the awkward edge cases that thinner write-ups skip. We favour concrete, worked examples over jargon, and we mark illustrative figures as hypothetical. Where a claim depends on definitions or mechanics (assignment, expiration, margin), we describe how it actually works rather than oversimplifying.
Accuracy, updates and corrections
Pages carry a "last updated" date so you can see how current they are, and we revise content when rules, mechanics or our tools change. If you spot an error - a wrong number, a broken assumption, or anything misleading - please tell us through the feedback and bug report page or by email at hi@theoptionsbench.com. We take corrections seriously and fix confirmed errors promptly.
How we choose and rank brokers and tools
Our broker and tool recommendations - for example best options brokers and best options tools - are editorial. We rank on merit: things like pricing, the quality of the options tooling, available data, platform reliability and who each option genuinely suits. Commission never buys a higher ranking or a place on a list. Some of those links are affiliate or referral links, which means we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you - but whether a company has an affiliate program, and how much it pays, does not affect our coverage or the order in which we present options. Any page carrying affiliate links shows a disclosure.
Independence and how the site is funded
The calculators are free, run in your browser, and need no signup. The site is funded by display advertising and the affiliate links described above, which is what keeps the tools open to everyone. Advertisers and affiliate partners have no input into our content, our rankings, or what we choose to cover. See the privacy policy for how advertising and cookies work, and the terms of service for the rules of using the site.
Contact
Questions about how we work? Email hi@theoptionsbench.com or use the contact page.
Educational content and tools only - not financial advice. Options trading involves risk of loss.